The Inter-Fraternity Council elected its new executive board and committee chairs Tuesday night. The new leadership will face heightened scrutiny following the implementation of revised Fraternal Organization Agreements with the University Jan. 16. Transitions will take place in February.
Newly elected IFC President Ben Gorman, a third-year College student and member of Phi Kappa Psi, said he would like to continue to promote change within the IFC while preserving the rich history and traditions of fraternity life at the University.
“I think the primary thing that I hope to accomplish is, first and foremost, a continuation of the trajectory that we are currently on,” Gorman said.
Gorman said he will also prioritize returning focus to the IFC’s individual chapters, working together to implement the recent FOA addenda.
“I think what we have been doing — and we’ve done an incredible job — is reacting to jobs as they have come forth recently,” Gorman said. “What I want to do going forward is go into a proactive mode versus reactive. Whether that means helping [fraternities] implement the new FOA addendum — though funding initiatives, through planning risk assessments.”
Gorman also said many internal initiatives will serve to make fraternity brothers better members of the University community as a whole. Gorman said that to this end, he would like to further develop the IFC’s relationship with other University organizations.
“I want to promote scholarship and leadership within the IFC,” Gorman said. “I don’t mean just pouring money into the system. I want to make them better members of the community. Externally, I want to continue to develop relationships that we’ve cultivated with other organizations around school.”
Additionally, Gorman said the new leadership will focus on addressing larger questions of fraternity culture.
“The other thing I see as a challenge is larger cultural change across the Greek system — in terms of educational programs regarding high risk drinking, bystander intervention and promoting the cultural change to go along with the institutional change,” he said.
Gorman said he felt he had a lot of institutional knowledge of the IFC, which would serve the position well. Gorman also said he was motivated to help carry the University Greek system through a particularly difficult period.
“It is not necessarily that I love the Greek system like crazy and want to defend every last bench and foundation it stands on,” Gorman said. “Rather, I want to see the longevity of [the system] and the sustainability of it through some of the toughest times that we are facing.”
Below is the full list of new IFC positions:
Executive Board:
President - Ben Gorman
Vice President of Judiciary/IFC-JC Chairman - Evan Vranian
Vice President of Administration - Jason Will
Vice President of Membership - Peter Schnuck
Vice President of Risk Management - Anderson Granger
Member at Large - Owen Sperling
Committee Chairmen:
Community Service Chair - Drew Souders
Public Relations Chair - Cameron Thum
Membership Education & Scholarship Chair - Andrew Sheppard
Diversity & Outreach Chair - Alexis Soued
Faculty & Alumni Relations Chair - Will Crimmins
Sustainability Chair - Keating Walsh