When you think of the word “fraternity” you may have a hard time thinking of anything other than beer, girls and sports (with the occasional act of so-called brotherhood). With this type of reputation, the InterFraternity Council has tried to put some substance to the word by meeting biweekly to help put a “positive face on the Greek world,” says Brandon Kline, president of IFC.

The IFC at Sacramento State is a “values-based organization,” says Kline. A representative from each one of the nine fraternities involved in IFC attends the meetings to discuss current events in hopes of giving their fraternity members voices on current issues.

The IFC is in the process of making a policy agenda filled with both long and short terms goals and objectives they hope to accomplish. One example is “IFC 2010,” which is a set of notable goals to be accomplished by 2010. One of these ongoing matters is the Greek Row. The IFC is hoping to get a Greek Row established off of 65th street in downtown Sacramento. Although many of the officers will have graduated by this time, the council is dedicated to making this goal a reality. They will meet with University President Alexander Gonzalez in the near future to discuss IFC 2010.

The IFC is not just about looking to the future — they are always trying to improve the current state of the Greek community. Each fraternity in the IFC has a value system, “Living Our Values Everyday.” Their core values, as Greeks, include friendship, brotherhood, athleticism, virtue and service. At each meeting all the members ask each other what they are doing to keep their values going. While the answers to this question range more to funny than deep, there is an amount of seriousness when Kline says, “Each brother should be able to answer this question at any time.”

Moe Stephens, the adviser for Greek Affairs, also encourages all members of each chapter to register to vote.

The IFC also promotes involvement with community service and is planning to participate on Associated Students, Inc. Community Service Caesar Chavez Day.