The Importance of Brotherhood

Why you should care

Note: This is part one of a two part series on brotherhood.

"A fraternity is an association of men, selected in their college days by a democratic process, because of their adherence to common ideals and aspirations."

- Newton D. Baker

This has been known as the definition of what a fraternity is. The concept is so simple - togetherness . . . brotherhood. Mr. Baker tells us that brotherhood is the foundation of your fraternity and that all else arises from it. A fraternity without brotherhood is hardly a fraternity at all, really. Having good brotherhood (or togetherness) is something that makes great chapters great. This goes for any organization/company/team out there.


Can you imagine going into a fraternity that has no common bond, no care for one another? They exist; I've seen them on my alma mater's campus even. These lost chapters do not function, and usually cease to exist at all in very short order. It is my sincere hope that your chapter has a firm grasp of its brotherhood and is not a lost chapter on its way to obscurity.
In our next post, we'll tackle the question of how to approach brotherhood and what things you can do to improve it in your chapter.

So often, the basics - what we were founded on - get lost in the sea of activity that surrounds fraternity life. Brotherhood, the basis for our existence, becomes a forgotten concept. As leader, make sure your chapter is aware of it, and strive to make it better each day in your chapter.

Part two coming soon . . .