*This article has been updated from its previous version.

Since the start of the pandemic, many organizations on campus have had to work hard in order to succeed in recruitment, growth, and activity planning. Many groups have been able to overcome these challenges, and Stockton’s InterFraternity Council is one of them.

Recently, Stockton’s IFC announced that between now and 2022, our campus will welcome three new fraternities to its Fraternity and Sorority community. Phi Mu Delta Fraternity will be the first of the three, joining spring 2021. The expansion will continue in spring 2022 with Alpha Sigma Phi returning to Stockton after a 26 year hiatus, and Delta Upsilon in Fall 2023.

“I personally never had a plan to expand the fraternity and sorority community. It has to happen more naturally than that.’ Joe Thompson, Director of Fraternity and Sorority life at Stockton explained. “Over the past few years I have received interest from men on campus to start new IFC fraternities, while simultaneously having fraternity headquarters reach out to me about potential expansion.”

The selection process, as Thompson detailed, was led by a committee of affiliated and non-affiliated male students, faculty, and alumni from Stockton. The committee heard from 9 organizations, and worked together to evaluate them using a rubric of key items which the committee sought in inviting a group to campus. After narrowing down the search to 4 organizations, Thompson went forward and worked out an expansion calendar with those available to continue the process.

Throughout the process, members of the selection committee were tasked with representing the greater Stockton community, and their interest in the campus’ future. The committee sought after high performing organizations that would aim at bettering our students, and would be able to lead a successful campaign in coming to our campus.

“A few pieces of criteria we were really concerned with included their push for diversity and inclusion within their organization,” said Mike Elasser, President of Stockton’s IFC. “Acceptance is huge for each and every organization. We looked towards groups that had the right intentions to continue to portray the InterFraternity Councils priorities; Community Service, Safety, and Diversity and Inclusion.”

Phi Mu Delta, a local organization, with its headquarters in New Jersey, will start seeking interest from students immediately to prepare for the spring semester. This organization is known for welcoming men of any race or religion. Phi Mu Delta has a chapter at neighboring Rutgers University, on their New Brunswick campus.

Students interested in learning more about Phi Mu Delta are encouraged to fill out this form. Students interested in learning more about the greater IFC expansion process are invited to fill out the form Thompson provided here.