Tennessee fraternity leaders confirm commitment to safe campus
Members of the UT Interfraternity Council pledge to comply with university COVID-19 guidelines to help stop the spread of coronavirus
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As an unprecedented semester enters its final weeks, The Interfraternity Council (IFC) at the University of Tennessee remains committed to maintaining a safe and healthy campus community.
The IFC, the governing body of 21 North American Interfraternity Conference organizations at UT, encourages its membership to continue complying with the university's COVID-19 guidelines and follow recommended best practices in order to help stop the spread of the coronavirus on campus.
"This has been a challenging semester for all students, faculty and staff," said Allen S. Pack III, President of the IFC. "Our fraternities are going to be demonstrating their leadership in the next several weeks by observing the precautions that are in place on campus – and respecting those safeguards when they're off campus, too. We expect our membership to set an example and protect each other as well as our fellow students."
Chapter Presidents from all 21 IFC member fraternities have signed a pledge to lead the fight against the spread of COVID-19 on campus. The commitment requires fraternities to follow guidelines for social gatherings on or off campus that include maintaining social distancing and requiring attendees to wear face coverings. Organizations that fail to follow the guidelines will be referred to the Interfraternity Council Judicial Board.
In addition to efforts to mitigate the coronavirus risk on campus, IFC and its member organizations are continuing their support for local community service projects and national philanthropic organizations including Children's Burn Awareness, March of Dimes, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Mission South, the American Heart Association, Parkinson's Disease Research, the American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, 100 Black Men of Knoxville, Movember and Children's Miracle Network. Each semester, IFC awards $2,000 in scholarships to recognize the chapters who achieve the top GPA in four different categories.
"We've all learned important lessons this semester," Pack said. "Cooperation and communication have been critical, and we're now in position to finish the fall term safely and come back to campus with a strong plan for student success in the spring semester. The best outcome for the whole university community is for everyone to stay focused through the end of this semester so we have a good foundation for 2021."
The fraternity and sorority community at the University of Tennessee has a tradition rich in history and campus involvement. The IFC represents more than 1,800 members in 21 chapters, and the council's individual members, chapters, facilities, and charitable donations are among the best in the country. The IFC at the University of Tennessee intends to lead the fundamental development of Greek life and to be the example of a safe, supportive, and unified community.
For more information, visit http://utifc.org/.
About the Interfraternity Council at the University of Tennessee
The Interfraternity Council at the University of Tennessee is the governing body of the fraternities at Tennessee who are eligible for membership in the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). IFC strives to promote high academic standards, philanthropic services, resources for recruitment, and interfraternity unity.
The North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is an organization established to foster inter-fraternity relations and assist in the development and education of NIC fraternities and their member chapters. These organizations are dedicated to personal development, academic achievement, leadership, and service to the campus community. Activities of a fraternity may include study halls, community service projects, cook-outs, intramural sports, educational programs, sorority mixers, formal dances, and leadership training. Fraternities ultimately offer close friendships that will last through college and beyond. For more information, visit http://utifc.org/.
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SOURCE The Interfraternity Council (IFC) at the University of Tennessee
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