unique talents and interests of its members to personally interact with and lift the spirits of those in need. Membership Probationary Probationary membership is a prerequisite for initiation as a collegiate member. A man becomes a probationary member by accepting an invitation to membership extended to him by a collegiate chapter and by participating in the fraternity's official Ceremony for Pledging. A chapter may pledge a man as a probationary member if he meets the following requirements: He is at least 18 years of age. He is a student, faculty member, or staff member at the chapter's sheltering institution (i.e., the university or college at which the chapter is chartered). If he is a student, he has met the academic standards for successful continuation as a student in good standing as defined by the sheltering institution. He is able and willing, through a love of music, to assist in the fulfillment of the fraternity's Object and ideals either by adopting music as a profession or by working to advance the cause of music in America. He is not a member of any other secret national fraternal society in music, namely Delta Omicron or Mu Phi Epsilon. It is not required that a candidate for probationary membership have an academic major or minor in music or be enrolled in a music course, though most chapters have traditionally had a majority of their members come from the music major ranks of their sheltering institutions. Probationary members participate in a membership education program for between 4 and 12 weeks. During this program, probationary members learn basic information about the organization such as officer duties, rules, procedures, and traditions, and they are also instructed in the values and ideals of the fraternity. The purpose of the membership education program is to prepare probationary members to assume all of the duties and responsibilities of full membership in the fraternity. Collegiate Probationary members who successfully complete the membership education program, who pay the prescribed initiation fee, and who are approved by a vote of the chapter are eligible to become collegiate members through participation in the fraternity's Initiation Ritual. Collegiate members hold voting rights in their respective chapters and may hold fraternity offices specifically reserved for collegiate member. They are also eligible for the many financial assistance programs of the Sinfonia Educational Foundation, such as scholarships, study abroad grants, and travel reimbursement grants for attendance at