December 2, 2014

By Rachel Pierret

The MU Interfraternity Council held elections Nov. 9 for the seven positions on their 2015 executive board.

**President – Jason Blincow**

Junior Jason Blincow is a business major with emphases in finance and real estate, from Lewisville, Texas. He is a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Blincow is also involved in the Alumni Mentor Program in the Trulaske College of Business, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Rho Epsilon, a new professional real estate fraternity in the business school.

“As president of the IFC, my main role is to act as the mediator between the university and the IFC,” Blincow said. “We have over 30 fraternities at Mizzou and are able to create one voice through the council. I will be spending the next year helping the IFC best act as a resource for all of the respective chapters and ensure that we operate as an equally representative body of all of the fraternities.”

Blincow said he hopes to ensure the success of the [IFC Peer Educator program](http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2014/11/11/ifc-develops-sexual-assault-prevention-course/) that makes the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center a centralized focus, and to create a coalition between IFC, the Panhellenic Association and National Pan-Hellenic Council.

“Our three councils are striving to bring more unity to the Greek community, and it starts with the three boards coming together,” Blincow said. “We hope to use this coalition to tackle problems collectively and develop new programs and solutions that benefit the entire Greek community.”

Blincow said he believes his most important job is as a voice for IFC to the university.

“It’s imperative that I am always acting on behalf of the best interest of the council and continue to uphold the values in which our constitution embodies,” he said.

IFC means a lot to Blincow, he said. Joining a fraternity helped give him a sense of belonging to campus.

“I have become so passionate about Greek Life because my involvement has developed me into the leader that I am today,” he said. “Giving back to this community is how I show my appreciation for what it has done for me and even my peers.”

**Vice President of Finance and Records – Marshall Rosga**

Junior Marshall Rosga is an accounting major from St. Louis. He is a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

Rosga handles IFC’s finances and keep records of meetings and events.

He said he hopes to institute more transparency towards where IFC’s money comes from and what it is allocated for.

“First, I would like to work with the VP of Programming to develop a monthly newsletter sent out to the IFC, disclosing monthly statements, as well as all activities of the IFC executive board that we have kept on file,” Rosga said. “Secondly, I plan to continue updating and revising the current IFC constitution in the section of finances as the IFC sees fit to create a more transparent and efficient environment. Finally, I would like to work with the IFC executive board to set up more scholarships with excess funds to create more ways to give back to the community.”

Rosga said the two most important parts of his job are “consistency and transparency.”

“It is absolutely vital that I stay consistent with the way IFC’s finances are handled as well as how records are kept,” Rosga said. “This keeps everyone on the same page, which keeps things running efficiently. Transparency is also key because it establishes trust within the IFC community with how our finances are handled.”

**Vice President of Membership Development – Cole Lawson**

Junior Cole Lawson is a psychology major from Tuscumbia, Missouri. He is a member of the Delta Chi fraternity.

“The role of Membership Development, in my eyes, is threefold,” Lawson said. “To promote professional development and personal growth, to maintain positive relations between IFC and the departments of Student Life, and to cultivate a culture of fraternity gentlemen through education and investment in those that fall under the overall IFC umbrella.”

Lawson said he hopes to begin his term with an open forum for chapter presidents and new member educators. The forum will address issues specific to each chapter.

“It is my goal to begin work on a new member curriculum that chapters can choose to adopt to reinforce what they already teach,” he said.

Lawson said he believes education is prevention.

“I believe the most important part of my position is maintaining the mindset of being proactive rather than reactive,” Lawson said. “I hope that my position can help bridge the gap between different fraternities and better unify chapters while still upholding the values of IFC.”

**Vice President of Programming – Nick Danter**

Junior Nick Danter is a mechanical engineering major with a math minor from St. Louis. He is a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Danter’s role is to create and sustain programs for IFC chapters and their members for development in various aspects of fraternity life.

“During my term, I hope to implement two new programs,” Danter said. “The first program I hope to create is an IFC Newsletter Committee that writes monthly publications to inform and educate the Mizzou community on what we as an IFC community embody. The second program I hope to introduce is a (once a semester) pairing of each fraternity with another random fraternity. Each pairing would be required to complete several events designed to better relations between chapters.”

Danter said he believes the most important part of his position is to create programs that will have a specific purpose to benefit the IFC community.

“Since I joined a fraternity at Mizzou, I have seen ways in which the IFC community could be improved,” he said. “This … position has always stuck out to me because it allows me freedom to originate some of my own ideas and put them into action. This position gives me a chance to give back to the community that has given to me tremendously.”

**Vice President of Public Relations – Parker Briden**

Sophomore Parker Briden is a strategic communications major from St. Louis. He is a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Briden will serve as the liaison between media and IFC, and manage all of IFC’s social media accounts.

“I’m hoping to start a program where IFC exec talks directly to Greek students about substantive policy issues so that the Greek community at large can understand better the specifics of and reasoning behind the rules and programs that affect them,” Briden said. “I would hope to have started a productive conversation about Greek Life policy that can lead to specific action instead of a cyclical debate.”

Briden said the most important part of his new position is communicating and emphasizing all of the good that goes on in the Greek community.

“I wanted this position because I saw it as the best use of my skills in order to serve Mizzou and the Interfraternity Council,” Briden said.

**Vice President of Recruitment – Ryan Janasik**

Sophomore Ryan Janasik is an accounting major from Kirkwood, Missouri. He is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

Janasik will be in charge of formal recruitment, the guidelines for informal recruitment and providing information for potential new members on MU fraternities.

He said he hopes to institute three new programs to facilitate recruitment.

“The new programs that I would like to institute are an app for formal recruitment, more time-efficient days during formal recruitment and a Greek Life question on the general application form for Mizzou,” he said.

Janasik said he sees the most important part of his job is providing an equal opportunity for all potential new members wishing to join Greek Life. He said he will especially focus on out-of-state applicants, because they may not receive as much exposure to Greek Life as in-state residents.

“I wanted this position because I have experienced both formal and informal rush, and I feel that I can use my experience to help me accomplish the tasks set forth with the position of vice president of recruitment,” he said. “I also wanted this position because I would like to be an advocate for Greek Life here at Mizzou.”

**Vice President of Risk Management – Trace Murray**

Junior Trace Murray is majoring in psychology and Spanish, and is from Naperville, Illinois. He is a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

Murray will be in charge of making sure that member fraternities are meeting current IFC risk management policies, and helping with the IFC Peer Educator program.

Murray said he sees ensuring safety at the IFC fraternities as the most important part of his position.

“This means chapters are following policies correctly like registering socials, making sure there are sober monitors at those socials, keeping a dry house if the house is supposed to be dry and continuing to develop the IFC peer education program,” he said.

Murray said he will be successful as the new vice president of risk management if he can change the stereotypical view of Greek Life.

“I hope to see the negative stereotypes that have formed around Greek Life diminish; our community is often seen in a negative light,” Murray said. “If we can properly educate Greek members through the IFC peer education program, and crack down on bad decisions and neglectful behavior, perhaps some of the negative stereotypes will dissolve. Should this happen, I’ll consider my term a successful one.”