If you are interested in starting a local chapter at your school, you should form a committee—interested faculty, students, alumni, community leaders, and advisory board members can all make valuable contributions.  At Indiana State, the committee which formed the Alpha chapter consisted of one faculty advisor and three academically gifted students.  Our advisory board also offered input.     
Your committee should draft local chapter by-laws and submit them to the international governing body for approval.   Because each institution is to some degree unique, it is expected that each chapter’s bylaws will differ to reflect those unique features.  For example, there will always be minimum academic and character standards required for induction.  Those standards can vary from school to school, so long as they are approved by the governing body.  Once your by-laws have been approved, or approved as amended, your chapter is authorized to conduct induction ceremonies.  

Once your chapter is approved, there is a $50 fee for initiating your local chapter.  We will provide you with a chapter certificate and with the oath of induction.   In order to conduct the initial ceremony, a member in good standing should administer the oath.  Pins bearing the Alpha Iota Mu logo and certificates for individual members are available for $18 each, plus $15 shipping and handling. 

If you have questions about initiating the process of forming a local chapter, contact Dr. Jim Buffington at jbuffington@isugw.indstate.edu.  We will be happy to supply you with a template for structuring your by-laws.