Becoming a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity requires an investment of your personal time, talents, and money. We are looking for candidates who are interested in serving the communities in which they live. We are seeking candidates who take academic excellence seriously. Most importantly, We are interested in individuals whose actions will not put the organization’s brand and well-being at risk. This ship does not need anchors.

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An Alpha Phi Alpha member’s greatest interest is outside himself. We value those who believe that their membership the presentation of their personal commitment to time-valued words such as KNOWLEDGE, ACHIEVEMENT, SERVICE, INTEGRITY, QUALITY, HONOR, EXCELLENCE, and COMMUNITY.

 

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INITIAL MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Alpha Phi Alpha recognizes two types of membership: College and Alumni:

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College

An aspirant (a man seeking membership into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.) may apply for membership into a College Chapter as an undergraduate student in good standing at a fully accredited four year college or university. College Aspirants can only join the Fraternity at a College or University where an active chapter is present.

 

Alumni

Any male holder of an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university may be presented as a candidate for membership in an Alumni Chapter provided that he:

 

• Has been minimally conferred a four year baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.

• Is of good character.

• Is registered to vote, if eligible and qualified.

• Is sponsored by one (1) active (financial) member.

 

Alumni Aspirants are encouraged to join chapters that are within a 60 mile radius of their permanent place of residence.

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All Membership Intake Processes, college and alumni, shall conform to the same rules and regulations set forth by the Standing Orders, the Constitution & By-laws and elsewhere. NO intake process may contain activities barred by the laws of the Fraternity, municipalities, states, academic institutions, and the federal government. Membership in Alpha Phi Alpha does not give a member the privilege to initiate new members, nor is a chapter granted the privilege outside of its charter jurisdiction.

 

REQUESTING AN APPLICATION

Alpha Phi Alpha does NOT permit the Initial Membership Development Process (IMDP) at the chapter level, and the fraternity has a zero-tolerance policy for hazing and/or pledging activities.

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Before a candidate can request an application, he will need the following items:

 

1. A member who commits to be a Sponsor. A sponsor is a brother who guides a candidate through the Initial Membership Development Process (IMDP) from the Interested Candidate stage through his first full year of membership. He will also write a letter of support for a candidate (to be included in his completed application packet). The qualifications for a sponsor are as follows:

 

• Must be in Good Standing with the General Organization and the Chapter via which the Candidate wishes to join

• Must be Risk Management Certified

• Must be IMDP Certified

• Must be an active member of the Chapter through which the Candidate wishes to join for one (1) year AND have maintained two consecutive years of active membership with the fraternity (College Chapters are Exempt)

• Must NOT have not been disciplined for violation of the IMDP within a 10-year window of their sponsorship; brothers who have been reinstated after expulsion are ineligible to sponsor candidates

• Must complete the Sponsor Commitment Form (Attachment E) and have it notarized

• Must complete the Sponsor section of the candidate’s official application

 

2. A member who commits to be a Recommender. A recommender is a brother that will write a letter of support for a candidate (to be included in his completed application packet). The qualifications for a recommender are as follows:

 

• Must be in Good Standing with the General Organization and the Chapter via which the Candidate wishes to join

• Must be Risk Management Certified

• Must be IMDP Certified

• Must complete the Recommender section of the candidate’s official application

Link to application
 

HAZING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

 

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. strictly prohibits hazing in any form whether physical or mental as a term or condition of membership in the organization. Hazing is illegal and a crime in most jurisdictions. Aspirants to the organization should participate only in the sanctioned membership process of the Fraternity. Aspirants must not agree to submit to hazing in order to obtain Fraternity membership.

 

Pledging has been officially abolished as a means of obtaining membership in Alpha Phi Alpha and pledge "lines" have been officially abolished by the Fraternity. Aspirants must not submit themselves, or agree to submit themselves, to any membership activities that are prohibited by the Fraternity. Members of Alpha Phi Alpha are forbidden from requiring any aspirant to engage in prohibited membership activities. Members of Alpha Phi Alpha are not authorized to require any aspirant to engage in prohibited membership activities.

 

All official contact and correspondence to the aspirant regarding membership intake will come from the Corporate Headquarters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. via the Director of Membership Services. The only official and sanctioned contact regarding intake is outlined for the aspirant in the Fraternity's description of the "MEMBERSHIP PROCESS". Aspirants should only participate in membership activities when the date, time and place have been established by the Corporate Headquarters. Further, no individual member or chapter of the Fraternity may require additional or different terms or conditions of membership for an aspirant or group of aspirants. Aspirants should immediately report any infraction or irregularity in membership intake to the Corporate Headquarters.

 

FOR YOUR INFORMATION: "HAZING...is any action taken or situation created that involves or results in abusive physical contact or mental harassment of a prospective Fraternity member. Any such action is considered HAZING whether it occurs on or off the Fraternity premises, campus or place where chapters or prospective members meet. HAZING also is described as any action that results in excessive mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment or harassment. Such activities include, but are not limited to, paddling, creation of excessive fatigue, physical or psychological shock, morally degrading or humiliating activities, late work sessions that interfere with scholastic activities, and any other activities inconsistent with fraternal law and the regulations and policies of the affiliated educational institution and federal, state or local law. The above described actions are expressly forbidden. Members or chapters involved in such infractions are subject to disciplinary action." -THE STANDING ORDERS of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Learn more