North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC)
Have you every heard of the North-American Interfraternity Conference? How about the National Interfraternity Conference? Most have heard of one of these groups.
The North-American Interfraternity Conference (formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) has a long and storied history as a body that has assisted fraternal organizations to work together. On November 27, 1909, 26 fraternities met to discuss critical issues facing fraternities at that time. A formal organization was completed in 1910. In 1931 the organization's name was changed from Interfraternity Conference to National Interfraternity Conference. In 1999, the leadership again changed the name to North-American Interfraternity Conference to celebrate the membership of brothers in Canada.
Today, the NIC has 72 member organizations with approximately 5,500 chapters located on 800+ campuses in the United States and Canada with approximately 350,000 undergraduate members. The NIC is led by a Board of Directors comprised of nine volunteers from member fraternities. The headquarters and professional staff are located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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 72 member organizations has adopted basic expectations of their members and agreed to the following Nine Basic Expectations:
- I will know and understand the ideals expressed in my fraternity ritual and will strive to incorporate them in my daily life.
- I will strive for academic achievement and practice academic integrity.
- I will respect the dignity of all persons; therefore I will not physically, mentally, psychologically or sexually abuse or harm any human being.
- I will protect the health and safety of all human beings.
- I will respect my property and the property of others; therefore, I will neither abuse nor tolerate the abuse of property.
- I will meet my financial obligations in a timely manner.
- I will neither use nor support the use of illegal drugs; I will neither misuse nor support the misuse of alcohol.
- 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.
- I will challenge all my fraternity members to abide by these fraternal expectations and will confront those who violate them.
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.
Prior to the Congressional Reception students and the leadership of the NIC, National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC), and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) participate in over 500 meetings with congressional offices to advance our legislative agenda. Legislative priorities are determined annually with current emphasis on the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act, which will help ensure that more students can access fraternal and other not-for-profit housing, which is usually less expensive than university residence halls and for-profit off-campus housing. Other legislative efforts include: College Fire Prevention Act, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Speech, student privacy, and single sex exemptions under Title IX. At the congressional reception the NIC host a reception that includes the leadership of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC), the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO), and members of fraternity and sororities that work on Capitol Hill.
Public Relations Efforts top of page
The NIC's primary public relation effort centers around creating an environment in which fraternities can thrive. It involves sharing the fraternity experience with high school bound seniors and helping current undergrads see how important a fraternal experience is to their collegiate life.
Support from the university community is essential to the success on the NIC's public relations initiatives. Through solid partnerships, the fraternity and university communities recruit a solid student base and this will have a positive effect on the retention of these students in college and within the fraternity.
Educational Programming top of page
Five permanent staff members create learning opportunities for all undergraduate men through a variety of programs, most notably the 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 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.
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 our 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.
