Jeff Rodgers,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Rodgers@@ the Interfraternity Council president-elect at the University, doesn’t keep a list of things he wants to accomplish during his term. Instead, he chooses to focus on a larger vision for what fraternity life should look like.
“My goal will be to get the conversation to a higher level,” Rodgers said, who thinks leaders on campus need to start speaking more like leaders.@@which is how?@@ “I feel that I am bringing some much needed business ethics to the table and a professional vision that we can strive for.”
Rodgers, a fifth-year student and member of Sigma Nu fraternity, @@that figures@@believes he has the experience necessary to take on such an important role in the community. Though the job will certainly present numerous challenges, he prefers to look at them as opportunities. One challenge is shifting the current vision and system into one of productivity.
“The overarching goal of our community is to become more involved with not only campus organizations but organizations within our community,” he said.
Another point of emphasis for Rodgers is that the IFC will not continue to be a reactionary body. He feels that in the past, the IFC has dealt with problems after they happen rather than focusing on an overall vision to prevent certain issues from occurring in the first place.
The IFC is a member of the ASUO, and keeping a healthy relationship between the two groups also remains a top priority for Rodgers. However, he said the fraternity and sorority community should be viewed as an independent body— one that gets involved on campus and throughout the community.
“Working with ASUO is extremely important,” Rodgers said. “We will positively impact them as well as allow ourselves to be positively impacted by them.”
He disagrees with those who may hold a negative stigma about the current state of fraternity life.
“We are lucky as a community to have excellent fraternities on campus,” he said, adding that becoming better visionaries will be one of the main challenges for everyone involved.
Those associated with IFC in the past know problems do arise and having a strategy for dealing with tough issues is something that he feels he can help out with.
“I am very much a listener and facilitator of getting the conversation to go where it needs to go,” Rodgers said. “(It’s about) shifting people away from what they can’t do to what they can do.”@@are you a mexican or a mexi-can’t?@@ @@That was totally Jonathan@@
Community involvement, positive conversation and leading by example are all near the top of his list. But for the man who doesn’t want to see any kind of ceiling placed on the potential for what IFC can do, only one word is needed to sum up his vision.
“Excellence.”
Rodgers will work with newly elected PHC president Laura Hinman.
Productivity, excellence steer vision for incoming IFC president Jeff Rodgers
Daily Emerald
November 27, 2011
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