Interfraternity Council sweeps national awards: ‘An incredible year’

DANIEL DASSOW Editor-in-Chief

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Outstanding Peer Governance.

More than 50 fraternities nationwide are NIC members, and an IFC exists on any campus with two or more NIC fraternities. With the recognition, UT’s council became the most awarded IFC in the nation in 2022. Previously, the IFC at UT had not won a major national award since 1964, when it was named an Outstanding IFC.

In its rationale for selecting UT’s IFC as an outstanding council, the NIC focused on the council’s health and wellness programming and engagement with the broader community at UT.

especially noteworthy. (Currently, five fraternities which were part of the IFC are suspended.)

In a particularly high profile suspension, the Pi chapter of Alpha Tau Omega was suspended for five years in November 2021 for repeated violations of the university’s standards of conduct related to hazing and alcohol.

assertive and bridge-building leadership,” especially around DEI efforts. Hunter Carlheim, coordinator for the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life and the IFC advisor, also received an individual recognition.

The 2022 IFC Executive Board stand in front of a $26,000 check in honor of the endowment of IFC’s first ever scholarship, the IFC Leadership Scholarship, at the IFC 150th Celebration. Courtesy of Michael Rodriguez

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) at UT, the university’s largest Greek life governing council composed of 20 fraternities, was recognized by the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) with five of its six 2022 IFC Awards. The awards include Outstanding IFC, Outstanding IFC President, Outstanding IFC Advisor, Outstanding

“Intentional about using campus resources to their advantage, the UTK IFC is invested in the betterment of its members through health and wellness programming like healthy relationship topics, men’s mental health and intentional brotherhood,” the association’s website said. “UTK took a dedicated approach to not working within a silo of fraternities but thinking about the greater community at all times.”

The multiple honors come as the IFC works to rebuild from a slew of suspensions and disciplinary probations. In spring of this year, more fraternities were suspended or on probation than in good standing, making the IFC’s sudden sweep of national awards

That same month, Michael Rodriguez, a fall 2022 graduate in business administration and management, took over as president of IFC. Rodriguez, a member of the Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity, previously served as the council’s first vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. In this role, he oversaw the drafting and passing of the council’s first-ever strategic DEI commitment plan.

As president, Rodriguez expanded the council’s programming around relational and mental health, created a task force to ensure the equitability of the council’s recruitment process and oversaw management of record-size recruitment cycles. This fall, the IFC also celebrated its 150th anniversary with an event that brought alumni, administrators and stakeholders together to reaffirm their commitment to bettering fraternity life at UT.

Rodriguez was recognized by the NIC as a top president of the year for his “passionate,

“Wrapping up what was such an incredible year of growth and structure for IFC with a near full awards sweep is quite energizing,” Rodriguez said. “Winning awards is nice but being recognized and honored for the achievements that required deep work is even nicer. I might be biased, but our collective leadership between chapter presidents, IFC Exec members and OSFL staff has never been stronger.”

Already, the scales have tipped towards progress for fraternities at UT, since 23 of the 32 active chapters are in good standing. Rodriguez said he hopes the work of the IFC will continue to be recognized after his graduation as the council works towards making fraternities more equitable and engaged in the coming years.

“Our awards should definitely serve as a reflection of the great leadership we exhibited but should also serve as a signal that our leaders have cast a vision of even further growth and success for the many years to come,” Rodriguez said. “It’s my hope that the University of Tennessee’s IFC is awarded nationally every year going forward.”