The North American Interfraternity Conference (or NIC; formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) is a trade association of intercollegiate men's social fraternities that was formally organized in 1910. Its name was changed from the National Interfraternity Conference to the North American Interfraternity Conference in 1999 to reflect the organization's affiliations at Canadian colleges and universities.
As of December 2021, the NIC had 56 member organizations with 4,000 chapters located on over 800 campuses in the United States and Canada with approximately 350,000 undergraduate members.
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History
The North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is an association of intercollegiate men's social fraternities that was formally organized in 1910. However, it began at a meeting at the University Club of New York on November 27, 1909. Originally named the Interfraternity Conference, the name was changed to the National Interfraternity Conference in 1931. The name, North American Interfraternity Conference, was adopted in 1999 to reflect the organization's affiliations at Canadian colleges and universities.
The NIC promotes "the shared interests and values of [its] member fraternities: leadership, service, brotherhood and scholarship". The services it provides its members include accountability, advocacy, collaboration, education, and marketing.
As of December 2021, the NIC had 56 member organizations with 4,000 chapters located on over 800 campuses in the United States and Canada with approximately 350,000 undergraduate members.
Membership requirements
The NIC membership requirements are detailed in the By-Laws of the North American Interfraternity Conference. Each member fraternity must be national or international in scope, as opposed to local, which is defined to mean having five chapters of ten men each, having three chapters that have been part of the fraternity for at least five years, and having a constitution that calls for national conventions with the interim authority vested in a smaller governing body. Further, each fraternity must be exclusive of other NIC members and, therefore, in competition with them for recruitment. All members' chapters must exist at four or two-year degree-granting colleges. The members agree to share "best practices, statistics, and information that will benefit member organizations".
Also, the members agree to uphold universal fraternal ideals, to hold their chapters and colonies to their general vision statements, honor NIC resolutions, abide by the NIC Constitution and By-Laws, attend all meetings of the House of Delegates, and pay membership dues.
Governance
The NIC is not a governing or regulatory board. It is a voluntary trade association. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates in which each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate. However, the group's executive and administrative powers are vested in an elected board of directors consisting of nine volunteers from various NIC fraternities. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NIC has a small professional staff.
It meets at the NIC Congressional Reception and the NIC Annual Meeting. At the congressional reception, the leadership of the NIC, National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) sponsors a series of meetings and receptions to advance an agenda that is positive toward fraternal organizations.
Educational programming
NIC staff members create learning opportunities for undergraduate men through a variety of programs, most notably the IFC Academy, Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI), IMPACT, PRIME, and LAUNCH. The IFC Academy is a four‐hour program, focusing participants on their role in developing high‐performing IFCs – specifically the role of the IFC in serving the needs of its member fraternities, and the role the NIC Standards play in supporting high performance. The Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) is a five-day co-educational program that brings fraternity and sorority leaders together and teaches leadership skills. IMPACT (Influence, Motivation, Purpose, Action, Commitment, and Trust) is a campus-based weekend program led by NIC staff that brings fraternity and sorority community leaders together to identify a strategy for change and/or improvement to the local fraternal experience. PRIME is a summit for IFC presidents. LAUNCH is a training retreat for fraternity and sorority leaders that is held both virtually and in-person.
Affiliate organizations
Current members
At one time, the National Interfraternity Conferences separated its members into those with junior membership and those with senior membership. In addition to the fraternity's websites, chapter information is available at the Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities.
Active former members
Several of the historically large fraternities are no longer members of the NIC. In December 2002, Kappa Sigma (9 December), Phi Delta Theta (9 December), and Phi Sigma Kappa, withdrew their membership in the NIC due to disagreements with the strategic direction of the organization. Phi Sigma Kappa rejoined the NIC in 2006. On October 27, 2015, Lambda Chi Alpha resigned its membership, stating: "Unfortunately, the NIC has recently elected to pursue counterproductive tactics that we believe are antithetical to our values and we cannot support them." On January 14, 2016, Tau Kappa Epsilon announced that it had resigned its membership effective immediately, citing an extreme increase in cost resulting from the NIC 2.0 initiative and the obligation to ensure every member dollar is spent wisely.
On January 24, 2017, Delta Epsilon Psi resigned to focus efforts on National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA), and the Panhellenic Association. Sigma Phi Epsilon announced its resignation on 7 November 2019, citing that "SigEp’s vision for how to enhance health and safety in the fraternity experience and partner with our host institutions has diverged from the NIC’s current approach."
In May 2020, five fraternities - Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Sigma Phi, Alpha Tau Omega, Kappa Alpha Order, and Theta Chi - established the Fraternity Forward Coalition (FFC). Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Sigma Phi, and Theta Chi have since not renewed membership in the NIC, leaving Alpha Tau Omega as the sole member of both the NIC and FFC. Gordy Heminger, a coalition organizer, stated, "We look forward to partnering with the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC)
and other similar organizations advocating on behalf of fraternities," in the FFC announcement.
Following are former members of NIC.
Defunct former members
Several former NIC members have gone inactive or have merged with other members of the NIC and thus no longer have been counted as members.