North-American Interfraternity Conference

North-American Interfraternity Conference

The letter N next to a column. The column represents the letter I. Following the column is the letter C.

The NIC logo
Formation November 27, 1909 (1909-11-27)[1]
Type Trade association[1]
Headquarters Indianapolis, Indiana
Region served
 North America
Membership
 75[1]
Website www.nicindy.org

The North-American Interfraternity Conference (or NIC; formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) is an association of collegiate men's fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates in which each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate. However, the group's executive and administrative powers are vested in an elected board of directors consisting of nine volunteers from various NIC fraternities. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NIC also operates a small professional staff.[1][2]

The NIC seeks to provide services that will include, "but not be limited to, promotion of cooperative action in dealing with fraternity matters of mutual concern, research in areas of fraternity operations and procedures, fact-finding and data gathering, and the dissemination of such data to the member fraternities". However, it notes that "[c]onference action shall not in any way abrogate the right of its member fraternities to self-determination".[3]

As of June 2011, the NIC had seventy-five member organizations with 5,500 chapters located on over 800 campuses in the United States and Canada with approximately 350,000 undergraduate members.[1]

Originally named the Interfraternity Conference, the name was changed to the National Interfraternity Conference in 1931. The current name, the North-American Interfraternity Conference, was adopted in 1999 to reflect the organization's affiliations at Canadian colleges and universities.

Membership requirements

The NIC membership requirements are detailed in the By-Laws of the North-American Interfraternity Conference.[4] Each member fraternity must be national or international in scope, as opposed to local, which is defined to mean having five chapters of ten men each, having three chapters which have been part of the fraternity for at least five years, and have a constitution that calls for national conventions with interim authority vested in a smaller governing body. Further, each fraternity must be exclusive of other NIC members and, therefore, in competition with them for the purposes of recruitment. All members' chapters must exist at four or two-year degree granting colleges. The members agree to share "best practices, statistics and information that will benefit member organizations".

Also, the members agree to uphold universal fraternal ideals, to hold their individual chapters and colonies to their general vision statements, honor NIC resolutions, abide by the NIC Constitution and By-Laws, attend all meetings of the House of Delegates, and pay membership dues.

Each member fraternity must share a wealth of statistical information with the NIC including the number of new members, new member retention, the number of new initiates, total number of initiates, annual retention rate, the number of new chapters and their size, the number of closed chapters and the reason for closure, the total number of active chapters, number of members who are "campus leaders", number of hours of community service completed, and amount of money raised for charitable causes. This information is aggregated, and the raw data is destroyed.

The NIC requires its members to support open expansion on their campuses. It requires that its members are insured and have risk management programs. It imposes a grade requirement on new members and initiated members. It denies members from having women's auxiliary groups. It requires alcohol free recruitment and new member programs, and new member programs are capped at twelve weeks and encouraged to be shorter. Finally, each member must have provisions for the emergency temporary suspension of any of its chapters.

NIC members are required to "communicate its values through its ritual at least annually or as prescribed by its policies."

Mission

The NIC serves to advocate the needs of its member fraternities through enrichment of the fraternity experience; advancement and growth of the fraternity community; and enhancement of the educational mission of the host institutions. The NIC is also committed to enhancing the benefits of fraternity membership. Each of the 75 member organizations has adopted basic expectations of their members and agreed to the following Nine Basic Expectations.

  1. I will know and understand the ideals expressed in my fraternity ritual and will strive to incorporate them in my daily life.
  2. I will strive for academic achievement and practice academic integrity.
  3. I will respect the dignity of all persons; therefore I will not physically, mentally, psychologically or sexually abuse or harm any human being.
  4. I will protect the health and safety of all human beings.
  5. I will respect my property and the property of others; therefore, I will neither abuse nor tolerate the abuse of property.
  6. I will meet my financial obligations in a timely manner.
  7. I will neither use nor support the use of illegal drugs; I will neither misuse nor support the misuse of alcohol.
  8. I acknowledge that a clean and attractive environment is essential to both physical and mental health; therefore, I will do all in my power to see that the chapter property is properly cleaned and maintained.
  9. I will challenge all my fraternity members to abide by these fraternal expectations and will confront those who violate them.

NIC meetings

The NIC is not a governing or regulatory board. It is a voluntary trade association; therefore, it is important that the leadership of the organization gather on a regular basis. This occurs annually at the NIC Congressional Reception and the NIC Annual Meeting.

