The Interfraternity Council has a new adviser.
IFC is the umbrella organization for fraternities on campus. IFC members facilitate recruitment and sponsor educational programs and community service projects, according to okcu.edu.
Levi Harrel, associate director of student development, was elected IFC adviser as part of a university initiative to link fraternity and sorority life together.
He replaced Josh Hall, assistant director of student life and intramural and recreational sports, a few weeks ago.
“My goal is to really unify those connections between our fraternities and our sororities, understanding that we are all Greek leaders here on campus,” Harrel said. “I want them to truly value that role and the impact that we make here at OKCU.”
Hall still will be in charge of intramural sports.
Dr. Amy Ayres, vice president for student affairs, selected Harrel specifically because of his experience with Greek life, Harrel said. He worked with Greek life at Ohio State University in Columbus and Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware in addition to his role at OCU.
“It’s rocking and rolling,” Harrel said. “It’s about getting an understanding of the pace and the values and the priorities of IFC and the fraternity community here at Oklahoma City University.”
Harrel’s role on campus before being IFC adviser involved managing sorority life, parent-family services, student conduct, leadership and civic engagement, and volunteer and service learning.
He will retain these duties, and add fraternity life to his responsibilities. His new responsibilities include weekly meetings with all chapter presidents, weekly meetings with the IFC president, IFC executive meetings, and IFC general body meetings.
“Our community is tight-knit, it is high-performing,” he said. “It is something to be proud of, and putting it under one adviser allows all of those areas to go from good to great.”
The IFC board elections are at the end of this semester. The newly elected officers will take office at the beginning of the spring semester. Harrel said the change of personnel will be refreshing, and he hopes he can accomplish his goals for IFC alongside those of the new board members.
“What’s so exciting about working with student organizations is that no two years look the same,” he said. “I definitely have some priorities that I would like them to take a look at. I would like to hear from our students what those new priorities they have are and how we can achieve those together.”
IFC President Blake Lemmons, political science junior, said Harrel was a good selection.
“He’s very experienced within the greater fraternity world,” Lemmons said. “I think the things he brings to the table are going to really benefit the fraternity world at OCU as a whole, in the long run.”
Lemmons said he hopes Harrel will assist in organizing the recruitment process.
“I really hope recruitment picks up speed and we become a little bit more organized,” he said. “That’s something that we’ve tried to work on over my tenure as president. We’re moving in the right direction, and I think Levi will help facilitate that to an even greater extent.”
Harrel said he enjoys managing Greek life at OCU because it helps students evolve as leaders of an organization he was a part of in his college years.
“I am a fraternity man myself,” Harrel said. “I am a chapter adviser to my home chapter, and there’s something unique about the men’s Greek experience.
“I’m excited to be working with these young men. I am excited to see them develop and to grow as leaders and to be part of that process. It’s a lot of fun.”
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