Office of the Dean of Students -> Sorority and Fraternity Life -> Council Communities -> Interfraternity Council (IFC) -> Recruitment

Interfraternity Council (IFC)
Recruitment

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At UT Austin, members of the Interfraternity Council set their own timelines for recruitment. Reach out to a chapter's recruitment officers to inquire about timelines directly.

Recruitment Eligibility

Full-time enrollment at The University of Texas at Austin is required in order to be eligible to participate in recruitment and join a fraternity. A full-time student is one who is taking twelve credit hours per semester, excluding correspondence courses and courses at other universities.

Students participating in the Pathway to Admission through Co-Enrollment, also known as PACE, will have access to all of the benefits and privileges of a full-time student at UT Austin. However, if you are a student at another institution, such as Austin Community College, and not enrolled in the PACE program, you are not eligible to join a fraternity.

While institutional policy allows for PACE students to access student organizations at UT, individual fraternities will have their own policies regarding students enrolled in the PACE program.

Alcohol and Recruitment

Recruitment is intended to provide opportunities to spend time getting to know each other. According to the IFC Constitution, alcohol is not to be served to minors under any circumstances (IFC Constitution, Article X, Section 1). In accordance with the state of Texas law, no alcohol should be served to minors during any recruitment function, whether it is one-on-one or in a large group. Consumption of alcohol at any chapter function by individuals under the age of 21 is strictly prohibited. Most IFC organizations have national policies that prohibit the use of alcohol at any and all recruitment and new member activities. All IFC chapter are expected to follow all federal, state, and local laws surrounding the consumption of alcohol.

No alcohol should be used or be present during any recruitment function or event, of any kind.

Hazing

Hazing, as defined in the Prohibition of Hazing means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, occurring on or off of the campus of an educational institution, by one person alone or acting with others, directed against a person, for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization.

Anti-hazing legislation or policies have been adopted by the State of Texas, The University of Texas at Austin, the Interfraternity Council and all national fraternities. If you feel you have been or are being subjected to hazing, state law requires that you report it to the Office of the Dean of Students. Hazing has no place in the fraternity community and should not be tolerated.

Hazing includes but is not limited to:

any type of physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, striking, branding, electric shocking, placing of a harmful substance in or on the body, or similar activity;
any type of physical activity that involves or results in sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, calisthenics, or other activity that subjects the person to an unreasonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the person;
any activity involving consumption of a food, liquid, alcoholic beverage, liquor, drug, or other substance, in addition to those described by Paragraph E, that subjects the person to an unreasonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the person;
any activity that intimidates, demeans, embarrasses, or threatens the person with ostracism, that subjects the person to stress, shame, or humiliation, that adversely affects the mental health or dignity of the person or discourages the person from entering or remaining registered in an educational institution, or that may reasonably be expected to cause a person to leave the organization or the institution rather than submit to acts described in this subsection;
any activity that involves coercing, as defined by Section 1.07 Penal Code, a student to consume a drug or an alcoholic beverage or liquor in any amount.;
any activity that threatens the wellbeing of a person by restricting their ability to communicate with others to get medical help, to document prohibited conduct, or report misconduct; such as, but not limited to, the confiscation of a personal communication device; and
any activity that induces, causes, or requires the person to perform a duty or task that involves a violation of the Penal Code. See Texas Education Code, Section 37.151(6) for more information.

For more information about hazing policies and prevention efforts, visit https://hazing.utexas.edu.

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 you must join that fraternity. You have to make that decision on your own. Your official bid (that will be recognized by the IFC and UT Austin) will only be made when you complete a New Member Release form and submit it to the IFC.