At the congressional reception, the leadership of the NIC, National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) sponsor a series of meetings and receptions to advance an agenda that is positive toward fraternal organizations. Legislative priorities are determined with current emphasis on the College Fire Prevention Act which authorizes federal funding to upgrade fire safety in college dormitories and fraternity/sorority housing. It is estimated that there is $3.7 billion worth of fraternity housing, most of which is currently not fitted with fire prevention devices such as sprinklers. Other legislative priorities include Freedom of Association, Freedom of Speech, student privacy, and single sex exemptions under Title IX.

Public relations efforts

The North-American Interfraternity Conference has conducted research which suggests that to most effectively improve its public perception, high school juniors and seniors should be the primary focus of its public relations campaign. Specifically, the NIC would like to convince these students that their values align with those of the fraternity system before they enter the college environment.

Additionally, the North-American Interfraternity Conference believes that fraternity involvement supports the retention and success of college students, and, therefore, that strong partnerships between the fraternity and university community will have a positive effect on both communities. Moreover, they believe that support from the university community is essential to the success on the NIC's public relations initiatives.

Educational programming

Five permanent staff members create learning opportunities for all undergraduate men through a variety of programs, most notably the IFC Academy, Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI), IMPACT, Futures Quest, Recruitment Program, Alumni Academy, and the Alcohol Summit. The purpose of the NIC is to promote service, scholarship, the opportunity for self-development, and brotherhood.

The IFC Academy is a one‐day, 14‐hour program, focusing participants on their role in developing high‐performing IFCs - specifically the role of the IFC in serving the needs of its member fraternities, and the role the NIC Standards play in supporting high performance. The program provides IFCs with benchmarks to measure your successes on campus, tools to assess how IFCs should be responding to the needs of its member chapters, and a renewed enthusiasm for advocating for the needs of the fraternity community on its campus.

The Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) is a five-day co-educational program that brings fraternity and sorority leaders together and teaches leadership skills, creates awareness of important issues, and calls on each graduate of the program to lead a change initiative within his/her fraternity/sorority community. The program, begun in 1990, has over 4600 graduates since its inception. In addition, over 120 fraternity/sorority advisors, staff, and volunteers participate each year as facilitators during the program. These facilitators support the work of the NIC staff by leading small group discussions that personalize the experience throughout the institute. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has become an active partner in the UIFI curriculum by sponsoring the Service component of the curriculum.

IMPACT is a campus based weekend program that brings fraternity and sorority community leaders together to identify a strategy for change and/or improvement to the local fraternal experience. IMPACT is an acronym for Influence, Motivation, Purpose, Action, Commitment, and Trust. These are the five ideals that the curriculum of the program emphasizes. The campus leaders work together during the course of the weekend to identify what needs to change in order to ensure a bright future for the entire community. The staff of the NIC leads these programs throughout the year.

The Jon Williamson Futures Quest brings together the newest members of the fraternity community. In order to participate, these men will have joined a fraternity in the previous year. The curriculum of Futures Quest is designed to allow the participants to begin their fraternal journey in a very positive way and builds an awareness of the vast scope of the opportunities that are available to each of them. During the experience, these men will identify a personal action plan for what he wants to accomplish during his years in college and beyond. The participants leave the program with a feeling of confidence and their self-esteem is affirmed. This in turn positively influences the fraternities as these men assume the leadership positions.

The most important aspect of the fraternal experience may be the need to invite new members to join a fraternity each year. As a result, the NIC offers a program to its members that teaches participants new skills in recruitment and focuses on the positive aspects of membership. The Recruitment Program is one of the most important programs offered by the NIC. Not only does it ensure that membership in fraternities will continue, it also teaches vital skills that each participant can use beyond the fraternal experience. The program makes the direct statement, "If you want to recruit me, then you better have a plan." The goal of the program is that every participant has a plan of action for their recruitment goals.

Programs are offered for alumni members of fraternities as well. Vital to the success of the undergraduate chapters, is the importance of having chapter advisors and alumni mentors. The Alumni Academy is an opportunity for alumni members of fraternities to identify ways to serve the fraternity as a chapter advisor, house corporation member, and/or mentor. In addition, the alumni are re-educated about the purpose of fraternity in the lives of young men and the newer aspects of the fraternity experience in today's society. Finally, the academy forms a community from among the alumni boards that are on each campus. It brings together the alumni role models, getting them to solve campus issues while recognizing the effectiveness of teamwork.

