Fraternity Life, part 2
Todd Shelton | 6/19/2003 The fraternity system and the Greek community are not only comprised of material goods such as houses, t-shirts and letters, or of activities like Greek week, mixers, date parties and formals, but it is made up of people. The North-American Interfraternity Conference
The North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is a confederation of 66 men’s college fraternities with over 5,500 chapters on more than 800 campuses throughout the United States and Canada. The NIC represents approximately 400,000 collegiate members and 4.5 million alumni. Its volunteer leadership is chosen from the member fraternities and employs a professional staff based in Indianapolis. The NIC serves fraternities in university, government and media relations, and it promotes scholarship, leadership, service and friendship among fraternity members.
In 1968, with the support of the College Fraternity Secretaries Association, now the Fraternity Executives Association (FEA), the NIC House of Delegates amended the constitution and bylaws to simplify the organizational structure which made the NIC more service-oriented, with the emphasis placed on research and prompt dissemination of information.
Over the years, Kappa Alpha has had the good fortune to have many of its prominent members involved with the NIC. Frank H. Myers, Hubert M. Poteat and Former Knight Commanders Howard P. Locke, W. McLeod Frampton and James R. Estes all served on the NIC Board of Directors. Former Knight Commander Idris R. Traylor served as president of the NIC Conference.
Just as the NIC exists for the men’s fraternities, the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) services the women’s groups. The “historically” African-American organizations and many Latino fraternities and sororities are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).
The Interfraternity Council
Interfraternity Councils (IFC) exist on various American campuses as an association of local chapters of national fraternities. The membership of IFC is comprised of elected or appointed officers of each national fraternity on a particular campus, which usually includes one or two individuals per fraternity.
The exact role of the IFC varies from campus to campus but its basic mission is to promote Greek unity and to be the governing board for the fraternities on
campus. The IFC should take a large role in campus and community relations to effectively market the benefits of Greek life. Also, the Interfraternity Councils set policy, create programming, police fraternities, coordinate Greek-wide events and promote the Greek system. However, it is important to note that IFC policy can not be in conflict with university, state or federal law.
Depending on the college or university, some IFCs are extremely active while others are not. It is important that whatever the situation, KA be strongly and proudly represented in the system.
The Greek Advisor
Most colleges and universities have a Greek advisor. The Greek advisor is a professional administrator who is hired by the university to advise the fraternity and sorority chapters on his or her campus. This person also serves as a liaison between the school’s faculty, administration and the Greeks. He or she can be a tremendous resource for each fraternity or sorority by assisting chapters with special problems and helping the Interfraternity Council to confront chapters that do not comply with IFC policies and/or regulations.
It is important that the leadership of each of our chapters makes the effort to establish a positive relationship with the Greek advisor. Members should visit with the Greek advisor and seek his or her advice, and invite him or her to speak at chapter meetings. Chapters should also strive to participate in the educational programs that the Greek advisor organizes. Many of these programs will relate to fraternity issues and can be very beneficial in educating our membership on various timely issues.
Interfraternalism and Kappa Alpha’s Uniqueness
The fraternity system and the Greek community are not only comprised of material goods such as houses, t-shirts and letters, or of activities like Greek week, mixers, date parties and formals, but it is made up of people. People, who, by living their lives, cast either a positive or negative light on all Greeks. Like most things in life, fraternities have had and will continue to have their faults. That is why individuals must do what is right for their organization and their university. Each individual person is an ambassador, whether positive or negative, for their fraternity, their university and the Greek system in general. America’s fraternities will only progress and improve if the people that make up the system lead honorable lives, follow the rules and act as gentlemen. It is imperative that we as Kappa Alphas lead the way.
As we have seen, Kappa Alpha Order is part of the Greek system. However, as you will read in this book and through your experiences with your own chapter and brothers, you will discover that even though Kappa Alpha is part of the overall Greek community, we are unique in many ways. We are different from other Greek letter fraternities as Kappa Alpha is an “order” by design. We band together because we share common ideals, traits and purpose, and because of this, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Kappa Alphas should always be the leaders in each of our campus communities. |
