Health and safety is our top priority as we address campus-wide issues.
Fraternities continue to lead in efforts to protect students by enforcing stricter health and safety guidelines than applied to non-fraternity students. Each fraternity has procedures for investigating allegations of misconduct, and they work with the university to ensure due process and compliance with both fraternity and university regulations.
Comprehensive leadership programs teach values-based management skills to our members.
Financial management, conflict resolution, public relations, goal setting and basic democratic principles are everyday lessons for our members. Members manage organizations of up to 200+ members, with housing facilities and annual operating budgets that run into the high six figures.
Fraternities teach members the importance of civic engagement.
College fraternities and sororities serve as the nation’s largest network of young volunteers. Nationwide, fraternity chapters raise more than $20 million annually and provide more than 3.8 million hours of service in their local communities.
Membership in fraternities has a dramatically positive effect on persistence to graduation.
For every four women graduating from four year colleges, there are only three men. Men are going to college less with less frequency than in the past, and not persisting to graduation at the same rates. Fraternities provide the academic support and connection that helps members reach the finish line.
Fraternity organizations are focused on academic support and excellence.
On many campuses, average GPA for IFC fraternity men is constantly above the all-men’s average. Fraternities are places for young men to develop into leaders, philanthropists and, most importantly, scholars. Research shows that nationwide fraternity/sorority students reported substantially higher levels of academic and social involvement.
Fraternities provide first-year students with a sense of community.
Research shows the stress of first-year students stems from a sense of loneliness. Fraternities provide first-year students with a sense of community.
They provide connection and friendship when students are often far from home and familiarity. Furthermore, fraternities offer a strong support system that can offer help and guidance when under stress, and studies show how students who join fraternities in their first semester show greater gains in growth, learning and development.
Statement regarding University of Northern Colorado
The health and safety of students in the campus community must be a top priority while respecting the rights of those who are doing the right thing. As we have said previously, blanket community actions disincentivize following the rules and taking care of each other, since responsible students are treated just like their peers causing problems. Additionally, blanket actions erode trust between campus partners and students, alumni and inter/national organizations, because these actions come off as unilateral, lacking basic principles of due process.
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February 10, 2020
Media Contact:
Todd Shelton
Federal Court Dismisses All Claims Against Yale Fraternities
February 4, 2020 – The U. S. District Court in Connecticut has dismissed all claims against fraternities in a lawsuit filed by Engender and three individuals attacking single-sex membership policies. The court stated the claims “lack a strong basis in law.” This decision follows the resounding rejection of a similar Engender theory last year by the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
“All students should have the right to join organizations, co-ed or single-sex, that enhance their collegiate experience and make positive contributions to the local community,” said Judson Horras, president and CEO of the North American Interfraternity Conference.
Additionally, federal and state courts in Massachusetts recently concluded that Harvard’s sanctions policy against individuals who join single-sex organizations may be discriminatory and unlawful. Further, the Collegiate Freedom of Association Act has received strong bipartisan support in Congress.
Across hundreds of college campuses, millions of students and alumni have found value in belonging to single-sex organizations, from fraternities and sororities to acapella groups and academic societies.
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DOWNLOAD: Court Ruling (PDF)
Media Contact:
Todd Shelton
Ryan Temby to Serve as VP of Campus Operations in Southeast
Indianapolis, February 3, 2020 — Veteran business executive Ryan Temby has joined the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) staff as Vice President of Campus Operations for the Southeast region.
Temby will focus on community development, council effectiveness and alumni engagement as he contributes to the NIC’s mission to enhance the fraternity experience. He will facilitate strong relationships by delivering support to communities across the Southeast.
“Ryan brings a fresh perspective, rooted in industry client management and business success, to the NIC. I look forward to seeing the growth of our Southeastern regional communities and the fraternal experience as a whole that will stem from his executive-level leadership skills,” NIC President & CEO Judson Horras said.
Temby has more than 20 years of project management and customer service experience in energy, manufacturing, high tech and retail industries. He brings strong leadership, management and sales skills coupled with a focus on innovation to the NIC.
“My fraternity and the health of the entire interfraternal community have been a passion of mine since I was initiated. I am excited to bring this passion to the NIC,” Temby said.
As an undergraduate at Rutgers University, Temby served as president of his colony and was a founder of his Sigma Chi chapter. He has served as a local volunteer for Sigma Chi since the 1990s, and he assumed international volunteer roles more than a decade ago. He currently serves as grand treasurer for Sigma Chi.
Temby will work from his home in the Columbus, Ohio, area, where he will be accessible to the campuses he serves.
In another staffing change, Archie Messersmith-Bunting has assumed a new role with ForCollegeForLife and will have a reduced role with the NIC. He will continue to provide leadership to the NIC’s Health & Safety Initiatives on a consulting basis.
“We are thankful for Archie’s contributions to the NIC membership and happy he will continue to support our framework that empowers students as they work to shift campus culture,” Horras said.
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