An organization that strives to enrich the fraternity experience, advocating for its advancement and growth, has recognized Monmouth College with a pair of prestigious honors.
The North American Interfraternity Conference named Monmouth’s Interfraternity Council one of the four most outstanding councils in the nation. Brady Arrenius ’26 of Bartlett, Illinois, who served as the college’s IFC president in 2024, was one of eight student leaders recognized nationally.
The NIC noted Monmouth’s emphasis on “year-round, 365 recruitment practices and strategic marketing,” along with “collaborative and efficient community leaders focused on increasing male campus leadership participation and partnerships with administration.”
To that end, Monmouth Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Cullen Marshall reported that Greek men on campus made a strong push for membership in the Order of Omega, the fraternity/sorority honor society.
“This group has typically been dominated by sorority women due to their higher academic achievement,” said Marshall. “This fall, we pushed at every IFC meeting for more men to apply, and it paid off. Order of Omega had 22 applicants, 14 of which were male. Fifteen new members were accepted, 11 of which were male.”
Marshall also noted that Monmouth’s IFC has emphasized diversity, equity and Inclusion, adding a DEI chair to its executive board a year ago.
“We’ve also had more conversations about how to make recruitment more inclusive for all types of potential new members to make sure no one is feeling left out on our campus,” he said.
Other areas that contributed to the overall honor were the academic success achieved by Greek men, with affiliated students achieving a GPA of 3.1, compared to just over 2.9 for independent male students. Greek men also made an effort to have an enhanced presence on social media, particularly Instagram.
“Our college men aren’t always known for being adept at marketing their chapters and councils on social media, but with some coaching and by collaborating with the Panhellenic Council on several posts, we’ve gotten our engagement up by leaps and bounds over the past year,” said Marshall.
Leadership from Arrenius
No one individual was entirely behind those successes – in fact, Marshall gave large credit to the IFC’s 10-member executive team – but Arrenius, a member of Zeta Beta Tau, was the leader of that team.
“Although the sense of community is implied, our IFC has encouraged bridging gaps between fraternities, creating a stronger, more stable community,” said Arrenius. “This sense of universal brotherhood and connection has led to more substantive meetings, more efficient events, and more support for each other.”
That’s what Arrenius had to say about the collective effort, but plenty of praise was doled out to him, as well.
“In his previous role of vice president for public relations of IFC, he served as the face of IFC, promoting the activities of the organization and individual chapters,” said Dean of Students Karen Ogorzalek. “Brady is true to his own chapter, but continually advocates for all fraternity and sorority members on campus.”
Marshall picked up on that sentiment.
“Brady never lets his own chapter affiliation get in the way of what is right or fair,” he said. “He’s always looking out for the smallest chapters on campus, making sure that decisions regarding recruitment and housing benefit them just as much as anyone else. He’s shown a dedication to interfraternalism and equity that few other students have been able to do.”
Jaydon Wilbon ’25 of Crown Point, Indiana, noted that 2024 was particularly challenging for Monmouth’s fraternity community, as the college faced the loss of one of its four chapters.
“When other fraternities on campus thought that it would be a laughing matter, Brady did not hesitate to remind them of the implications of what that meant for the entire fraternity community,” he said. “Brady’s empathetic guidance during this difficult time was nothing short of inspiring. He reminded us all of the profound impact this loss had on the entire fraternity community, encouraging respectful reflection rather than dismissiveness.”
In short, said Marshall, “Brady represents the very best of what fraternity life can do for a young man. As IFC president, Brady has raised the bar for fraternity men, encouraging them to raise their expectations for themselves rather than just meeting the status quo.”
Added Ogorzalek, “Brady is a delightful student who brings his whole heart to everything he does. He’s made the lives of many students brighter for being in them.”
***Courtesy of Barry McNamara, Monmouth College***
