This past week, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Alabama’s Interfraternity Council President, Salim Alameddin. A senior Kappa Sigma here at  Alabama, Alameddin discussed a variety of issues on campus, ranging from IFC involvement and partnerships with Panhellenic, to future initiatives. Although Alameddin’s term as president is set to end soon, he has confidence that the organization will be left in good hands and will continue to grow. 

We all know what IFC is, but many Greeks are unaware of its origins. Tell me a little bit about the history of IFC here at Alabama. IFC has existed in some capacity since the early 1900's at UA. It serves as an umbrella organization for 30 recognized fraternity chapters on campus. Currently, the executive council is as follows:

Alex Coogan, Pike, Treasurer. 

Frank Schottgen, DKE,  Secretary. 

Sam Wehmeyer, Beta, Exec. VP.

Todd Johnson, SAE, VP of Judicial. 

Evan Harrison, KA, Director of New Member Educators. 

Drew Maddox, Theta Chi, VP of Recruitment. 

Shawn Kestler, Sigma Chi, VP of Public Relations. 

Lane Slotin, ZBT, VP of Philanthropy. 

Salim Alameddin, Kappa Sig, President.     

What are some initiatives that IFC has been/will be involved in this school year and how can the Greek community help with these initiatives? Since last fall, IFC has been involved in countless campus initiatives. Two of the signature events and programs were Coronas For Cojones in April, and Greekfest in August, which were both very successful in raising a significant sum of money for the American Cancer Society, Nick's Kids, and the Billfish Foundation. The Greek community has always done a great job of participating in our initiatives as a result of great chapter leadership and great planning on the part of everyone on the executive council. Aside from our own projects, we partner with Panhellenic and NPHC for a number of initiatives.     

Tell me about some of the IFC events coming up soon.     IFC is largely in a transitional period right now, with elections coming up, but look out for a possible council-wide philanthropy-based event to take place during the week and weekend of the Iron Bowl.    

What do you believe is the Greek community’s strongest asset here at Alabama? I believe Alabama's Greek community's strongest asset is its ability to organize and  cooperate in a large capacity, be it for the purpose of raising money, showing support and solidarity for a certain cause -- such as tornado relief, in recent years -- helping the University directly, or simply coming together to have a good time. 

Can you highlight any examples of strong leadership in the Greek community that you have noticed since you have been president, if so, what are some? I’m glad you asked this because this is a topic that goes largely uncovered in the media. There are several examples of outstanding leadership in our Greek community. For instance, senior Chi Omega, Mary Katherine Lake, who is President of Order of Omega, organized "Greeks Growing Tuscaloosa," an initiative that raised over $12,000 for Tuscaloosa public schools. Sam Wehmeyer, IFC's Executive VP, took on a tremendous work load to put together Greekfest. Roughly $18,000 of the money raised by Greekfest will be used by Nick's Kids to build a playground for Alberta Elementary School. The entire Greek community showed leadership following the death of Parker Jordan, Theta Chi. Aside from the money they were able to raise in his name, leadership throughout the Greek community set quite an example, in this case, of what it means to support our peers. The Pi Kappa Alpha chapter at UA spearheaded a fundraising event in March for Be The Match, a bone-marrow transplant research foundation that raised a sum of nearly $15,000 in honor of an alumnus' young daughter.

The list goes on, and I hope that more of our members are recognized for the work that they take on, in addition to their course-load, to make a difference. This year, our philanthropic efforts have had unprecedented success, and we should support and applaud our friends for continuing to raise the bar as our numbers grow.    

In which ways does IFC partner with Panhellenic? I have noticed during these past two years that IFC is most useful to the University and to its chapters when cooperating and teaming up with Panhellenic. Their resources, leadership, and organization go a long way. We work with them during Greek Week, we travel with them for conferences around the United States, and Panhellenic sororities are always very supportive of IFC and its chapters' projects. For example, sororities contribute a sizable portion of the Greekfest budget, and a number of them contributed significantly to Coronas For Cojones.  

Lastly, what is your favorite thing about being a student at UA? I would have to say it would be our school's large and impressive Greek life. Being IFC president this past year has allowed me to view the Greek system in an even greater positive light. I'm proud to be a member of Alabama’s Greek community when I hear and see about all of the philanthropic works that are taking place in all of our Greek organizations. Our Greek system has a large positive impact on our campus. I believe that its positive impact will be long lasting for years to come.