Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha to be formally brought to campus next academic year

Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha will be the first-ever Black Greek organizations at Chapman University and have already garnered Black student interest on campus. Photo collage by DANIEL PEARSON, Photo Editor

With the hope of becoming recognized chapters at the university by the start of the 2022-2023 academic year, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. — two formally recognized African American Greek organizations with multiple chapters across the U.S. — are in their early stages of development on campus.

Both organizations have begun to connect with students and faculty members in order to establish their presence on campus following their introduction at Chapman’s Feb. 16 Student Involvement Fair.

Madison Welborn, a sophomore film production major, has been on the front lines in advocating and garnering student interest in order to bring these Black Greek organizations, especially Alpha Kappa Alpha, to the Chapman community.

Currently, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha are both working alongside Chapman’s Department of Student Engagement to launch their new Black Greek organizations by this fall. 

“Both the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha organizations have a unique process and requirements in order to start a new chapter here at Chapman,” said Jaclyn Dreschler, the associate director of Student Engagement, who has been in constant communication with the two organizations and Welborn herself. “Recently, (Student Engagement) has been working with both groups to understand those processes, gauge student interest, provide formal letters of support from the university and invite the organizations to campus to meet prospective members.”

Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded in January 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C. as the first intercollegiate African American sorority in the United States. Currently, the sorority has 1,024 chapters up and running internationally.

Their mission since has always been to promote positive personal and professional development for their members as well as to advocate for equality and equity for all global citizens. After being chartered in the fall, Alpha Kappa Alpha will bring these main focuses of their sorority to their new Chapman chapter as well.

“This sorority will allow Black students to feel represented,” said junior screenwriting major Kamryn Batiste, who visited the Alpha Kappa Alpha booth at the recent Student Involvement Fair along with Welborn. “Even if they don’t join, just knowing that there’s representation for their community in various aspects can be helpful.”

The Orange County chapter for Alpha Kappa Alpha reached back out to Chapman last semester to discuss the potential of establishing a new chapter on campus. The local chapter had tried to charter the sorority at Chapman a few years ago, but it fell through due to low student interest. Since the beginning of last fall, Dreschler and her team have been tracking student interest numbers and keeping in close connection with both organizations to get them prepared for further campus outreach.

“Last semester, we (The Department of Student Engagement) surveyed students about National Panhellenic interest and received lots of positive feedback, with strong support for Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha specifically,” said Dreschler.

In addition to Alpha Kappa Alpha connecting with students about their organization across campus, fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha has also been following suit. Alpha Phi Alpha initially began as a literary and social studies club from the 1905-1906 academic year at Cornell University. The club evolved into the first intercollegiate African American fraternity in late 1906, with their mission revolving around giving back to others and creating special initiatives and opportunities for members in the community. 

Since their creation, Alpha Phi Alpha has long stood at the forefront of the Black community’s fight for civil rights. Chapters across the U.S. have formed alliances with programs Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America and the Leadership Development Institute (LDI)  to address issues within the Black community and focus on ways to further increase appreciation for Black leadership and representation. 

“While both organizations are still in the early stages of development, they currently do not have any large events planned,” said Dreschler. “We plan to market smaller events, such as information sessions, later on in the semester.” 

The Nu Tau Lambda graduate chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha and the Mu Epsilon Omega graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha were brought onto campus to support and oversee the founding period. These chapters are in charge of managing the membership process and planning interest sessions in order to recruit students for the upcoming fall semester.

“With Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha vying for a more diverse presence at Chapman, it will hopefully open the door for other Black sororities and fraternities to come to campus,” Batiste said. “These new organizations can also help teach students about other diverse cultures.”

For the remainder of the semester, both organizations will continue to work on reaching out to Chapman students and faculty through prospective interest sessions. More information on Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha will also be administered through emails from the Black Student Resource Center on campus, to showcase the push for more diversity across the Chapman community.

“Since Alpha Kappa Alpha will be the first Black sorority at Chapman, it will be able to provide a safe space for Black girls who wish to be in Greek life,” said sophomore health science major Debbie Mingo, who also attended the Alpha Kappa Alpha booth at the Feb. 16 involvement fair alongside friends Batiste and Welborn.

Further events and outreach opportunities from Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha will be occurring this semester to raise student interest. For any inquiries or to get connected with a graduate representative, please email greeklife@chapman.edu.

Correction: Madison Welborn, a sophomore film production major, is largely credited with spearheading efforts to get a chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha introduced to campus.