Recruitment season has ended, but new members of Marshall University’s fraternities are just beginning their journeys as the Interfraternity Council begins preparations for Fraternity 101 classes.

The classes, though mandatory, are meant to educate and inform new members of the different Greek organizations on campus as well as offer new members resources for advice and betterment of themselves and their friends.

Rick Farlow, the Interfraternity Council vice president of public relations and a senior journalism major, said the classes help to create a clear expectation of new members while educating them and preparing them for the school year to come.

“We’ve done Fraternity 101 in the past and, basically, we get all of the new members to come in and we tell them what our values are,” Farlow said. “We give them an overview of the potential conflicts they could run into, and we inform them about these things so that they we are ahead of it. We are proactive about teaching our new members what our values are and we teach them the right things to do and that’s why we don’t have hazing instances or things like that.”

The classes offer new Greek members the opportunity to address potential issues that could happen throughout the school year and gives them tools to properly address and resolve those issues while upholding the core value system presented by Greek Life leaders.

Thomas Canterbury, the Interfraternity Council president and a senior business administration student, said while on Marshall’s campus and out in the community, the men who wear Greek letters are representing their organizations at all times and these classes to be offered will not only prepare them for showcasing their fraternity’s values but show them how seriously they should take their letters.

“We teach them about the standards they will be held to as well as GPA requirements, community service requirements and making sure that they understand it’s not about partying,” Canterbury said. “This is an obligation to the school and the community to better it as best they can and, that while they hold the name of their chapter with them, they are representing their fraternity and their school.”

The classes will be held in October and will be mandatory for all new fraternity members.

Breanna Francis can be contacted at [email protected]