National organizers of Sigma Phi Epsilon's Balanced Man Project, which began in 1992, also find it difficult to persuade some chapters to fall in line with their way of thinking. Many of them were new groups that were required to adopt the project's approach in order to colonize. The program tracks each member's personal development toward becoming a balanced man throughout his college career, rather than focusing on the initial few weeks in a pledge-based fraternity. I see no point in breaking someone down just to build them back up. At Georgia, each member is required to develop three goals and tape them to his bathroom mirror, to join at least two other campus organizations, to attend plays and a city-council meeting, and to do a minimum of 50 hours of community service and explain to the group what he learned from it.
Some chapters still struggle with membership numbers, behavior, and grades.
Academic performance is a key part of the Balanced Man Project, but seven years after the start of the program, only 49 percent of the Balanced Man chapters are performing above their campus averages. Only 26 percent of the non-Balanced Man chapters are above their campus averages. In its first year as a colony at Georgia, Sigma Phi Epsilon accepted 64 new members and turned down more than that. The group has a strict application process whose requirements include a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and community service, Mr. Stephens says. The chapter also takes a strong stand against underage drinking, he adds.