Texas A&M Interfraternity Council Receives National Award

The Texas A&M University Interfraternity Council has received the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) Council Award of Distinction. The award recognizes Interfraternity Councils (IFCs) that excel in operations and positively affect their member chapters, the fraternity/sorority community and host institutions.

“We are so honored to receive the IFC’s Council Award of Distinction as it validates the hard work we have done this past year,” said Colton Mandel, IFC President. “Moving forward, we hope to use this award to further our goals and continue to improve diversity and inclusion and to promote a safe community for our members.”

The NIC annually recognizes excellence in the fraternal experience by conferring Awards of Distinction to individuals and groups who exemplify leadership, service and fraternal values. The award categories recognize outstanding undergraduate fraternity men, chapters, councils and advisors. The Gold and Silver Medals recognize interfraternal industry leaders and partners with its highest honors, and the Laurel Wreath Award recognizes outstanding interfraternal educational programs by both individuals and groups.

According to the Texas A&M Department of Student Activities, during the 2019-20 academic year, the IFC adopted strong health and safety policies through the guidance of a new leadership taskforce, improved financial and operational management in alignment with the NIC Standard Operating Procedures and hosted an inaugural leadership retreat. Re-energized IFC-wide new member programming includes bystander intervention training, career development tools, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. The community’s grade-point average – consistently higher than the all-male GPA on campus – improved in the past two years, Student Activities officials said.

“I am extremely proud of the Interfraternity Council. As an office, we get to see the amazing things that our students do in an effort to make a positive impact on campus and the surrounding community,” said Shanté Hearst, assistant director for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Texas A&M. “IFC has worked hard to make changes that are improving the overall fraternity experience at Texas A&M.”

At Texas A&M, the IFC serves as the governing body for 18 fraternities, comprised of approximately 1,250 students. Student Activities officials said the council serves as a leader for all organizations on campus, advocating for transparency in conduct processes for all students and establishing a chain of communication internally and externally that has improved the public perception of the fraternity/sorority community.

Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life fraternities and sororities are a fundamental part of Texas A&M University. It is home to 58 inter/nationally affiliated or local Greek-letter organizations, which collectively constitute the largest membership-based and multi-faceted community on campus. Representing 10 percent of the undergraduate student population, fraternity and sorority members are committed to their academics, developing and strengthening their leadership skills, volunteering time in the community and continually forming a campus and cultural support network for current and incoming Aggies.  Fraternities and sororities have enhanced the lives of more than 20,000 Aggies since their inception in 1972.

Interfraternity Council is a student organization at Texas A&M which assumes the responsibilities of governing the 18 IFC fraternities and consists of approximately 1,250 men. The IFC Senate, which governs over these member fraternities, consists of the President, the Parliamentarian, and seven Vice Presidents, which include an Executive Vice President, and Vice Presidents for Recruitment, Administrative Affairs, Finance, Interfraternal Relations, Scholarship and Public Relations. These executives are joined by the Judicial Board, overlooked by the Parliamentarian. Lastly, five Directors are appointed to serve under the Executive Office, which include Directors for Student Government Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion, Special Event Programs, Marketing, and Intramurals.

About the North American Interfraternity Conference: The North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is a trade association representing 66 inter/national men’s fraternities. The current member organizations have 6,100 chapters located on 800 campuses, with 380,000 undergraduate members and 4.2 million alumni. NIC member organizations also represent a diverse range of fraternity men and interfraternal interests, including fraternities founded for leadership and business interests as well as faith-based, multicultural, historically black, and new or emerging fraternities. www.nicfraternity.org