With the stern declaration — “We’re going to call this meeting to order” — and a couple light taps of the gavel, Greg Schvey ’09, President of the Interfraternity Council Executive Board, silenced 40 representatives from every recognized fraternity on campus. The chatter died down. Pens and pencils finished their thoughts.

As people made an effort to chew their pizza a little more softly — Domino’s sponsored last week’s meeting of the IFC — all heads, and their respective eyes, turned to the executive board planted in the front of the room.

The Interfraternity Council, which is made up of representatives from each fraternity and an executive board, gets together every Wednesday in the Willard Straight Memorial Room to discuss, well, whatever needs to be discussed.

Tables are set up in a rectangle such that the executive board makes up one side, directly opposite the Memorial Room doors. Then, starting with the side of the rectangle to the e-board’s immediate left, a representative from each chapter sits in alphabetical order going around the rest of the rectangle until meeting back up with the executive board. Picture the rectangle made up of tables in a large, otherwise empty room that hosts the large meeting of all the mob families in any gangster movie you’ve ever seen. The IFC general body meeting looks a bit like that — just not as threatening.

The meeting began with roll call and then moved onto a few brief announcements. A representative from the Cornell Plantations Natural Areas Program proposed ways that the Natural Areas Program and the IFC could collaborate to keep the Natural Areas clean and beautiful. A member of the Sigma Lambda Upsilon sorority followed with an announcement about Bowling For Books, a philanthropy event at Helen Newman Lanes that took place this past Saturday. People come to the IFC general body meeting to make important announcements because they know what kind of influence the Interfraternity Council has on campus.

The IFC represents a large portion of the Greek community. The IFC also communicates and collaborates with the Panhellenic Association and the Multicultural Greek Letter Council. This means that the decisions made in the Memorial Room each Wednesday night affect approximately 35 percent of the student body. He added that, furthermore, this 35 percent contains a majority of the campus and community leaders. Thus, it’s likely that most students underestimate the trickle down influence of the IFC.

Not only does the IFC act as a governing body, but it also provides support and programs for its member chapters. Adam Paz ’09, vice president for communications, explained that the IFC plans events such as Greek Week, philanthropic efforts and assistance for new students. With regard to introducing new Cornellians to Greek life, one of the events that was discussed last Wednesday evening is a series of bus tours that will bring students all across campus to the variety of Greek houses. Each chapter gets to submit a blurb that will be read aloud on the bus as it passes by particular houses.

As the meeting continued, each of the executive board VPs — for Communications, Finance, Judicial, Programming, Recruitment and University and Community Relations — gave an update on his territory. Everything from upcoming leadership conferences to the Collegetown noise ordinance issue was discussed during the VP updates.

When it comes to leadership experience among those in the IFC, there is certainly no shortage. Not only does a chapter president or elected representative speak on behalf of each fraternity, but each of the members of the e-board also has extensive leadership experience. Many of the board members held one or more positions within their respective chapters.

“Chapter leadership helps tremendously,” explained Greg Mezey ’09, vice president for recruitment.

One theme that captured my attention Wednesday evening — a theme which is no secret to those within the Greek system — is a great sense of tradition. The primary reason that Schvey cites for seeking a leadership role in the IFC was to insure that the Greek system he has come to know and appreciate is sustained in the near and distant future. Keeping with tradition, the IFC executive board will hold elections for new officers in November. I have no doubts that the new regime will maintain a community of leaders that is, as Schvey describes it, “large, successful, thriving.”