Four University of Southern Mississippi (USM) students who are members of the school’s Fraternity and Sorority Life community recently participated in a conference designed to enhance their leadership and problem-solving skills for the betterment of their individual organizations and the overall university community.
UIFI (Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute) is a four-day, three-night, immersive leadership experience held on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus, where fraternity/sorority students come together to challenge conventional wisdom, discover new solutions to critical problems and accelerate progress in their fraternity/sorority communities. Participants learn from each other in large and small groups with space for individual reflection and introspection, with the goal for participants to have a new perspective about their own fraternity/sorority experience as a result of their time at UIFI.
Participants from USM include:
- Tylan Hunt, of Horn Lake, Mississippi, a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
- Ali Melad of Hunza, Pakistan, a member of Alpha Tau Omega
- Garrett Lamky of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, a member of Delta Tau Delta
- Chris Moss of Ridgeland, Mississippi, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Laura Laughlin, director of USM Fraternity and Sorority Life, said UIFI is a great opportunity for fraternity and sorority members around the county to learn and develop. The participants from USM will meet undergraduate students from all over the country and be lead through an immersive curriculum designed to make leaders better leaders as part of the institute’s programming, getting the chance to think critically about how to improve the fraternity and sorority community at their university for generations to come.
“This is a really impactful student leadership retreat that’s facilitated by the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values (AFLV),” Laughlin continued. “All of these men applied and were awarded a scholarship from our office to attend. We are really proud of our students for spending a week of their summer asking big questions and working toward bettering the Southern Miss student experience and are excited to hear about what they learned and the ideas they have to bring back to campus.”
For information about USM Fraternity and Sorority Life, visit https://www.usm.edu/fraternity-sorority-life/index.php.
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is a comprehensive public research institution delivering transformative programs on campuses in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as online. Founded in 1910, USM is one of only 137 universities in the nation to earn the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” designation, and its robust research enterprise includes experts in ocean science and engineering, polymer science and engineering, and large event venue safety and security, among others. USM is also one of only 39 institutions in the nation accredited in theatre, art and design, dance and music. As an economic driver, USM generates an annual economic impact of more than $663 million across the state. USM welcomes a diverse student body of more than 14,000, representing 71 countries, all 50 states, and every county in Mississippi. USM students have collected four Truman Scholarships and 37 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, while also leading Mississippi with 27 Goldwater Scholarships, an honor that recognizes the next generation of great research scientists. Home to the Golden Eagles, USM competes in 17 Division I sports sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For more information, visit usm.edu.
