Male freshmen, sophomores and transfer students can ease the financial pain of lurking student debt or bookstore trips this Winter Quarter through three new scholarships awarded by the Interfraternity Council.
The IFC announced this week it will offer $1,500 in scholarships for male students unaffiliated with any Greek chapter. Finalists will be awarded a $900 scholarship or one of two $300 awards, and winners are under no obligation to join a chapter.
Dues from various on-campus chapters fund the scholarship, which was created with the help of Weinberg junior Andrew Lange, vice president of education and service for the IFC.
“We’re trying to show the Northwestern community that the Greek community is committed to academics, not just philanthropy or the social aspects of college life,” Lange said. ‘The IFC wants to give back to the community.”
IFC will judge applicants based on “high academic excellence, leadership qualities and a commitment to community,” Lange said.
Fostering a positive relationship with the non-Greek NU community and portraying the academic side of fraternity life are important to the IFC, Lange said. Individual fraternities have given scholarships in the past, but this is the first time the IFC has offered one to non-Greek students, he said.
“This is our flagship scholarship to say, ‘Listen, we’re about academics too,'” Lange said.
Accordingly, the IFC is in the process of establishing a national Greek honor society chapter at NU, said IFC Director of Communications Lee Ettleman.
“We want to award and recognize Greek members with high academic achievements,” said the Medill senior, a former Daily staffer.
Ettleman added that another factor in creating the scholarship was trying to stimulate interest in Greek life among non-Greeks.
“Part of the motive is definitely to generate interest, but not to persuade people to join who weren’t already considering it,” he said. “We wanted to get fraternities on the radar screen.”
But Medill freshman Aaron Pepper said he was skeptical of the IFC’s motives in offering the scholarships. He said he neither plans to join a fraternity nor apply for the scholarships.
“It seems like a false front. It doesn’t change my opinion of fraternity life,” Pepper said. “It’s an interesting thought, but I don’t think they’ll sway anyone who wasn’t interested in joining a fraternity before.”
Students can submit applications electronically at www.northwesternifc.org, or in paper to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life by Nov. 19.
Reach Sara Peck at [email protected].
