Triangle Fraternity’s Peer Mentor Program trains undergraduate members to help chapters and developing groups work through recruitment, communication, marketing, operations, and leadership needs. The Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors selected the program for a 2026 Elevation in Practice Innovation Award.
The model gives participating chapters continuing contact with a trained student mentor who understands the responsibilities and pressures of undergraduate fraternity leadership.What did AFA recognize?
The Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors states that Triangle launched the program as a pilot in fall 2024. Undergraduate members are selected through a competitive process and trained before being matched with chapters according to their strengths and the chapter’s needs.
Each mentoring relationship begins with goals and expectations, followed by regular meetings and practical problem-solving. AFA recognized the program for extending the national organization’s chapter-support capacity through peer relationships.
The 2026 award is scheduled to be presented during AFA’s annual meeting in Chicago from December 2 through 5. The recognition concerns the program’s structure and reported early results, not one chapter or mentor.
Who has served as a peer mentor?
Triangle’s fall 2025 announcement identified four undergraduate peer mentors: Jaxon Packer, Jackson Martin, Aleksey Mikhno, and James Smith. The fraternity reported that they would assist with recruitment, student outreach, chapter development, and the growth of current and prospective colonies.
A colony is a developing local group working toward recognition as a fully chartered chapter. The exact process and terminology are determined by the national fraternity.
The announcement named the University of Texas at Austin, University of Utah, and University of Kentucky among the campuses receiving mentor assistance. The public record does not identify a 2026 mentor cohort or every chapter that has taken part since the pilot began.
Why can peer support work?
An undergraduate mentor may recognize problems that are difficult to explain during an occasional headquarters visit. Chapter leaders commonly work through recruiting and retaining members, assigning officer responsibilities, running meetings, planning transitions, maintaining records, preparing for national requirements, and supporting developing groups.
A peer mentor may have recently handled the same type of issue in another chapter. That experience can make the advice immediate and practical.
Peer status does not remove the need for professional staff, alumni volunteers, advisors, or university officials. A student mentor should not be expected to make disciplinary decisions, interpret legal requirements, investigate misconduct, or exercise authority belonging to the national organization.
What impact has been documented?
AFA reports that the pilot produced improvements in recruitment, member confidence, and chapter organization. The award summary does not provide participant totals, survey instruments, retention figures, recruitment data, chapter comparisons, or the period used to measure those changes.
Future public reporting could identify mentors trained, chapters and colonies supported, meeting frequency, chapter goals, recruitment or retention changes, officer confidence measures, feedback, and situations referred to staff or advisors.
Those records would help readers distinguish between program participation and demonstrated organizational results.
Why does the program matter to Greek life?
National organizations must support chapters operating at different campuses, sizes, and stages of development. Staff and volunteers may have limited time for frequent individual meetings. Triangle’s model places trained undergraduates inside that support system.
The mentors contribute current chapter experience while developing communication, consulting, teaching, and problem-solving skills of their own. The program also challenges the idea that undergraduate leadership is limited to holding an office within one local chapter.
A responsible peer-mentor system needs clear selection criteria, training, matching, written goals, staff supervision, confidentiality expectations, referral procedures, assessment, and recognition for the mentor’s work. The mentor supports the chapter without taking over its authority.
The Gold Standard of Excellence
GLOs United recognizes the participating peer mentors, chapters, developing groups, Triangle staff, alumni volunteers, advisors, and campus professionals contributing to the program.
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