IFC to create new scholarship

To promote philanthropy in the greek community, the Interfraternity Council will offer scholarships to budding philanthropies starting this semester. At this stage, one scholarship will be awarded for a maximum of $1,000.

However, the IFC is still working on the details.

“We want to promote smaller fraternities and philanthropies by awarding new ideas and budding philanthropies,” said Sean Jordan, IFC vice president of
communications.

Jackson Alvarez, IFC vice president of community programs, said there are 31 chapters at IU but only about 10 have annual philanthropies.

Alvarez said many chapters struggled with covering the cost of philanthropy because they can be expensive. He said awarding the scholarship would help chapters raise money for their causes.

“We want to alleviate concern of fraternities losing money when they start their philanthropy,” IFC President Michael Pagrabs said.

Every chapter interested in the scholarship must fill out an application.

Depending on how many applications they receive, they may decide to award more than one scholarship, Alvarez said. That will be decided by the IFC executive council.

“We are looking for an event that can be sustainable and can then become an annual event,” Alvarez said.

IFC is also looking for new philanthropies that involve other greek or student organizations. Alvarez said he is working with the Panhellenic Association for a different collaboration scholarship.

He said it would go to an event involving two or more chapters from any of the four councils. The four councils include IFC, PHA, Panhellenic Council and Multi-Cultural Greek Council. However, the collaboration would have to be between different
councils.

Alvarez said IFC and PHA would split the cost between their two councils but would support all four councils.

However, nothing has been officially decided yet between IFC and PHA. Alvarez said it is in the very beginning stages.

“We want to promote communication and collaboration,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez said he also wanted to organize a large philanthropy round table where all of the philanthropy chairs from all four councils could come together and serve as a resource and provide support for one another.

He said he is looking at working with Unify, a new student group, to fill in the gaps. Unify seeks to promote community service within the greek community, but the group hopes to grow to involve non-greeks in the future.

“We are a community within a community,” Alvarez said. “We’re not exclusive, and we also want to work with the greater community, Bloomington and IU. We want to create a true community.”