Registering with the Interfraternity Council (IFC)

On-line registration is recommended for summer IFC recruitment in order to expedite the process. There is a $25 registration fee that must be paid upon registration for recruitment. To be considered for summer recruitment events, the deadline is July 31, 2009. The formal recruitment registration deadline is September 11, 2009 at 5pm.

Recruitment Eligibility

A man is eligible to participate in recruitment and join a fraternity if he is enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin as a full-time student. A full-time student is defined as taking twelve credit hours per semester, excluding correspondence courses and courses at other universities.

Other Things You Should Know About

Alcohol and Recruitment

The purpose of recruitment is to spend time getting to know each other. According to the IFC Constitution, alcohol is not to be served to minors under any circumstances (Section 1k of the IFC Risk Management Policy). Therefore, no alcohol should be served to minors during any recruitment function whether it is one-on-one or in a large group. Most IFC organizations have national policies that bar the use of alcohol at any recruitment or new member function.

The bottom line is that if you under 21 and are offered alcohol while you are at a fraternity event, that chapter is breaking the rules and the law. If this happens, you should seriously consider whether or not you want to join an organization with such low integrity.

Hazing

Hazing is commonly defined as any action taken or situation created, whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule. The State of Texas, The University of Texas at Austin, the Interfraternity Council, and all national fraternities have adopted anti-hazing legislation or policies. If you are hazed you must, according to state law, report it to the Office of the Dean of Students. Hazing has no place in the fraternity world and should not be tolerated. Chapters that haze are not worth your time and are dangerous.

Some examples of hazing situations may include but are not limited to any type of physical brutality; any activity involving consumption of food, liquid, alcoholic beverage, drug, or other substance which subjects the student to any risk of harm; any activity that intimidates or threatens the student with ostracism, that subjects the student to extreme mental stress, shame, or humiliation; or any activity that induces, causes, or requires the student to perform a duty or task which involves a violation of the law. Appendix F (Prohibition of Hazing) in UT's Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities and Texas state law (V.T.C.A., Education Code 51.936 and 37.151 et seq.) provide complete details regarding the hazing law. UT's policy is provided via request or online at Student Judicial Services.

Bids

An invitation to join a fraternity is commonly referred to as a "bid." You may participate in recruitment events and receive bids from many different fraternities. Receiving a bid from a fraternity does not mean that you must join that fraternity. You have to make that decision on your own. Your official bid (that the IFC/University will recognize) will only be made when you fill out a Grade Release and submit it to the IFC.