Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This podcast is produced by members of the University of Alabama Parent Advisory Council and reflects the personal views, experiences and opinions of the hosts and guests. These views are independent and do not represent, reflect or speak on behalf of the University of Alabama, its administration, faculty, staff, or affiliated organizations. The content shared is for general informational and conversational purposes only. It is not intended to provide academic, medical, legal, financial or institutional advice. While we aim to share thoughtful and helpful perspectives, we make no guarantees regarding accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Listeners are encouraged to verify information independently and rely on official University of Alabama communications for policies, decisions, and guidance. Listening to this podcast is voluntary and any actions taken based on the content are done at your own discretion and risk.
Welcome to Parent Perspectives. Navigating the University of Alabama experience as a parent can be exciting, overwhelming, and full of questions. And you don't have to do it alone. Parent Perspectives is a podcast by parents, for parents and with parents created to share real conversations, trusted insights, and firsthand experiences from those who've been there. Whether your student is Bama bound, settling into freshman year or finding their stride on campus, this is your go to source for all things Bama student related. From academics in campus life to traditions and the moments that matter most, we cover what parents want to know honestly and thoughtfully. Tune in and feel confident knowing you're part of a supportive BAMA parent community.
[00:01:51] Speaker B: Welcome to the UA Parent Perspective Podcast. My name is Lynn Ann Lusinski and I'm a member of the Parent Advisory Council for the University of Alabama. In this episode, we're talking about IFC fraternity recruitment at ALAB and how parents can support their son through the process. For many families, fraternity recruitment brings a lot of questions from how recruitment works and when students should register to costs, safety, and what support is available through the experience.
Today I'm joined by Lexi, who will walk us through what families should know as their son prepares for IFC recruitment. And if you have a daughter going through Panhellenic recruitment, definitely take a listen to our two previous episodes about all things Panhellenic recruitment. So Lexi, if you don't mind, would you please let us know a little bit more about what you do at the University of Alabama?
[00:02:44] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. Hi all, My name is Lexi Snoke and I am one of the coordinators in our Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. As one of our coordinators, I primarily oversee our marketing and communications efforts for the office. So anything that you see during Bama Bound, whether that's at our presentation or tabling, I will probably be there or I have had a part in creating one of those things and all of our social media and our website. I am what my coworkers tease as the voice and the face of a cell, as much as they love to say it, but super excited to be here today and to talk a little bit about IFC recruitment.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Well, we're happy to have you. So let's begin with the big picture, if we can, and start with how IFC recruitment works at the University of Alabama.
[00:03:29] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So our IFC recruitment process is an open recruitment process. What this means is that chapters may recruit or offer and offer B for the upcoming school year, starting in the late spring and into the summertime and then also moving into the fall as students come to campus throughout the spring and the summertime. We encourage students who are interested in joining an IFC chapter to reach out to the chapter's recruitment chairs and find out about upcoming recruitment events that are being hosted throughout the summer. That's how you're able to gain a bid in that spring or summer time period. Outside of those spring and summer recruitment opportunities. The Interfraternity Council has also created our IFC Fall Open Recruitment Week for students who are still seeking a bid. Right. Maybe these students haven't had the opportunity to arrive to campus in June or July for a BAMA bound session. They're not coming until August. IFC really saw that trend happening sometimes with our students and wanted to make sure that we were still able to give them an opportunity to meet our chapters. So these students are able to have the opportunity to arrive to campus in August when they are expected to arrive for that move in period in their residence hall. And they're able to attend different events throughout the week. These events include open house and invitation only events that are hosted by the chapter as chapters that are participating in recruitment, as well as some other events that are hosted specifically by our IFC executive board. Some events that they've had historically include a cookout on the quad, a pickleball tournament, a basketball tournament. Really just any opportunities for our potential new members to be able to get to know our chapters and decide whether or not they'd like to accept a bid into that organization.
[00:05:06] Speaker B: Thank you. And once families understand the process, then I think the next question is usually about timing and when their sons need to get started. And you've kind of alluded to that. But when should students register for IFC recruitment? And why is registering early important?
