This week’s Fraternity Friday is extra special as I was able to speak to the newly elected President of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), Morgan Ford. Morgan has a major in KPE, concentrating in physical therapy, and also serves as the recruitment chair for Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), as well as being a sports writer for the Maine Campus.
Morgan is a third year KPE major, but upon coming to college he struggled to decide between an engineering degree and his current major. After making his decision, however, he is certain that the path he is on will lead him to his future, with plans to go to graduate school in either the Portland area or in Boston. Like many other brothers in Greek life I have spoken to, Morgan never intended to or saw himself joining Greek life in college, but the values and support of his brothers made him want to pursue this as part of his college experience.
Upon reading Morgan’s posts about running for president of the IFC and reading his plans, I was confident that he was a perfect fit to speak to about his goals to destigmatize Greek life on campus. He plans to work on community outreach, as well as a potential newsletter either bimonthly or once a semester to highlight the community service and positive outcomes that fraternities have contributed to here. While he understands why there is a bad image for fraternities, he feels it is important to be able to showcase the brothers and chapters that keep giving back to their communities and helping in any way that they can.
As recruitment chair for ATO this semester, Morgan told me that they proudly brought in a pledge class of 13 after a few years of low pledges and a membership that was declining as many brothers graduated. He was also recently inducted into the Order of Omega, an honor society for members of Greek life, something he is very proud of and has worked hard for these past three years. He is excited for his future with the Beta Upsilon chapter and looks forward to a year of hard work as president-elect of the IFC.
The interview I conducted with Morgan this week will be available as a podcast as well! The first episode of being: a conversation will feature a more in-depth conversation with Morgan about his goals as president of the Interfraternity Council as well as a bit more about him!
Thank you Morgan for everything that you are doing for Greek life on campus- we can’t wait to see what you accomplish this year, and congratulations on your new role!