IFC welcomes students back with band party rush week event

Park Band performs at IFC Band Party. Quang Le photo

Live music, food and socializing brought Troy University students together on Sunday as the Interfraternity Council (IFC) held its annual IFC Band Party as part of fall fraternity recruitment.

The event, held on Fraternity Row and featuring The Park Band, gave prospective fraternity members an opportunity to meet students from Troy’s nine IFC fraternities in a relaxed setting. The band party also gave current fraternity members an opportunity to show potential new members what life within the fraternity community can look like beyond recruitment.

Garrison Peoples, a junior business marketing major from Slocomb, Alabama, and president of Delta Chi, said the event was designed to bring students together before the recruitment process became more individualized.

“This is an IFC recruitment event, just a big event where we tell all the freshman guys to come hang out with all nine IFC fraternities,” Peoples said. “Instead of us trying to recruit them individually this week, we recruit them as a unified free community and then we will focus more individually starting on Wednesday.”

For students new to campus, events like the band party can provide an opportunity to meet people outside their classes and residence halls. Fraternity members say those connections can become an important part of the college experience, particularly for students who are adjusting to being away from home.

Peoples said his experience with Delta Chi has given him the sense of community he was looking for in college.

“Ever since I joined Delta Chi, it 100% has been the brotherhood that I’m looking for,” Peoples said. “We not only build each other up, but we are able to be 100% authentic around each other.”

Gray Mitchell, a sophomore accounting major from Eufaula, Alabama, said the relationships developed during recruitment extend beyond the initial process.

“Rush is a great experience,” Mitchell said. “It’s meant for you to build a strong brotherhood. That’s the best part of it, getting to know and getting so close with your pledge class.”

Mitchell said the relationships also provide a sense of accountability.

“You know you can count on 15 to 30 people the rest of your life,” he said.

For freshman business management major Luca Kenninton of Spanish Fort, Alabama, joining a fraternity would also mean becoming part of a community he has already seen through his brother.

“I already had a brother in a fraternity, so I’ve already seen the brotherhood and the fellowship that everybody gets. I want to be a part of that,” Kenninton said.

The band party marked one of the first opportunities for students interested in rushing to interact with multiple fraternities at once. As recruitment continues, students will have opportunities to learn more about individual chapters and decide which organization best suits them.

Students gather at Fraternity Row for band party. Avery Lewis photo.