Even though the National Pan-Hellenic Council has only been at App State for 30 years, the organization’s history at the university is rich.
The NPHC was established at Howard University May 10, 1930. Today, it is often referred to as the “Divine Nine,” as it is made up of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated was the first NPHC organization chartered on campus in 1983, but the council didn’t officially have a presence at App State until 1992. Willie Fleming, former Chief Diversity Officer and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, was “instrumental in bringing Black Greek life to App State,” Chancellor Sheri Everts wrote when she announced Fleming’s retirement last year.
The university is now home to seven of the nine NPHC organizations: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated.
Kyra Scott, secretary and treasurer of the Mu Omicron chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, described NPHC as a “safe haven” for students. The organization can help members find their inner selves and connect with other students on campus with similar goals and values, she said. It provides Black students with a community — a “home away from home.”
“I think NPHC definitely does lack the recognition on campus, especially being at a PWI. It makes it a little bit harder,” said Scott, a senior sociology major. “But I think as a council, we’re all kind of able to come together and truly uplift our Black members of our community on campus and truly provide, like, a safe space for students, especially our members of our respective organizations.”
In 2007, App State’s NPHC proposed a plots and garden project to SGA. The establishment of plots is a Black Greek-letter tradition that can be traced back to both slavery and the division of Confederate land after the Civil War, according to the university’s NPHC website. Each NPHC organization gets its own plot, and the space represents its presence on campus and provides a place for members to reflect and celebrate.
After years of both NPHC and SGA advocating for the project, App State designated a space next to the Veterans Memorial garden for the NPHC Plots and Garden in 2017. A year later, the plots and garden were revealed in a ribbon-cutting ceremony as part of Homecoming Week in 2018.
