The Infraternity Council (IFC) held a community forum on Oct. 3 addressing the recent changes in Greek life and the student opposition they have felt from the Greek community.
Presidents of each fraternity along with other Greek life members gathered to listen to an explanation and to give feedback.
The official description of IFC, according to the Bradley website, is the “governing body for 15 fraternities on campus.” Their main priorities are to prevent hazing and promote safety.
Recently, they have been more active in shutting down parties and less tolerant of alcohol consumption.
According to Ian Ives, a senior criminal justice major and president of IFC, the council decided to buckle down after seeing numerous problems at the beginning of the school year and a spike in last year’s alcohol-related transports to the hospital.
“During recruitment, we realized how much people were including alcohol at events,” Ives said. “If we continue on this path, Bradley won’t have Greek life. We want young guys to come and see a fraternity with great men, not just a social drinking event. Kathleen [Prout] or Cara [Wood] aren’t telling us to do this. We decided to.”
Derek Wright, an IFC member and junior mechanical engineering major echoed this concern, and the discussion centered on the “culture of drinking.”
“Kathleen [Prout] always brings up the culture of drinking,” said Wright. Basically, people go to extraordinary lengths to get alcohol and have it at every event.”
Kathleen Prout, the assistant director of fraternity and sorority life, serves as the IFC adviser, and said that she supported them in identifying and carrying out the change. She did not attend the public forum.
“They identified a need for change on their own,” Prout said. “My main role is to ensure they follow best practices. Any time we see students being affected by alcohol, that’s a negative culture. They’re trying to make sure their policies and rules align with what will be best for students.”
“The biggest issue is that when chapters are drinking with new members, and when they are trying to get by ignoring that, we aren’t making progress,” Ives said. “We want to change the campus culture that’s just focused on alcohol.”
Mark Hauer, a junior management information systems major, a member of IFC, said he’s witnessed a lot of negative changes since freshman year.
“Our main priority is safety,” said Hanaman. “This isn’t the same school it was three or four years ago and I’ve seen this change increase the drinking. We would rather educate than punish.”
Aware of their reputation among students, the council also addressed this issue.
“What’s difficult about [being in] IFC is being the middle-men,” Ives said. “We’re trying to uphold rules of administration while also trying to be on the same team as our fraternity members.”
Currently, three houses have been put on probation by IFC. This is the first forum they’ve held this year.
Each fraternity has at least two representatives on IFC, but some students believe representatives are less strict on their own houses.
“They [IFC] protect their own boys,” said Rob White, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha
and sophomore business major. “They tell them when they’re coming on rounds.”
As a result of cancelled exchanges and tighter monitoring, many parties and social events are being hosted at off-campus locations. Ives acknowledged this as he spoke to the crowd.
“We know you guys are throwing off-campus parties,” said Ives. “We don’t have authority at private residences, and just want to remind you to be safe. Make sure you’re looking out for the people you invite.”
After explaining their overall goals for the campus, IFC members urged students to be a part of changing the cultural climate. Senior marketing major Patrick Winkler closed the discussion.
“We’re all trying to make this change together, not just on our own as IFC. We need all of you to help though,” said Winkler.
For questions or concerns, email IFC at bradleyifc1897@gmail.com.