The NIC is always seeking ways in which it may develop new initiatives to enhance the work of its member organizations. In 2000, the NIC received a $750,000 cooperative grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This signaled the beginning of efforts to reach into the college community and have students determine the best course of action to take to deal with the number one issue on college campuses - alcohol. The Alcohol Summit is designed to bring together a coalition of students to discuss alcohol issues and create lasting outcomes to address the effects of alcohol and high risk drinking behaviors.

Members

Fraternity Founding
Date		 Active
Collegiate Groups		 Collegiate
Charters Granted		 Collegiate
Members		 Total
Initiates		 References
Acacia 1904 38 94 50,000 [9]
Alpha Chi Rho 1895 41 93 30,500
Alpha Delta Gamma 1924 12 29
Alpha Delta Phi 1832 33 53 1,100 50,000
Alpha Epsilon Pi 1913 170 238 9,500 90,000 [10][11]
Alpha Gamma Rho 1904 72 65,000
Alpha Gamma Sigma 1923 8 4,350
Alpha Kappa Lambda 1914 30 79
Alpha Phi Alpha 1906 354 414 175,000 [12][13]
Alpha Phi Delta 1914 36 96 800 19,100
Alpha Sigma Phi 1845 100 177 2,900 70,000
Alpha Tau Omega 1865 132 250 6,500 200,000 [14][15]
Beta Chi Theta 1999 23 1,000
Beta Sigma Psi 1925 10 25
Beta Theta Pi 1839 128 173 9,590 200,182 [5]
Chi Phi 1824 58 113 60,000
Chi Psi 1841 31
Delta Chi 1890 137 100,000 [16]
Delta Epsilon Psi 1998 36 3,000 [17]
Delta Kappa Epsilon 1844 54 80,000
Delta Lambda Phi[18] 1986 30
Delta Phi 1827 15
Delta Psi 1847 10
Delta Sigma Phi 1899 105 225 5,995 120,000 [19]
Delta Tau Delta 1858 133 9,375 165,000 [20]
Delta Upsilon 1834 84 151 110,000
FarmHouse 1905 33 42
Iota Nu Delta 1994 18 5
Iota Phi Theta 1963 270 30,000
Kappa Alpha Order 1865 129 7,500 160,000 [21]
Kappa Alpha Psi 1911 350 150,000
Kappa Alpha Society 1825 9 15
Kappa Delta Phi 1900 14 31
Kappa Delta Rho 1905 36 75
Lambda Phi Epsilon 1981 33 48
Lambda Sigma Upsilon 1979 58 500 6,000 [22]
Lambda Theta Phi 1975 93
Nu Alpha Kappa 1988 24 24 225 2300 [23]
Omega Delta Phi 1987 50
Phi Beta Sigma 1914 400 150,000
Phi Gamma Delta 1848 155 9,000 178,108 [24][25]
Phi Iota Alpha 1931 52 71
Phi Kappa Psi 1852 109 158 5,988 124,199 [26]
Phi Kappa Sigma 1850 48 120
Phi Kappa Tau 1906 93 152 4,500 96,000+
Phi Kappa Theta 1959 49
Phi Lambda Chi 1920 9 17
Phi Mu Delta 1918 18 41 600 18,000
Phi Sigma Kappa 1873 84 3,000 115,000 [27][28]
Phi Sigma Phi 1988 9
Pi Kappa Alpha 1868 225 15,590 270,000 [6][29]
Pi Kappa Phi 1904 176 231 9,759 116,806 [30]
Pi Lambda Phi 1895 38 120
Psi Upsilon 1833 23 45
Sigma Alpha Epsilon 1856 239 317 11,900 325,000 [31][32][33]
Sigma Alpha Mu 1909 69
Sigma Beta Rho 1996 41
Sigma Chi 1855 244 15,000+ 300,000 [34]
Sigma Lambda Beta 1986 99 118 850 10,000
Sigma Nu 1869 170 278 10,400 230,000 [35][36][37]
Sigma Phi Epsilon 1901 230 15,286 312,000 [38][39]
Sigma Phi 1827 9
Sigma Pi 1897 120 216 5,100 101,000 [40]
Sigma Tau Gamma 1920 70 140 80,000
Tau Delta Phi 1910 6 63
Tau Epsilon Phi 1910 30 46
Tau Phi Sigma 1992 7 8
Theta Chi 1856 143 230 8,500 180,000 [41]
Theta Delta Chi 1847 29 66 46,000
Theta Xi 1864 53 114 60,000 [42][43]
Triangle 1907 32 45
Zeta Beta Tau 1898 90 140,000
Zeta Psi 1847 53 87 20,000

