2006-2007 SEIFC Executive Board

2007 SEIFC Leadership Academy a Success

The 2007 Southeastern Interfraternity Conference Leadership Academy, held February 15-18 at the Westin Perimeter North Hotel in Atlanta, continued a long standing tradition of excellence in molding and training fraternity leaders across the southeast.  With a full slate of nationally recognized keynote speakers, a broad selection of breakout sessions, and a newly developed officer roundtable series, the 2007 SEIFC Leadership Academy more than lived up to its billing as the premier regional Greek leadership conference in the country.

The theme of this year’s conference, “SEIFC Today, Tomorrow the World” set a tone for academy participants that began at the opening session and lasted throughout the weekend.  

“The 2007 Leadership Academy marked the beginning of a new era for the SEIFC,” said Victor Felts, the Executive Director of the SEIFC.  “We are responding to the needs of this generation of fraternity leaders with more poignant, relevant speakers and programs and more opportunities for interaction and collaboration among academy participants.  The old days of SEIFC participants sitting idly through session after session are over.”

Throughout the weekend, academy participants participated in interactive keynote addresses from Judge Mitch Crane (Keeping the Greek Flame Burning), Erle Morring (Hazed and Confused), Dr. Lori Hart-Ebert (Making Greek Great Again), Rick Barnes (Willing to Wager) and Joe Rhea (Bars, Cars and Catastrophes).

Interactive breakout sessions were held on topics ranging from excellence in the classroom to “little sister” programs and from adopt a school programs to hazing prevention.  Keynote presenters included nationally recognized speakers, current undergraduates, campus Greek advisors, representatives from the NIC, NPC and NPHC and a number of fraternity and sorority headquarters staff.  

“I’ve been coming to SEIFC for a long time, and the broad range of programming at the leadership academy this year is among the best I can ever remember,” said John Burke, Director of Greek Affairs at Southern Mississippi.  “Schools paying a premium to attend larger regional conferences are wasting their money.  SEIFC offers top programming for a fraction of the cost of other regional conferences.”

The 2007 leadership academy saw a number of new and returning participants, including East Tennessee State University, Shorter College and the University of Alabama.

“We are glad that we gave SEIFC a second chance,” said Todd Borst, Director of Greek Affairs at the University of Alabama.  “This conference is quickly reclaiming it status as the premier regional conference in the nation."

The 2008 SEIFC Leadership Academy will be held February 14-17 at the Westin North Atlanta at Perimeter.  More information can be found at http://www.seifc.org

2007-2008 SEIFC Executive Board L to R: Ross Moore, Kevin Hackett, Joe Wheeless, Chad Corbitt, Scott Franklin

2007-2008 Executive Board Hits Ground Running

While the 2007 SEIFC Leadership Academy saw the departure of board members George Harris, Kyle Myers, Mardracus Russell and Mark King, it welcomed a new slate of officers in President Joe Wheeless and Area Vice Presidents Chad Corbitt, Ross Moore, Kevin Hackett and Scott Franklin.  The outgoing and incoming officers transitioned on the final day of the leadership academy and the new board held its first meeting the following day to begin planning for 2008.

President Joe Wheeless returns to the board as a seasoned veteran, having served as the 2006-2007 Area I Vice President.  Joe, originally from Raleigh, NC, is a junior at Western Carolina University majoring in communications with a concentration in broadcasting.  He has served as scholarship chairman and Eminent Herald of his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and currently serves as Vice President for Administration for the Western Carolina IFC.  He is also serving on the search committee for the new Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at WCU.  Joe hopes to continue the work started this year in revamping SEIFC programming and fully implementing an officer roundtable/training program.

Kevin Hackett, the Area I (VA, NC, SC) Vice President, is currently serving as the IFC President at Clemson University.  Originally from Chesapeake, VA, Kevin is a genetics and biological sciences major planning for a career in oncology research and scientific venture capitalism.  A member of Chi Phi fraternity, Kevin has been active at Clemson as a member of the Blue Key Honor Society, the Order of Omega, Omicron Delta Kappa and is a member of the Clemson water polo team.  Among other things, Kevin hopes to improve the communication among academy participants and create a more fluid communications structure within the leadership academy.

Chad Corbitt, a sophomore at Florida State University and member of Phi Kappa Tau, will serve this year as the Area II (GA, FL) Vice President.  Chad has serves as both Vice President for Administration and Vice President for Finance on his IFC, and has served as philanthropy chair and chaplain of his fraternity.  He is active with student government, serves on FSU’s Judicial Process Task Force, and is active with the Humane Society.  He hopes recruit a larger number of sponsors and vendors for next year’s leadership academy.

As the Area III (MS, LA, AL) Vice President, Scott Franklin hopes to increase marketing of SEIFC to the institutions in his area.  A junior finance major at LSU, Scott currently serves as the IFC Vice President, is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and serves as treasurer of the LSU Business College Student Association.  Scott is originally from Rayville, LA.

Ross Moore, the Area IV (KY, TN, WV) Vice President, is a junior majoring in agricultural business at the University of Tennessee – Martin.  Ross has served as Vice Noble Ruler and recruitment chairman of his fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho, and has served as judicial board chairman and is currently serving as president of his IFC.  Originally from Bethel Springs, TN, Ross hopes to increase the number of schools participating in the leadership academy and to add more area meeting time into the leadership academy schedule.

SEIFC President Joe Wheeless

Message from the President 

Dear Fellow Greek Leaders,

I hope everything is going well with your Greek Community.  I think that this past Leadership Academy was a huge success.  Thanks again to everyone who helped put it on.  The speakers were great and I hope that everyone who attended was able to find something to take back to their campus and implement.