[00:05:21] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So if you're familiar with the Panhellenic recruitment process, the IFC registration Process and recruitment process is vastly different. And so with our friends over in Panhellenic, there are some pretty tight deadlines and that's just not the same with our IFC registration. But that still means that you have to be registered for recruitment with ifc if you are, are if you are going to accept a bid from an organization. It's how we basically like make everything official. So by registering for recruitment on the University of Alabama IFC website, which is University of Alabama IFC.com your name and information is also made available to all of the IFC fraternities. And so that is how they are able to learn that you are want to go through the recruitment process or talk to those different chapters. So but at the same time, just because you registered doesn't mean that you're going to receive that bid for membership. And so you also have to do a little bit of that legwork too, right? As an IFC potential new member, wanting to make sure that you are able to reach out to those chapters that we, as we talked about earlier and learn about their recruitment events and if there is the opportunity to be able to have membership. And so that recruit. Our IFC recruitment process really is all about making that initial contact, reaching out to those chapters and letting them get to know you.
Really, really. I always encourage our potential new members within our IFC community to really make that effort. Even though it might be a little bit awkward, right, to reach out to somebody that you don't know, but like really make sure that you are getting to know as many of those fraternity men in those chapters as possible and so that you are able to get to know them on, on a level where you're have a full understanding of what being in an IFC chapter is really like. So because there's no deadline, the reason we recommend registering early is because it does give the chapters the access to your information. And our IFC recruitment registration opens in early April. It opens typically, I would say anywhere between the first and second week of April each year. So you're able to get a jump on it before you even arrive for Bama Bound or before you even move in on campus.
[00:07:39] Speaker B: Thank you. And it sounds like it's pretty, it's pretty well driven by the potential new member.
[00:07:45] Speaker C: Very much so, yes. It's all about reaching out to those individual chapters. Whether you do that through social media or by accessing the University of Alabama IFC website and seeing the different recruitment chairs contact information on there, they literally list their phone numbers and their emails. Right now they would prefer that you text them and not that you email them because they might not be checking their emails over the summer.
So really, you know, they, they put that out there because they want to hear from you. And so I, we talk to, I talk to IFC potential new members all the time that are just like, hey, this is kind of weird, but it's actually not. This is what these recruitment chairs are there for. Right? They're there to give you this information to potentially invite you to those events and make sure that you are able to make an informed decision on the chapter that you're planning to join.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:08:36] Speaker B: So for many out of state families, planning adds a whole new layer, especially if their son can't get campus ahead of time. So for parents of out of state students, what advice do you have for their son if they can't visit campus before moving?
[00:08:50] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So the ISC Open Recruitment Week could be the perfect option for any out of state students who are not able to visit campus before moving in. As I mentioned earlier, these events give students the opportunity to meet with chapters. But at the same time, we also would still recommend reaching out to chapters and letting them know that you're interested but won't be able to come into campus until August. Right. Just kind of give them a heads up. Hey, I saw that you're super involved in this area of campus. I saw that you're involved in this philanthropic or service activity that I was involved in high school. And I'm really interested and want to talk to you guys more. But I'm not going to be able to make it down to Tuscaloosa until then. That helps the chapter understand, like, hey, we could have a really interested potential new member here. We want to make sure that we are able to meet with them during that fall Open Recruitment week.
All of these events during the fall Open Recruitment Week typically occur in the later afternoon or evening. And every single one of our IFC chapters do participate. Now, some of those IFC chapters may be full and may have already extended bids for membership at that point. And so that's also why we would encourage you to reach out to them so that they know that they, that you're coming and that it could be an opportunity for them to maybe hold on to a bit for you. You know, if you never know until you put yourself out there and are able to make that connection so definite.
I think follow up in recruitment week is the perfect option for our out of state students because you're able to visit chapters, meet members and potentially Pursue membership in an organization.
[00:10:24] Speaker B: And you've kind of already alluded to this, but even before recruitment begins, there may be early opportunities for students to start getting familiar with the community.
How can students use Bama Bound as an opportunity to begin making connections with those chapters?
