Pledge hopefuls came out to hear the fate of their future brotherhood as the 10 fraternities of the Interfraternal Council (IFC) announced who they picked to join their organization. Brothers from Kappa Sigma, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Sigma Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi and Zeta Beta Tau attended to show support.
“Bid Day is a fraternity’s public announcement of who they have picked to join their fraternity,” Jeff Jenkins, IFC president, said. “The brothers have to feel comfortable with you, and you have to represent certain values of the fraternity to get a bid.”
The pledge hopefuls waited in line to see if all of their rush efforts finally paid off.
Rush period is a time of recruitment when fraternities get to meet and greet people interested in their organizations by holding events for them to attend. Some of the events included bowling nights, BBQs and parties hosted by the fraternities.
As the names were read, the fraternities cheered for the people who were chosen for brotherhood. After all of the names were read, the new pledges joined their future.
Freshman Perry Fryer expressed his feelings after receiving a bid from Kappa Sigma.
“I’m excited to receive my bid,” Fryer said. “I chose these guys because they are a good group of guys to be around.”
The IFC’s job is to be the big brother of all of the brothers. They are an umbrella organization to make sure that each fraternity upholds the integrity of their organization.
“Our main purpose is to make sure fraternities are cooperating and making sure the Greek community is healthy,” Jenkins said.
Some of the IFC’s general standards include an anti-hazing policy, payment of dues and the maintenance of an average GPA of 2.5 or higher.
However, last semester was a trying time for a few of these organizations. Two organizations in particular, Lambda Chi Alpha (Lambda Chi) and Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike), were charged with violations of national laws.
When asked about the incidents, Jenkins was not supportive of the organizations actions, but still supportive of the organizations themselves.
“What’s unfortunate is that I know a lot of good guys who were in those organizations that don’t know what’s going on,” Jenkins said. “A few bad apples did bad things, and a lot of good people had to suffer for it.”
Because the incidents in question involved the law, it went beyond the jurisdiction of the IFC. The situations are being dealt with by the chapters’ national organization.
“I want people to realize that at our core, our ritual stuff may be different, but on this campus we all regard scholarship, community service, philanthropy, brotherhood and rectitude as important values,” Jenkins said. “The thing I want people to realize is that Lambda Chi and Pike are different organizations now, they are good organizations.”
IFC has decided to keep their same guidelines regarding the pledging process of fraternities despite the actions.
With bids in hand, 70 new pledges will now begin the process of becoming part of the Greek system’s brotherhood.
Khris Parker can be contacted at k.parker1@umiami.edu.