NIC Blog
2010 is another successful year for UIFI
NIC Celebrates Another Successful Year of the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute!
Here at the NIC, we think it is important to share the positive, authentic story of fraternity life. While, we might not be completely objective on the matter, we do believe that UIFI is one of the many bright spots out there where amazing things are happening for undergraduate fraternity men and sorority women. Through the efforts and support of many, 2010 has proven to be another very successful year for UIFI.
Over the course of the summer, 10 national sessions were held on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Through these 10 sessions, a total of 774 students participated in the five day leadership institute that provides them with awareness, motivation, and skills necessary to elevate their chapter, council, or community. UIFI 2010 challenged students to re[think] fraternity and sorority and to re[take] the experience through action that is congruent with their own personal values, as well as the teachings of their Ritual.
UIFI continues to be the premier undergraduate fraternity/sorority leadership development experience. As a testament to the significance and positive impact of UIFI, consider what participants have shared via the UIFI 2010 follow up assessment. 98.6% of student respondents said they believe they are a better leader because of UIFI. 98.9% agreed that UIFI deepened their commitment to fraternity life, and 100% would recommend UIFI to a peer.
When asked to rate their growth in a variety of areas, students reported the following (on a scale of 1-10, with 1 experiencing no growth and 10 experiencing complete growth):
- My willingness to contribute to my fraternity/sorority on a national level: 8.47
- My appreciation for fraternity/sorority life: 9.00
- My personal commitment to integrity as a leader: 8.42
- Importance of linking values to decision making: 8.44
- Awareness and understanding of Ritual/ritual as it pertains to fraternity/sorority life: 8.92
- Importance of Ritual to the fraternity/sorority experience: 9.09
- My commitment to living my Ritual: 9.05
We can not take all of the credit for these outcomes. UIFI would be impossible without the support of the sponsors who provide financial assistance. In 2010, 36 fraternities and sororities and countless campuses provided scholarships for students to attend. We also attribute our success to the support and dedication of the 156 talented small group and lead facilitators and who care deeply about the undergraduate fraternal experience. Among the facilitators who completed the post UIFI Curriculum Assessment, 94.3% agreed the UIFI was the best program of its kind for fraternity / sorority members and 100% agreed that they would encourage students they work with to attend UIFI.
Thank you to all that made UIFI 2010 possible. We could not have done it without anyone mentioned here. A special thank you is in order for the 20 interns who came back to UIFI to share their experience and inspire their peers.
Well, now it is time to stop patting ourselves and everyone else on the back. It is time to get to work and translate these numbers into action. As we discussed at every session of UIFI this summer; "Leadership is what you do, Values are what you do, and Ritual is what you do!" Now it is time to elevate our chapters, councils, and communities.
To everyone who participated in UIFI this summer, all of us here at the NIC stand ready to help you in completing your re[vision]. In the coming weeks, look for some new and exciting opportunities from the NIC to stay connected with your close and extended UIFI family so that we all might be more successful in rethinking and redefining fraternity and sorority.