[00:10:37] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So like I mentioned, we do encourage students to reach out to the recruitment chairs and that contact information is on the IFC website that I mentioned and let them know that you're participating. Super simple. Tell them why. Maybe a little bit about why you're interested. A lot of our organizations are actually hosting events during Bama Bound at their chapter house facilities or maybe they are going to dinner, just all different kinds of things that they're hosting throughout the week. And they make sure that typically those events do not coincide with your Bama Bound schedule so that you are able to attend those.
Additionally, many of our, many of our chapters will actually table at the conclusion of a Bama Bound day in June and July. So we have two events in June and two events in July. Each of those dates are released on the University of Alabama IFC website or not. Website, Excuse me, Instagram, they got a lot of different platforms and so they release those on Instagram probably at the start of the summer is when they will release those this current year. And that is an opportunity for you at the conclusion of your Bama Bound day to be able to walk around the student center, talk to the some of those chapters and be able to learn about the events that they are going to be having. And so that's usually at the end of the day, one of the Bama bounds after you've completed that first day before you move into that second day where you typically are having class registration. So definitely, I think my biggest tip to incoming students who are interested in IFC fraternities is utilize Bama Bound as that date that you can tell recruitment chairs, hey, I'm going to be in town and I am interested in joining one of your chapters. Can we set up a time to, you know, for me to introduce myself, can I come attend this event? And that is how you're able to learn even more about that chapter.
[00:12:22] Speaker B: So one concern that some families have is whether or not their son needs to already know people in order to have a good experience. And you've, you've already pretty, pretty much said that's not necessarily the case. But, but do you, do you think that their sons need to already know members in order to be successful in recruitment?
[00:12:41] Speaker C: Yeah. So, I mean, it's really not necessary for students to know current members of IFC organizations in order to be successful in recruitment. So while having that personal connection could be an added benefit, the Interfraternity Council has created other opportunities for potential new members to get to know members of that chapter. As I've mentioned, you know, kind of ad nauseam, but I, I mention it all the time to our interested members in IFC chapters because I really want them to understand that it is is so normal to reach out to those recruitment chairs and talk to them about potential membership in the chapter. I cannot say it enough. It is what they are expecting for you to do and that is how you're going to be able to make that connection.
It's the, I think it's the simplest option than maybe trying to get a hold of some friend that you know, you haven't seen in a couple years. You graduated high school with this. This person is literally serving as a recruitment chair and has a hand in that recruitment process. And so it'd be silly to not reach out to them.
And also too, you're. If you don't feel comfortable reaching out to them via that phone number, you also could go on their social media and be able to see the recruitment events that they are hosting throughout the duration of the summer. Then you could message them on social media and say, hey, I'm going to be in town in June and I'm really interested in, interested in attending this event. Can you tell me a little bit more about it? That could be a more casual way for you to be able to get in contact with that chapter.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: It sounds like it's it. We're making it easy for all different personality types to get involved and I love that.
[00:14:14] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:14:15] Speaker B: So as students move through the process, families also want to understand how offers work and what happens when bids are extended. So can their sons receive more than one bid and how does the acceptance process work?
[00:14:27] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So there's no limit to the, to the number of bids a potential new member could receive. However, you can only accept a bid from one chapter. Upon receiving a bid for membership, you have three different options. You can either accept, decline or defer or hold acceptance. If you decline your bid, then you're no longer accepting the chapter's invitation for membership. You can still receive and accept bids from other chapters, but you've totally removed that option for that specific chapters offer for membership. So you have to be 100% that that is not something that you would accept.
Now if you choose to defer or hold your acceptance and continue to support, continue to Explore additional options. It's really important to be upfront with the chapter and let them know that that's what you want to do. Chapters are not required to hold space for anyone who defers bids. It's kind of like I mentioned earlier, where you know, if you reach out to them earlier in the summer and you're like, hey, I'm not coming until August, that doesn't mean that they have to hold you a spot, but you can do what you can in letting them know that you are interested. Right?
