Importance of Greek organizations at HBCUs

     As students on a predominately African-American campus, we see the Greeks of the National Pan-Hellenic Council as leaders on campus.

We also see them [Greeks] as main recruiting tools of universities for incoming freshman.

This is not the case with these organizations on the campuses of predominantly white institutions.

"Many of our professors didn't understand what it means to be a member in one of these organizations," said Dwan Hayes, a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and a Winston-Salem native.

Hayes is a spring 2005 initiate of the Omicron Nu chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

"Through my experience in the sorority, I noticed that there is a higher sense of togetherness between the "Divine Nine," Hayes said.

The experience for Chris Taylor,  a 2010 initiate of the Beta Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., was different.

"I feel that there is a huge difference with the experience at a HBCU versus a historically white institution," Taylor said.

Taylor is a graduate of Winston-Salem State from Wilmington.

"We are looked at as leaders on both campuses, but I believe that we are put in the forefront more at HBCU's than at historically white institutes."

Many people join these organizations for different reasons.

Some people join for the feeling of being accepted by a group of their peers.

Others join because they have family in the organizations.

"I joined because I wanted to join something new and the only sorority on my campus at that time was the Zetas," Hayes said.

"My parents are in these organizations, with my father being in Kappa Alpha Psi and my mother being a member of Sigma Gamma Rho. They both supported my decision about becoming a Delta."

Michael Anthony, a spring 2011 initiate of the Mu Epsilon chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., said that he had many influences into his decision of joining his fraternity.

"I had known most of the guys in the chapter before I joined, and I also have met some of the other brothers in high school," Anthony said.

The one major difference that you can see between the campuses [HBCUs versus predominately white institutions] is how many NPHC organizations are active at the university.

Many HBCUs have all nine NPHC sororities and fraternities.

"At my alma mater, we only had seven out of the nine," Hayes said.

"We were missing the Iotas and the Omegas."

These organizations were founded with similar principles, and even with the similarities, the differences are what make these organizations unique.

"We need our chapters at the HBCUs because the NPHC was founded at HBCUs." Hayes said.

"It developed through time; you can say it evolved."