Bella Bishop Photos by Jorge Zamudio and Nicholas Clark There is more than what meets the eye when it comes to greek life on Old Dominion University’s campus, especially when it comes to the NPHC fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha (Alphas). Beyond the strolls, probates, and colors they are men who seek to make a difference in themselves and the community around them. The brotherhood of these men is a deep rooted life-long relationship that they will carry beyond the yard of ODU’s campus. Joining a fraternity is making a lifetime commitment to brotherhood, the community, and empowerment within yourself. Contrary to the partying stereotypes of fraternities, the Alphas hold themselves to a higher standard beyond just having a good time. They believe in representing themselves with strong character, honor and authenticity. For a large group of young men to have the equivalent strength of willingness to learn, to never forget their deep rooted brotherhood, and to hold each other accountable to a higher standard as human beings, is an incredible and honorable accomplishment as a fraternity and as a member within it. But having such a sturdy, long lasting connection from generation to generation all starts with a strong history. The Alphas first originated in 1906 as a social club for African American students at Cornell University who were alienated from attending their college classes. The professors would do everything in their power to restrict African American students from attending classes or lectures. Seven students then formed a social club to help each other with school work, uplift one another to pursue their dreams of getting an education, and formed a strong bond to uplift their community. The fraternity officially founded a chapter on Old Dominion University’s campus in 1977 and still upholds to this day the same work ethic, humbleness, and loyalty that it placed in the very beginning. “I joined this fraternity because I wanted to be a mentor for other people, and this fraternity gave me an opportunity to channel that. Last semester we did a weekly mentorship and partnered with “Brother to Brother” where young black men were taught how to cook. We as the Alphas would come in and speak to these kids that did not really care about school or college. By having them see us in our suits, being in college and making a difference maybe it would change their outlook on what they are capable of,” said D’Andre Jones, Chapter President. The Alphas feel it is important to set an example to other black men and children and encourage them to be their best self. They do this by implementing outreach programs where they work with the community to set a positive example on being successful. One of the programs the Alphas host is “Go to high school, go to college”. The purpose of this program is to educate the youth about the opportunities they can have after high school whether it is pursuing a college degree, going to trade school, or joining the military. The Alphas take pride in having an influence and giving back to their community. “Being black I would say we definitely have an obligation to put on a good image for other black men to follow so they can be leaders like us and that is a fundamental part of our foundation [as an organization],” said Mohamed Rebeiz, Intake Coordinator. Each individual in the organization seeks to have a leadership position in order to positively influence the people around them. They seek to lead by example and not get distracted by the hysteria and stereotypical greek life reputation. “To impact other people is important. One year we had a football camp for kids and after they would play football outside, they would go inside and learn about science and technology, another year we went to feed the homeless. We held a lot of programs last year, one of them was informing others on knowing their rights in circumstances that may have you be encountered with law enforcement. I did whatever I could to get people to come out to that program because I feel people do not know exactly what their rights are. The main purpose of these programs are to see how any piece of my knowledge that I have can change your life,” said Marcus Lee, Recording Secretary. “I joined this organization because it gives a platform to advocate for things you care about… We have a responsibility to make others strive for greatness.” The Alphas are always on the move, constantly striving to have a positive impact and inform the campus community about political and ethical issues,” said Negus Assefa, Vice President. The brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha seek to uphold their duty as a male fraternity to strongly support women on campus with their annual “ Mrs. Black and Gold Pageant”. The pageant is a scholarship opportunity for women at Old Dominion University and strongly uplifts every woman taking part in it. Scholarship pageant as an extension of the fraternity. The contestants are strong women who are active in the community, successful students and uphold the characteristics and traits of the fraternity. Their main goals for young women is not necessarily to win, but to develop confidence in themselves, building character, and to develop a strong sense of women-hood for themselves and others around them. Former pageant winners come back to help the new contestants with their walks, give them advice from their previous experience, and to incorporate a strong sense of uplifting each other as women. “The pageant is actually really beautiful. One thing a lot of girls don’t realize about the pageant in the beginning is what they gain from it. Some girls come in super shy and soft spoken, but going through the pageant they gain confidence and build character. By the end of the pageant you won’t even know what woman that is,” said Mohamed Rebeiz. The pageant is also an opportunity for Alphas to get a better understanding and perspective to learn some of the struggles and experiences that women face, and to help the women participating in the pageant conquer those insecurities or struggles in a respectful and safe environment. It would be a disservice to boil this group of men down to just a fraternity label. From the outside looking in, it can be seen as an exclusive group of men who parade around in colors and greek letters not knowing 21 | maceandcrown.com
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> | 22