Once you've accepted a bid from a chapter, that is when you are then going to be able to be eligible to sign your bid at convocation and bid signing, typically in August on that first Friday after the first day of class. So once you know you've kind of made your mind up, you've been able to accept, that's when you then are going to be official within the chapter and within hours office of signing that bid. That's also why recruitment registration for IFC is so important. If you don't register for recruitment and you are not in our system upon IFC convocation and bid signing, there's not going to be a bid for you to sign virtually and then we're going to have to backtrack and make sure that you know you are able to get everything in within that time period. So make sure that you are 100% registered in the the system. Whether you've accepted a verbal bid or you've gone to one of our fall Open Recruitment Week events, get your registration in so that you can sign it on convocation and bid signing. But it's also important to note too that any organization can also rescind a bid so you could accept one and then maybe something could happen and they could take that back. It is uncommon, but we want to make sure that parents and families are aware of that because the chapters could also see that maybe that person person's not really a good fit for the organization.
Also want to make sure and kind of reiterate again that students do understand that they do have that hold option. You don't have to accept the first bid that you receive. You can tell the chapter, hey, I want to hold on to this for maybe a day or two. I would say is appropriate so that you can talk to some other people and really find the chapter that's the best fit for you.
[00:17:09] Speaker B: So another major topic for families is cost, and it's important to talk about that early and clearly.
Can you, can you talk a little bit about the Financial commitment associated with joining an IFC fraternity and what costs family should expect?
[00:17:27] Speaker C: Yeah, so the initial cost that family should expect is the cost for registering for IFC recruitment. That registration cost is $175 and it's paid upon the time of registering. That is also another reason why we want to make sure you're registered before IFC convocation and bid signing is we don't want you to be scrambling to pay $175 on the day that you're supposed to be signing the bid. Trust me, it's happened. So get that registration in as soon as you can. Right.
But that fee typically covers usage for IFC convocation and bid signing as well as a lot of other events that take place over new member education. We have different speakers come in and talk to our chapters, but after that has concluded and once you are a member in the organization, there are a couple different costs that you can expect. So we have 34 chapters within our inter fraternity council and I would say about 2/3 of them are housed on campus. A large majority of them are housed on campus. But we do have some unhoused chapters. And so starting with our unhoused chapters and their average cost per semester, it's going to be about $1,000 per semester as they do not have chapter house facilities on campus with full service kitchens like our other IFC organizations have on campus with full service service kitchens. And so joining a chapter that has a chapter house on campus with a full service kitchen allows you to have the meal plan downgrade within the University of Alabama Bama Dining and also have 14 meals a week at the chapter house facility. So for our houzz chapters, if you are a newer member typically living, you're going to pay what is called the living out of house cost cost. And so that's going to be about $4,500 per semester for both the fall and the spring.
Now, in your second year of membership, which is typically your sophomore year, when you have the opportunity to potentially live in the chapter house, that average cost for our house chapters living in house is going to be $7,500.
Now, a little bit different than our friends over in the Alabama Panhellenic association, there could be some, some one time fees associated with membership within our interfraternity council, as they, you know, may have different events that cost some additional money that you're going to be paying. Whereas our Alabama Panhellenic association, many of those chapters, you have all inclusive dues. So you are just paying that one fee. And that could be different with our friends in the Interfraternity Council.
[00:19:52] Speaker B: Thank you. That was.
There's a large range of opportunities for sure.
So parents also care very deeply about chapter culture, safety and accountability.
So parents often ask about safety and hazing prevention. What resources does UA provide for families to review chapter conduct history?
[00:20:14] Speaker C: Yeah, so UA has several resources for families to be aware of. And so one of the first and the first one that I have started to refer parents to is our university's n hazing website. This has been revitalized over the last year to give parents really great transparent information about situations that could that have occurred in the past on campus. And so one page that I always take parents to is what's called the Hazing Transparency Report. This page lists the violations of the community over the past five years. And so you can also see if an organization had a violation five years ago and, and, and maybe had done nothing since or I'm sorry, you can see if an organization has had a violation within these last five years. Right, it goes up to that. You can also see past organizations violations and maybe how the chapter has corrected itself within that timeframe. Also want to add in there as well within that Hazing Transparency Report. It's going to show you for any current chapters that may have had a violation what exactly they are doing to be able to move on and be to able in good standing with the university.
