Q & A with Penn's new IFC President

Newly-elected Interfraternity Council President and Wharton junior David Moore aims to bolster the positive image of Penn’s 28 fraternities. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with the Kappa Sigma president about this and other goals for the new year.

The Daily Pennsylvanian: Why did you choose to run for IFC president?

David Moore: Last year ... I saw the potential the IFC had to serve the community, especially with the new [Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life] director [Eddie Banks-Crosson]. Working alongside him I could see a lot of things getting done to improve stuff around here. Election time came, I was approached by [current officers], and they encouraged me to run for president and here I am now.”

DP: What are the biggest issues you see Greek life facing here at Penn?

DM: Part of it is the lack of communication with the media. Because ... really the only stories that ever got into the news were about things that reflected the bad things about fraternities. Nine times out of 10, fraternities are not going to be a Phi Psi at the University of Virginia or SAE at the University of Oklahoma. I really want the public to see this can be a beneficial system if you take it seriously and you realize the actual positives behind [it]. Another issue is the dwindling number of students who to decide to rush every year, which may be a [resulting] factor. I am taking it upon myself to show the benefits of having so many smaller frats on campus that can be a home after freshman year.

DP: Along those lines, what are your goals for the upcoming year as president?

DM: One of my goals is to be very involved with the press. Becoming much more active in showing the positive aspects of Greek life. Of course, all the philanthropy hours we do but also the fact that the Greek male average GPA is higher than the average male GPA and for females as well. Additionally, I want to improve the organization, the IFC, itself. Eddie [Banks-Crosson] ... brought a lot of ideas on how to make the IFC more organized, efficient and just more effective at doing its job. The start of that was we drafted a constitution, implemented a much more structured budget system and of course, we are changing the rush process in order to better accommodate the Panhellenic Council.

DP: Pushing back IFC recruitment has created some upset. What is your response to all of this?

DM: When you institute change, there are always going to be people who are [upset]. Personal opinions aside, it is better ... because we didn’t want to get the sorority members in trouble [for interacting with fraternity members] while they are rushing. Fraternity members didn’t really see the danger in that, but it was just the right thing to do.

DP: Will the delay affect the rush experience for male Potential New Members?

DM: Yes, and in a very positive way. One of the things I want to achieve in my presidency is to improve the commitment numbers for many of the smaller fraternities because many of them are struggling right now. And with this delayed rush process, it is going to help them out, and here is why. We are going to have two or three days before actual open rush starts, and we are going to host like rush 101. Pretty much an open forum for freshmen and sophomore guys to learn about rush and all the different fraternities they will be able to join. Hopefully, that will get the word out about many of the small fraternities often overlooked in the rush process. We literally have 28 frats on campus. There are just so many ways people can fit in and find a group of people they can become lifelong friends with. And honestly, in the end, that is what our ultimate goal is. Just pair people with the right fraternities and right friend group.

This Q&A has been edited for clarity and length.

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