The mission of an Interfraternity Council (IFC) is to foster a healthy and vibrant fraternity community. The IFC Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) provide structure and support—a baseline for policies and practices—for IFCs to operate in accordance with NIC Standards, endorsed by all inter/national member fraternities of the NIC.

Implementing the Standard Operating Procedures will help an IFC anticipate and address critical operational needs, while serving its member chapters and advocating for the fraternity experience.

IFCs should maintain full alignment with the IFC SOP. For assistance, consult with NIC staff.

LEARN MORE: The NIC staff hosted webinars on the IFC SOP. Watch the recording.

IFC STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

IFC SOP

  1. An IFC will implement academic policies and programming, striving for the all-fraternity GPA to be above the campus all-men’s average.
  2. The IFC will establish policies with remediation plans when chapters do not achieve the minimum new member class GPA and chapter GPA.
  1. The IFC will maintain a Judicial Board that has authority to hold member chapters accountable to their IFC Constitution and Bylaws and IFC Code of Conduct. The Judicial Board derives its authority from its IFC Judicial Code, which outlines the relationship with the campus, due process, limitations, sanctioning guidelines and appeals process. The IFC Judicial Code is separate and independent from—yet must be coordinated with—campus and inter/national organizations’ expectations and processes.
  2. The IFC will provide annual training to member chapters on its IFC Judicial Code.
  3. The IFC will not issue blanket sanctions for chapters that have not been found responsible for policy violations (i.e. system-wide ban on activities). An exception may be made for health and safety concerns with restrictions limited to events with alcohol, provided the exception is for a defined period of no more than 30 days, with a specific plan to lift the restriction, and in accordance with powers enumerated in the IFC Constitution and Bylaws.
  4. The IFC will not recognize chapters that have been suspended or have had the charter revoked by the inter/national organization.
  1. In alignment with NIC Standards, the IFC must pay annual dues and fees to the NIC, due September 30 of each year. This mirrors the dues programs of other councils, funds NIC support and resources for the IFC, and creates a connection to the broader fraternity community.
  2. Dues are invoiced by the NIC and calculated using set rates or NIC member chapters and non-NIC member chapters. This is a cost-sharing measure, since NIC inter/national organizations subsidize industry-wide support and advocacy efforts at a far greater per-chapter rate. The IFC may purchase a Campus Support Package, which includes IFC dues and provides additional support resources and educational opportunities for the council and fraternity/sorority community.
  3. The IFC will adopt an annual budget.
  4. The IFC will file an annual IRS Form 990.

The IFC must maintain Constitution and Bylaws that are consistent with all NIC Standards and, at a minimum, include:

  1. IFC Code of Conduct
  2. IFC Judicial Code
  3. Officer structure that reflects specific functional areas—IFCs can vary in roles and titles as long as the following core areas are addressed:
  • President
  • Judicial
  • Health & Safety
  • Recruitment
  • Public Relations
  • Philanthropy & Community Service
  • Scholarship
  • Financial Operations
  • Diversity & Inclusion

