Influenced by the popular TV show “Shark Tank,” the Interfraternity Council at IU is revamping the strategy involving its philanthropy.
At a philanthropy committee Jan. 27, IFC’s Vice President of Community Programs Jesse Scheinman said he would like to kick-start IFC’s very own “Shark Tank.”
Though not directly involved with the ABC reality show, Scheinman’s project will be similar because it will be a workshop of people proposing new ideas, with other people there to critique them.
He said this will be an informal event that will involve meeting with two to three chapters per week.
However, he said IFC won’t be limiting itself to just its fraternities, but instead opening up to the entire community. He said he believes restricting the shark tank in that way would violate its core standards as an organization.
“The purpose of IFC isn’t just to fit the fraternities,” Scheinman said. “The purpose of IFC is to benefit the campus and your community as a whole.”
With this, Scheinman said he would like to start doing post-evaluations of each chapter. These will help decide which chapters IFC would like to focus on by “utilizing its strengths and minimizing its weaknesses,” he said.
He also said he would like proposals to be thoroughly fleshed out and articulated before they are sent to IFC. He said this would also help determine whether or not the one with the idea can speak at the shark tank.
Half of the philanthropy meeting was dedicated to the shark tank proposal. The second half featured the development of new ideas from committee members.
Delta Tau Delta philanthropy chairperson Ryan Sondles said he participated with his chapter last semester in the No Shave November event to raise money to combat testicular cancer.
He said his chapter started a GoFundMe page and asked sororities for assistance in fundraising in order to receive donations for the cause. Delts also makes its own T-shirts for the event, where they sold 237 shirts and raised $2,450 overall.
Sondles said he would like to receive funding in order to repeat the event next fall semester.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon philanthropy chairperson Alec Imaizumi said he was a part of the Bubble Soccer Tournament last semester. He said he raised $5,000 in family donations, T-shirt sales and expenses to participate in the event.
For this semester, he said he would like SAE to put together a soap box derby-styled race. He said this would be an event that would be open to fraternities, sororities and even non-greek members.
Beta Sigma Psi philanthropy chairperson William Hughes said he was active in the involvement with the Mash Out Homelessness event which failed to occur last semester during midterms week.
Hughes said this event was supposed to be a car smash and all of the funds were supposed to go to Habitat for Humanity. He said he was unable to do it because he couldn’t get it to be put on during midterms.
However, he said for the spring semester, he would like to play host to a Dine and Donate event, which he said he would like to be at BuffaLouie’s, though the location has yet to be confirmed.
Along with all of these ideas, Scheinman said IFC would like to work harder this semester with associated member organizations, as well as other campus or non-campus organizations that are directly tied with IFC’s goal of giving back to the community.
“We want to work with the organizations where our collaboration can be really beneficial,” he said. “Not just this year, but next year, next semester, five years from now.”
Above all Scheinman said one of his main concerns this semester is giving back to the community through service and philanthropy as a collective.
One way he said he would like to do this is to bring more awareness to sexual assault on campus with the greek organization Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault. He said it is the goal of this organization, and IFC as a whole, to build better men “through education, awareness and activism.”
“I wanted to form this community because I’m not afraid of failing,” he said. “I’m afraid of not trying.”