Several of the historically large fraternities are no longer members of the NIC. In 2002, Kappa Sigma, Phi Delta Theta, and Phi Sigma Kappa, withdrew their membership in the NIC due to disagreements with the strategic direction of the organization. Phi Sigma Kappa rejoined the NIC in 2006.[44][45] On October 27, 2015, Lambda Chi Alpha resigned its membership. "Unfortunately, the NIC has recently elected to pursue counterproductive tactics that we believe are antithetical to our values and we cannot support them.".[46] On January 14, 2016, Tau Kappa Epsilon announced that it had resigned its membership effective immediately, citing an extreme increase in cost resulting from the NIC 2.0 initiative and the obligation to ensure every member dollar is spent wisely.[47]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 About NIC | North-American Interfraternity Conference - advocating and assisting the fraternity experience
  2. ↑ North-American Interfraternity Conference Constitution — Article IV. House of Delegates and V. Board of Directors
  3. ↑ "Constitution of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (Revised April 23, 2012). ARTICLE II. Purpose.". NIC. North-American Interfraternity Conference, Inc. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  4. ↑ By-Laws of the North-American Interfraternity Conference.
  5. 1 2 "Beta's Record Breaking 175th Year". Retrieved 2015-06-02.
  6. 1 2 "2013-2014 Year in Review". Retrieved 2015-02-28.
  7. ↑ http://www.sae.net/factsandfigures
  8. ↑ http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/SearchChapter.php
  9. ↑ "ACACIA FRATERNITY COMMEMORATES OUR 50,000TH INITIATION".
  10. ↑ "Alpha Epsilon Pi Chapter Roll". Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  11. ↑ "About Alpha Epsilon Pi". Archived from the original on 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  12. ↑ "Alpha Phi Alpha Chapters". Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  13. ↑ http://www.peacecorps.gov/media/forpress/advisories/2378/
  14. ↑ "Alpha Tau Omega - Active Chapters By State". Archived from the original on 2006-04-26. Retrieved 2006-05-23.
  15. ↑ "Alpha Tau Omega - Tau Facts & Firsts". Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  16. ↑ Delta Chi facts
  17. ↑ "Delta Epsilon Psi". Delta Epsilon Psi.
  18. ↑ Delta Lambda Phi joins the NIC
  19. ↑ "Delta Sigma Phi - Fall 2014 Carnation". Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  20. ↑ "2014 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  21. ↑ "Kappa Alpha Order's statement regarding revised Fraternity Operating Agreement" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-03-015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  22. ↑ Lambda Sigma Upsilon | Home
  23. ↑ Nu Alpha Kappa | Home
  24. ↑ "FIJI Facts". Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  25. ↑ The Phi Gamma Delta. Fall 2014. p2
  26. ↑ http://www.phikappapsi.com/about/whoweare/bythenumbers
  27. ↑ "PSK - FAQs - PSK". Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  28. ↑ "PSK - FAQs - PSK". Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  29. ↑ "Update to Pi Kappa Alpha Chapter Services". Retrieved 2015-02-28.
  30. ↑ "State of the Fraternity". Retrieved 2015-02-28.
  31. ↑ "155 Founder's Day Announcement". 155 2011 Founder's Day Announcement.
  32. ↑ Story 7 - Sigma Alpha Epsilon
  33. ↑ "Sigma Alpha Epsilon- Facts and Figures". Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  34. ↑ "Sigma Chi Press Release". Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  35. ↑ "About Sigma Nu Fraternity" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  36. ↑ "General Information About Sigma Nu". Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  37. ↑ "State of the Fraternity Report". Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  38. ↑ "Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity - 2014 Annual Report". Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  39. ↑ "SigEp learns that Clemson will support fraternity's decision to suspend" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  40. ↑ "Sigma Pi Website - News". Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  41. ↑ "Theta Chi Fraternity - About Us". Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  42. ↑ http://www.thetaxi.org/Joining/joining.php
  43. ↑ http://www.thetaxi.org/Chapters/chapterList.php
  44. ↑ Why did Kappa Sigma withdraw from the NIC?
  45. ↑ IFC website
  46. ↑ "Lambda Chi Alpha Resigns Its Membership". Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  47. ↑ http://www.tke.org/news/2016/01/14/tau-kappa-epsilon-resigns-membership-in-nic

Further reading

External links

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