Men for Fraternal Excellence
Again and again our organizations show that the fraternal experience is invaluable for both individuals and society. Unfortunately, fraternities are also very familiar with numerous preventable tragedies. Experts inside and outside the fraternal world agree; something is going on in fraternities that makes our members and chapters do things that are in incongruent with our values. Additionally, scholarly research show unfortunate trends when it comes to men in higher education, trends that hold us back. For example, the research shows lower GPAs, epidemics of sexual assault, instances of hazing, and high rates of mental illness. These trends are textbook outcomes of what can happen when men hold onto rigid definitions of manhood. Sadly, many of these things that hold men back can become more severe when men are in hyper-masculine environments like athletic groups, fraternities, and boardrooms. Fortunately, this doesn't have to be the case.
We believe that men in our organizations can exemplify the best of fraternalism and embody the most positive definitions of manhood. That is the mission of Men for Fraternal Excellence (or MFE), to foster fraternalism and ideas of manhood which supports the success of our members and community.
MFE is a voluntary group of fraternity men who gather to have intentional conversations on topics that affect the fraternity experience. It is our intention to gain the knowlage and skills to have important and potentially challenging conversations with others in our chapters and community. By being a space where men can share and engage with each other in conversations that matter we can capitalize on the power of our organizations to exemplify the most positive aspects of fraternity and manhood while creating positive change.
TUESDAY TALKS
Tuesdays Talks are weekly conversations that take place virtually (or in person) and are dedicated to supporting fraternity men becoming the best versions of themselves. Discussion topics are chosen by the MFE Directors or presenters who facilitate the dialogue and inform the audience about their topic. Tuesday talks are open to students, staff, faculty, and community members who are committed to helping fraternity men succeed.
To learn more about Tuesday Talks, please visit: https://sfe.dso.iastate.edu/organizations/social-justice-organizations/mfe/tuesday-talks
What this Group is Not
It is important to clarify what this group is NOT. It isn’t about hating on fraternities nor is it about shaming men. It is designed to provide men an opportunity to constructively discuss and engage with each other to learn about how we can improve ourselves, our members, and our organizations.
Getting Involved
Are you ready to be a part of the movement for fraternal excellence? Great! Here is how to get involved:
- Read through the Men for Fraternal Excellence Handbook to learn about the group and its expectations
- Complete the Interest Form to let us know you that you interested in being a part of the group, you will receive a confirmation email and will be contacted when you have been added to the roster and email list
- If you have questions, please email mfe@iastate.edu
You can also recomend others for MFE by completing the Member Referral form. This will send an automated email with information to the person you are recomending and will also notify us of the recomendation.