4. Membership Criteria

  • Full membership in the IFC is limited to those fraternities (including non-NIC organizations), who have adopted all NIC Standards, are affiliated with an inter/national organization, and are men’s fraternities; Or,
  • Associate membership may be granted to organizations that do not meet the above criteria.
  • Only members from full IFC member organizations are permitted to serve as IFC officers, serve on the Judicial Board, or vote on Constitution and Bylaw amendments.
  1. The IFC will have the policies and programming consistent with the NIC Guidelines on Alcohol & Drugs.
  2. In partnership with each host institution, the fraternity community/campus will set an appropriate standard that caps the number of events with alcohol (regardless of event location).
  3. The IFC will establish a statement in support of environments that are free of hazing and sexual misconduct. As outlined in the IFC Judicial Code, hazing and sexual assault should be adjudicated through the university conduct processes—not by the IFC.
  4. The IFC will establish a medical Good Samaritan policy.
  5. The IFC and each of its member chapters will carry sufficient liability insurance coverage.
    • The NIC offers an IFC Insurance Program that provides affordable liability insurance for the IFC, its officers and volunteers.
    • If the IFC obtains coverage through another plan, it must submit the IFC Insurance Exemption form by Aug. 1 of each year through FS Central.
  6. The IFC will work with the campus to provide health and safety education and training for chapters each term.
  1. The IFC will establish a strategic communication plan for the IFC and its member chapters that addresses protocols for crisis response, social media, marketing and media engagement.
  2. In the event the IFC is in need of crisis management support, the IFC should contact the NIC communications team directly for consultation. IFCs should consult the NIC before making any statements to the media, so the NIC can assist in coordination efforts with each inter/national organization and the campus.
  3. IFC is a trademark of the NIC. If the IFC would like to produce any material or clothing with using the IFC name, contact the NIC communications team to seek approval prior to publication or production. IFC clothing can be purchased directly through IFCGEAR.COM.
  1. The IFC will work with member chapters to establish a recruitment process that meets the needs of chapters and potential new members, as well as provides opportunities for interested men to learn about the fraternity experience.
  2. The IFC should focus on fostering interest in joining fraternities, marketing to incoming students and potential new members. As part of NIC Campus Support Model, we provide recruitment software in partnership with TechniPhi.
  3. The IFC should not restrict the ability of chapters to distribute bids outside of any designated recruitment period. As the NIC Standard on student choice states:
    • Any male student should be free to join a fraternity when he determines it is in his best interest.
    • All fraternities should be free to determine when they wish to extend an invitation to join to a male student.
  4. Recruitment and new member activities must be consistent with NIC Guidelines on Alcohol & Drugs.
  1. IFC leaders will work with their advisor and campus to submit an End of Term (EOT) report for each academic term on FS Central to report academic and membership data. Councils on a semester system will submit Fall and Spring EOTs; Councils on the quarter system will submit Fall, Winter and Spring EOTs.
  2. The IFC should maintain an accurate listing of member fraternity chapters and new groups/colonies. The Chapter Listing should be updated in FS Central when any changes occur—when a chapter joins or leaves the campus/IFC.
  3. The campus fraternity/sorority advisor should maintain an accurate listing of full-time employees working with the community and IFC officers. This listing of institutional Contacts should be updated in FS Central when any changes occur.

Key due dates for Reporting, Dues, and NIC Educational Program Registration

Reporting TypeDue Date
Fall EOTFebruary 1
Winter EOT (quarter schools only)June 1
Spring EOTAugust 1
Chapter ListingUpdate when changes occur
Institution ContactsUpdate when changes occur
NIC dues and IFC InsuranceInvoiced September 1; Due November 1
• Insurance coverage is not bound until all NIC dues and insurance fees are paid.
• If the IFC obtains coverage through a plan other than the NIC-offered coverage, it must submit the IFC Insurance Exemption form by Aug. 1 of each year through FS Central.
Registration for PRIME: The Summit of IFC PresidentsDate for Dec. 2022/Jan. 2023 programming TBA
Registration for IFC AcademyDate for 2023 program TBA
NGLA: mid-February
Registration for UIFI Early-bird deadline May 1
  1. All IFC member chapters will actively support the responsible growth of other NIC fraternities provided that each organization follows these Responsible Growth Protocols:
    • Proactively communicates with the campus administration and IFC in good faith prior to any expansion activity.
    • Considers any available readiness assessment, utilizing metrics determined in conjunction with the NIC before formally requesting the opportunity to join the IFC.
    • The group does not have any outstanding, documented campus health and safety violation.
  2. If the inter/national organization follows the Responsible Growth Protocols:
    • Any NIC member fraternity, upon expressing interest to establish a chapter, will be given a time by the IFC for the expansion to occur. The IFC can determine the best academic term for the expansion, but the expansion will occur within a four-year period from when the IFC is first notified of interest by the NIC member fraternity.
    • NIC member fraternities with an interest group already formed will be granted IFC recognition, though the IFC may elect to have an associate member status provided reasonable written expectations and metrics are established to move from associate member status to full member status.
    • The IFC will never take a vote on recognition or expansion for an NIC member fraternity.
    • The IFC will never require NIC member fraternities to present an expansion proposal to the IFC, although the IFC can require the NIC member fraternity to submit documentation or do a virtual presentation to determine the best academic term for expansion.
    • Full membership in the IFC is limited to those fraternities (including non-NIC organizations), who have adopted all NIC Standards, are affiliated with an inter/national organization, and are men’s fraternities. Associate membership may be granted to organizations that do not meet the above criteria. Only members from full IFC member organizations are permitted to serve as IFC officers, serve on the Standards Board, or vote on Constitution and Bylaw amendments.  
  3. To be in compliance with anti-trust law as it relates to associations, IFCs cannot restrict any group from joining the IFC that meets the membership criteria (whether an NIC fraternity or not).
  4. The IFC will honor all organizational return agreements negotiated as part of a campus or IFC conduct process. Any organization returning to campus based on a return agreement will not be required to participate in any IFC or campus expansion process.
  5. Recognition by the IFC and campus are two distinct processes with potentially different outcomes, though it is best for students when organizations recognized by the IFC are also recognized by the campus.

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