IFC begins rush week

Current and potential fraternity members enjoy cookout activities. Avery Lewis photos

As students returned to Troy University for the fall semester, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) welcomed current and prospective fraternity members back to campus with a cookout designed to build community and kick off the new school year.

The event brought together students from across Troy’s Greek life community for food, games and music while giving students an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones as they settled back in to campus life.

For many students, the event was more than just a cookout.

“A cookout is a really good way to get everyone together,” said JT Long, a junior chemistry major from Huntsville, Alabama and a member of FarmHouse fraternity. “It’s simple, everyone likes good food — I personally love a good cookout.”

Long said returning to campus also meant returning to a lifestyle he missed during the summer.

“I missed getting to see all my friends, my family," Long said. “Troy really is like a family to me, and I missed my community holding events like this.”

The cookout also served as an introduction to Greek life for students who are new to Troy or considering joining a fraternity. With incoming freshmen attending the event, members of the IFC had an opportunity to show prospective members what fraternity life can offer.

“It’s a great representation for all of the fraternities and what we stand for,” said Wyatt Smith, a junior forensic accounting major from Decatur, Alabama and member of Sigma Chi.

“I’m really excited for this upcoming school year.

“I think it’s going to be a good year not only for Sigma Chi but for IFC as a whole, especially with all these upcoming freshmen coming to events like this to check out what Troy Greek life has to offer.”

Dustin Godwin, a junior nursing major from Brenton, Alabama and an IFC member, said Greek events highlight the opportunities students have to become involved outside the classroom.

“Events like these really just show that there’s more to college than going to class and getting a degree,” Godwin said.

Godwin said Troy also offers students opportunities through Greek life and other campus organizations to develop relationships and become part of the broader university community.

“[Campus organizations] show that students can have a well-rounded social life,” Godwin said. “It’s also a great opportunity to meet new people and network.”

For students returning to campus after the summer, the event served as an early reminder that the college experience extends beyond the classroom, and that a new semester also means a chance to reconnect and build a community for the year ahead.