In addition to that, when it comes to more of a reporting sense, the university has its Text U Act platform. And so this is an anonymous texting service where an automated response will confirm a receipt of your of your report and you are able to receive a response text from a UA staff member during normal business hours to acknowledge your report and ask any clarifying questions. This is how they're able to start a case that is then initiated through the appropriate responding campus office, whether that's Dean of Students Student Conduct Title 9. I actually within our OFA Cell BAMA Bound presentation put up a QR code within our presentation and ask for all incoming students and also parents and families to scan that QR code and save that phone number to your phone. So come to our BAMA Bound session. That's my shameless plug. Right.
But also I want to you know, really reiterate that, that this resource is not only for you know, if you were to be were to see an act of hazing or you know, were to be a part of something that may be considered hazing, it's just really to report any kind of misconduct on campus it is to keep our students safe and for them to have something that they feel totally anonymous and safe reporting and be able to take action to make UA a safer place for all of our students. And also we have an amazing partnership with our University of Alabama police department and our students are able to always be able to contact them and they can, you know, make sure that in the case of an emergency they are able to respond.
[00:23:02] Speaker B: I'm so grateful that the University cares so much about our students safety and well being and that they put these types of resources in place for students as well as parents. So thank you for sharing that. So beyond reviewing the information, families also want to know how the University supports students once they join.
How does the university and IFC support a safe and positive new member experience?
[00:23:29] Speaker C: So UA works hard to foster a safe and supportive new member experience for students joining all of our organizations, right? Specifically within our Interfraternity Council we work with our chapters to make sure that they schedule study halls in academic spaces to help them, you know, move on from that transition from high school to college. Also as I mentioned within our Alabama Pan Hellenic association podcast and talking all about everything Panhellenic, we really want to make sure that our students are able to uplift and can maintain our chapter's academic profile and that they are constantly higher achieving than their unique affiliated peers. So chapters specifically within our Interfraternity Council also have what's called a new member class president who attend weekly meetings where university resources are shared with them to help connect them to campus and also are able to help mentor the rest of that new member class thinking. Even more specifically within an inter fraternity council lens, our office and our Interfraternity Council executive board leaders also work with our chapters exec to make sure that they understand the expectations from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the University of Alabama. So chapters are prepared for what is called our new member education period which is typically at a six weeks maximum. It never exceeds six weeks and it helps students avoid distraction from, you know, moving into finals week and that they are able to have a safe and well rounded and and ideally short new member education period. So want to make sure that they are able to become full members of their chapters but also enjoy everything that the University of Alabama has to offer and remember that they are students here first and Greek members second. So everything the maximum length. So six weeks is the maximum length for our chapter. Our IFC chapters remember education process. But some chapters do have short shorter links, right? And so you can find the full list of all of our IFC new member education programs and how long they last on the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life website. And that is under our semesterly scorecards and so you can see on there, I believe it's under Community Statistics on our website. You can see on there exactly what the length of their new member education period as well as a wealth of other information conduct violations, average gpa, philanthropy and service dollars.
Also the size of their chapters. Lots of really great information on there for you to understand what exactly your student is joining.
[00:26:02] Speaker B: I so appreciate how the university and specifically the IFC and Panhellenic systems have worked so diligently to help students engage and become so involved on campus and just have a great, great experience overall. So as we wrap up this conversation is just a good reminder that recruitment is about more than just joining an organization.
It's also about fit, support and making an informed decision. Lexi, thank you so so much for walking our families through this process. This conversation helps parents better understand what IFC recruitment looks like, how their sons can prepare, and what families should keep in mind when it comes to timing and cost in safety and support.
Thank you for joining us on this episode of UA Parent Perspective Podcast. We hope this discussion gave you a clear picture of IFC recruitment at Alabama and has helped you feel more prepared to support your student as they explore this part of campus life.
[00:27:07] Speaker A: Thanks for tuning in today for the latest episode of Parents Parent Perspectives, brought to you by the University of Alabama Parent Advisory Council. Check out all our podcasts on Voices UA Edu. You can learn more about the Parent Advisory Council, Parent Perspectives and UA Parent and Family Programs on the UA Parent and Family Programs website at Parents sl UA Edu
[00:27:37] Speaker C: Sat.
