IFC makes tugs rule changes

Members+of+Phi+Sigma+Kappa+participate+in+the+Spring+2010+Tugs+event.+A+Monday+night+IFC+meeting+determined+that+IFC-recognized+house+teams+cannot+exceed+more+than+120+members+and+no+more+than+two+houses+can+form+one+tugs+team.

Members of Phi Sigma Kappa participate in the Spring 2010 Tugs event. A Monday night IFC meeting determined that IFC-recognized house teams cannot exceed more than 120 members and no more than two houses can form one tugs team.

By David Matz

At the weekly Interfraternity Council (IFC) meeting on Monday, the council deliberated and voted on a selection of rules to add to the council’s bylaws regarding the IFC Tugs competition.

Representatives from IFC-recognized fraternities voted on rules that affect weigh-ins, the size of wood used to reinforce the trenches and the rule of team formation.

The IFC Tugs is an annual tug-of-war style competition between IFC fraternities. This event is considered to be one of the largest and most important events the IFC hosts, said IFC president Sean McGovern.

During the meeting, different fraternities voiced their concern that having multiple houses team up together is unfair because they have a larger pool of people to choose from.

“Everyone wants this competition to remain fair,” McGovern said.

The IFC voted on a new rule that would limit the way houses could combine to make a singular team. After about half an hour of deliberation, the IFC voted a new bylaw regulating team formation.

The new rule states that IFC-recognized house teams can’t exceed a combined pool of 120 men and no more than two houses can form one Tugs team.

“It was probably the most fair way to organize a team,” said Utsav Panchal, an IFC representative for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. “Without this rule, certain teams were unfair.”

The IFC is going to constantly change, so that means the IFC is going to have to keep changing it’s bylaws, said Richie Dalitto, IFC Vice President of Community Events.

The IFC also voted on the location of the weigh-ins for the competition in the spring. It was decided by a hand vote to host weigh-ins at the Sigma Pi house because of ample room for parking.

The representatives of the governing body agreed to use 2-by-6 pieces of wood to reinforce the trenches used for the Tugs competition. There was concern among the fraternity representatives that 2-by-4 pieces of wood wouldn’t provide enough strength for the tuggers to use. Other members of the council raised the problem that using a 2-by-6 piece of wood is difficult and could destroy the trenches used for leverage by the tuggers.

“If we put [the boards] in right and make them a little wider then it should be fine,” McGovern said.

IFC tabled two issues for next week’s meeting. One issue was the idea that teams with multiple houses should pay differently than teams made up by one house.

The other issue tabled for next week was a proposal for a special committee to be formed to decide future IFC rules. Dalitto would be the chairman for the proposed committee. The idea is to have head callers from each team form the committee to decide future rules that affect the Tugs competition.

Both of these issues will be discussed and voted on at next week’s IFC meeting.