Center for Fraternity and Sorority Life

The Interfraternity (IFC) Senate met Tuesday enacting two new bylaws with a focus scholarship and mental health assistance.

New scholarship bylaws will award $1,250 to the chapter with the greatest increase in GPA for each semester in the form of subsidized IFC membership dues.

Additional scholarships of $1,000, $500, and $250 will be awarded to individuals belonging to IFC organizations on a merit-based system at the discretion of the IFC Senate committee. Applicants must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher and have held a position in their chapter.

“We want to incentivize chapters to be more academically oriented,” IFC President Austin Proteau said. “We expect to see a rise in GPA across the board.”

The IFC budget will remain unaffected as the resources to fund the newly enacted scholarships are already in existence.

Moreover, the new Mental Health First Aid bylaw will reward chapters who enroll members in Mental Health First Aid Training by decreasing the existing out-of-house programming completion percentage rate by two percent per member. A maximum of five members can attend the training and only two of the five may be first-year students.

“Having a member within each chapter that can properly identify and asses potential mental health concerns is a big step forward for our community,” Proteau said.

Mental Health First Aid is a national program teaching participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders.

Learn more about Mental Health First Aid here.

Greek chapters at Washington State raised 2,667 pounds of food, equivalent to $4,454 dollar worth, in the annual Greek Week Food Drive according to the Community Action Center.

Greek Week is an annual event designed to bring the entire Greek community together creating a positive impact on Whitman County and the local residence of Pullman.

ASWSU Director of Community Affairs Keegan Otter dropped off the donations April 4 counting 3,651 items. 

"Thanks so much for collaborating with us!" Ashley Vaughan of the Community Action Center said in an email. "This will assist us to serve those of Whitman County going into the summer months."

The Community Action Center is an organization committed to helping local residence in difficult situations - often financial - through services such as employment assistance, food banks, and more.