I am pleased to report that the 2007-2008 Executive Board is already working hard to make next year’s Academy even better.  There are a few changes in the works that I think everyone will like.  If you have any suggestions for the Academy, please send them to me or to your Area Vice-President.  We all are here to serve you as a member of SEIFC so please let us know if you need anything.

Thanks again for attending last years Leadership Academy and I hope to see you there next year!

Joe Wheeless

SEIFC President

Mississippi State University's Heidie Lindsey

 Heidie Lindsey Recognized as Advisor of the Year

At the 2007 Leadership Academy Awards Banquet, The Dr. Tom Shoemaker Advisor of the Year Award was given to Mississippi State's Heidie Lindsdey.

This award is dedicated in the memory of Dr. Tom Shoemaker who was an outstanding advisor and Dean of Students at the University of Southern Mississippi.  Dr. Shoemaker, who was the 1997 recipient of the SEIFC Advisor of the Year Award, lost his life during a fatal automobile accident.   This award has been named in honor of Tom’s years of service and dedication to students and the fraternity movement.

The purpose of the award is to recognize those college student affairs professionals who exhibit high standards and achievements in the Southeastern region of fraternity advising.

In her nomination, Lindsey was described as an “unsung hero for the Greek movement and her passion for our efforts is undoubtedly what has kept her in the field for so many years.”

Another quote described her as “an inspiration to nearly everyone who meets her. Her dedication to the profession and to fostering leadership and accountability among the fraternity men at Mississippi State make her a shining example of what a member of a Greek organization should be.”

Since Lindsey's arrival on campus, the IFC has revolutionized recruitment with a progressive recruitment system and the IFC opened for expansion for the first time in 14 years. Aside from campus responsibilities, she serves as a regional volunteer for her sorority and is a committed parent of two children.

The Awards Banquet also saw the naming of six recipients of the Fraternal Excellence Award: Samford University, Emory University, the University of Tennessee - Martin, Birmingham Southern College, Georgia Southern University and Georgia Institute of Technology.  For a full list of this year's award winners, click here.

Birmingham Southern Recognized for Academic, Fraternal Excellence

At the 2007 SEIFC Awards Banquet, Birmingham Southern College was recognized as the Gamma Sigma Alpha Regional Scholarship Award Recipient, received recognition for excellence in scholarship/academic programming, and was a recipient of the coveted Fraternal Excellence Award.  The following is a summary of their successful academic initiatives.

The community at Birmingham-Southern College is comprised of a world-renowned faculty, an innovative and concerned staff, and an intelligent and academically motivated student body.  Although the college may seem small, the students here have been recognized in regional and national competitions, where they have proven time and time again that this small liberal arts college can compete with even the largest state schools in the Southeast.  Whether it is a philanthropic event, a community service project, or academic achievement, the students of Birmingham-Southern aspire to achieve their potential by bettering the community both on and off-campus. 

Birmingham-Southern has made an impression on various professional and graduate schools with a vast number of students continuing on to post-graduate institutions.  With the acceptance rate to professional schools exceeding 80% for the past 5 years and the acceptance rate to graduate schools exceeding 70%, students come to our school with the intention of having successful careers here.  A majority of our students choose to participate in organizations on campus that provide the various avenues that make such achievements possible.  These organizations vary in nature, as much as the students do on this campus, but they have one characteristic in common:  they are Greek.

The commitment that our Greek organizations make to their members and to the college is that their presence on campus is beneficial to the entire community.  For that reason, many Greek members hold leadership positions in the Student Government Association, the Honor Council, Honors Societies and Fraternities, and Service-Learning organizations, with some even holding positions and membership in multiple organizations.  This commitment of responsibility is made in part to themselves but largely for the advancement of the students around them.  Birmingham-Southern College Greeks understand that each test, paper, presentation, and quiz is essential to the success for their fraternal organization and for their own lives.  They feel that by working hard, their efforts not only help themselves but also the Greek organization with which they are a part. 

The Interfraternity Council has mandated within our by-laws that all fraternities are to maintain an average grade point average of 2.50 to remain within good-standing of the Council.  However, many fraternities meet and surpass this minimum requirement.  As the by-laws demonstrate, the fraternities on our campus feel that scholastic achievement is a trait that all men aspire to be the greatest.  Many fraternities find academic excellence to be a place of high regard.  Therefore, we all find ourselves striving for it.  When the Greek men realize that they are a part of a greater whole, they work harder and smarter in order to compete with their peers.

Also, in order to truly appreciate the impact that Greeks have on our campus, we have introduced a system of Greek Excellence.  Based upon Scholastic Achievement, Philanthropy, Community Service, and other things, this system provides a platform where Greeks can gain feedback for their impact on the campus.  When our Greek men are placed in a system where they are shown their impact, they can better appreciate the outstanding and typical work they do on a regular basis.

Greek organizations also provide their members with a system of support and experience when they are not able to meet the academic requirements.  A system that integrates experience and brotherhood is an effective method of conveying difficult concepts.  They are informal tutors from whom members, who often have difficulty expressing themselves, do not feel ashamed asking for help.  The membership within a Greek organization is an inspiring thing.  It provides support socially, emotionally, and academically that is so essential for success on a college campus.  This is something that non-Greek students have a difficult time understanding.

As a whole, fraternities at BSC aspire to be successful academically and socially.  IFC is also hoping to find new ways to applaud academic excellence. With the betterment of self and the Greek community in mind, I believe that our fraternities enjoy being successful in the classroom and helping the people around them, which makes them happier to excel for their brothers and sisters.

-David Park, IFC VP of Campus Relations