Welcome
Potential New Member,
Congratulations on taking your first step toward becoming a true Volunteer, and your decision to join our fraternity community! Your years at Tennessee will shape and define the man you will become. The decisions you make this first year—beginning with the decision to come to UT—will determine which aspects of student life you experience to the fullest.
The decision to join a fraternity is one that opens many doors of opportunity to you. Fraternities at Tennessee participate in every aspect of student life, including community service, philanthropy, intramural sports, and many more. Additionally, members of fraternities manage functional organizations, often operating budgets of more than $100,000, balance a social life with a professional life, network with successful alumni across the nation, and develop their leadership skills in various professional scenarios.
Believe it or not, many of America’s greatest leaders are members of fraternities, including all but three United States presidents since 1825, and 45 CEO’s from the top 50 Fortune 500 companies! Fraternity men have achieved these leadership roles because, behind perhaps only the military, fraternities have passed the test of time as one of the greatest institutions of leadership development available to college students.
Fraternities were founded in dedication to values that transcend social trends. In fact, fraternities and sororities make up the largest contingency of values-based student organizations in the nation, which include values like honor, excellence, and most importantly, brotherhood. It’s our commitment to our own values that make fraternity life at UT an invaluable investment that is guaranteed to provide returns like no other form of student involvement.
This letter only gives a brief insight, but the real intricacies must be experienced. I encourage you to find out for yourself. If you keep an open mind, joining a fraternity can be a very rewarding experience for you and I hope that you are able to find that for yourself by “adding a chapter to your life!”
The Interfraternity Council at the University of Tennessee and its member fraternities are excited to welcome you to our fraternity community.
Fraternally,
Wilson Garrett
Interfraternity Council
Vice President of Recruitment
