House Council comprises elected student leaders who provide distinctive and compelling opportunities to House members. The Council organizes events, fundraisers, and hosts weekly meetings to cultivate a lively residential community. House Councils are student-led, self-governed, and receive guidance from Resident Heads (RHs) and are assisted by Resident Assistants (RAs). If you are interested in joining your House Council, reach out to the Resident Head(s) of your community. If you have questions about House Council or are a campus partner that would like to collaborate, reach out to hrlstudentleadership@uchicago.edu.

The Inter-House Council (IHC) is a representative body composed of elected residents from each House Council in the University of Chicago residential community. IHC members are student leaders who advise Housing & Residence Life and other campus partners on a range of policy and programming needs presented by the administration, staff, or students.

IHC is made up of a nine-person Executive Committee led by the IHC President and includes the IHC Treasurer who leads the IHC Finance Committee.

IHC Sponsored Events 

IHC organizes several events throughout the year aimed at fostering community spirit and friendly competition among the Houses. These events range from Tug-of-War during Homecoming Weekend to a campus-wide pajama party, Quiz Bowl, and participation in Summer Breeze every May.

IHC Meetings

IHC meets every Tuesday evening at 6 PM in Baker Dining Commons’ private dining room. If you are interested in joining IHC or attending a meeting, please reach out to the IHC President at ihcpresident@uchicago.edu.

IHC is advised by the Housing & Residence Life Student Leadership Advisers and they can be reached at hrlstudentleadership@uchicago.edu.

Inter-House Council (IHC) Finance Committee is led by the IHC Treasurer and composed of students representing residential communities in the undergraduate UChicago House system. These representatives are elected during House Council elections.

The IHC Finance Committee is responsible for facilitating the disbursement of two sources of funding: the Activities Resource Fund (ARF) and the Mergel Funsky Fun Fund. IHC Finance Committee sponsored activities must promote social interaction between Houses (two or more) from different residence halls.

• To access a blank Activities Resource Fund (ARF) proposal document or Mergel Funsky Fun Fund proposal document, go to “Resources” in the left column of your Roompact homepage. Select “IHC Finance Committee: ARF & Mergel“, download and complete the respective proposal document
• A completed proposal form must be submitted through Roompact’s Inter-House Council (IHC) Finance Committee: Proposal Submission Form by 5 PM on the Friday before the upcoming IHC Finance Committee meeting

The IHC Finance Committee meets to hear proposal presentations and vote on funding requests (with exceptions for holidays) on the Monday of specific weeks during the Autumn, Winter, and Spring academic quarters. All proposed activities must take place at least two weeks following the IHC Finance Committee meeting. The IHC Finance Committee 2024-2025 meetings are scheduled as follows:

• Autumn & Winter Quarters: 3rd, 5th, and 7th week of the quarter
• Spring Quarter: 2nd, 4th, and 6th week of the quarter

Resident Assistants and Resident Heads cannot submit or present ARF or Mergel Funsky proposals to the IHC Finance Committee. Only active residents in the UChicago undergraduate community can submit a proposal, however, Resident Assistants, Resident Heads, Resident Deans, and Community Directors are encouraged to support students in the proposal writing process.

The IHC Finance Committee’s Activities Resource Fund covers up to 50% of the proposed costs for an awarded event. The Mergel Funksy Fun Fund can cover up to 100% of the cost for a proposed activity but must be an original activity within the academic year. See the Mergel Funsky Fun Fund section below for more information.

If you have questions regarding the IHC Finance Committee funds or award process, reach out to the IHC Finance Chair at ihcfinance@uchicago.edu for assistance.

Mergel Funsky Fun Fund

Mergel Funsky is here to support the pursuit of FUN!

• The Mergel Funsky Fun fund supports student-conceived projects and events that are imaginative and fun
• Supported ideas should have a participation of at least 10 undergraduate residents, can take place throughout the year, and must be an original activity within the academic year
• Completed Mergel Funsky proposals must be submitted to the IHC Finance Committee
• Each March 4, Mergel celebrates his birthday and Imagination Day with a party led by the Inter-House Council

If you are unsure if your student-conceived project or event meets the eligibility criteria for Mergel Funsky Fun fund, reach out to the IHC Finance Chair at ihcfinance@uchicago.edu for assistance.