By Austin Brown

Dear members of the SMU community,

Many of you have probably received news of the incident involving fraternity men singing a racist song at the University of Oklahoma. While President Turner has already issued a plan of action for our University as a whole, I believe that it is important for the SMU community to hear from the Interfraternity Council.

The incident that occurred affects fraternity men nationwide, not just the men at the University of Oklahoma. As a result, the ethics and intentions of Greek organizations have been questioned by the local and national media. I believe that educating the SMU community about our values will help to clear up any confusion the community may have regarding the Interfraternity Council’s values.

We, the men of the Interfraternity Council, see our membership as the premiere leadership development experience on this campus. I firmly believe that we have a strong collection of fraternity men who continue to make a positive impact on our campus through leadership in student government, service, academics, athletics, and student organizations.

Even though none of our chapters are responsible for the actions of the individual fraternity men at the University of Oklahoma, we must not ignore what occurred because the consequences of their actions affect fraternity men both locally and nationally. Fraternity men hold themselves and those around them accountable day and night.

At SMU, we believe that the ideal fraternity man is a man who gives his word to live by a standard set of values: honor, respect, intelligence, loyalty, and motivation. These values will withstand the test of time. The men who came before us have passed down these values. The men who will come after us will uphold these values and continue to be leaders on this campus. The Interfraternity Council expects that all members of this community sustain these values at all times or else risk being in bad standing with the IFC, which will result in their exile from our community.

With these standards in mind, the Interfraternity Council looks forward to continuing working with the SMU community in order to make SMU a premiere institution for higher education. If you have any concerns or would like to partner with the Interfraternity Council for a future event, feel to stop by the IFC office on the 3rd floor of Hughes-Trigg to meet with an IFC representative.

Sincerely,

Austin Brown

IFC President