Go GREEK! by: Deborah Kelly

On Wednesday October 26, 2011 I attended the Meet the Greeks forum at Frostburg State University. According to the urban dictionary, a fraternity is a group of men who share a brotherhood that most people don’t understand. As a whole, the Greek family is called the divine nine, but Frostburg is only home to six of the Greek organizations. These six include Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Psi Phi, Omega Psi Phi, Iota Phi Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, and, one sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho. Together, these organizations put together a show for the students who may be interested in Greek life. The forum consisted of a mini step show presented by every organization and an informational where they talked to us about their fraternities. As the brother performed, the crowd went wild, so I would say that the show was very well put together. Not only did I enjoy myself, I also learned a lot about the different fraternities.
Alpha Phi Alpha (APA) was founded on December 4, 1906 in Ithaca, New York on the campus of Cornell University. They were the first Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. The organization started out as a study and support group for minority students who were up against racial prejudice. Alpha Phi Alpha has and always will stand up for the rights of African Americans. I asked one of the members, Wydell Bannerman, why he chose APA and he responded by saying “they stood out to me. They reached out and I did my research and I liked what I saw.” Some of their brothers include Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., and W.E.B. Dubois. The mission of the brothers of APA is to develop leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for the community.
The men of Kappa Alpha Psi (KAP) aim to provide support for their fraternity, incorporated members and others in service to communities with a particular interest in the African American communities. This organization was founded on January 5, 1911 in Bloomington, Indiana on the Indiana University campus. They stand behind maturity and dedication. Maturity to them is accepting reality, sacrificing and setting goals, balancing emotions, considering others, and developing social skills. Their definition of dedication is taking all the characteristics of maturity and putting them into action for a lifetime. Najm Nour, a member of this fraternity, says “I chose to be a Kappa because it fits me. The goals that they support are the same goals that I set for myself.”
Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911 in Washington, D.C. at Howard University. They were the first international fraternity to be founded on a historically black campus. The men of Omega Psi Phi provide a brotherhood so that men who have similar backgrounds and ideas can grow and serve their communities. “The Ques seemed to have the strongest bond of brotherhood to me when I was going through a rough time and I knew I wanted to be a part of that,” said Markus Clennon, a member of this fraternity. Some of their brothers include Steve Harvey, Langston Hughes, and Bill Cosby. This organization stands behind four cardinal principles: manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift.
This forum was a great way to “Meet the Greeks” and find one that may fit you. From the performances to the informational, I enjoyed myself and learned a lot.