Greek life here at Stony Brook (SB) is as much a part of campus dynamics as each of the 240+ individual clubs that cater to all 20,000+ students’ who walk by the SAC each semester. SBU is home to’ 32 fraternities and sororities and each organization has its own history and unique purpose. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is one of these organizations that is recognized both by SBU’s Inter-Fraternity and Sorority Council (IFSC) and by the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).
Indeed, Alpha Phi Alpha is one of the oldest fraternities in the country and is the first inter-collegiate African-American interest Greek-letter fraternity. The brothers recently celebrated the organization’s 100th anniversary this past December at Cornell University, where the first Alpha Phi Alpha chapter was founded on Dec. 4, 1906. They are also the first fraternity within NPHC to reach this very significant and important milestone. As this organization has grown and expanded over the past century, they are still committed to its initial principles in encouraging ‘scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity’.
In aiming to uphold these standards, Alpha Phi Alpha sponsors many local and national programs in colleges, universities, and communities from coast to coast. SB’s Rho Rho chapter of the fraternity runs a wide variety of activities and events that seek to educate the public on important social issues, advocate for the underserved, and support the general African-American population on campus and in surrounding regions.
Alpha Phi Alpha recently sponsored an educational workshop in conjunction with the Office of Diversity & Affirmative Action on Monday, Feb. 19 entitled ‘Does Race Matter’? The workshop, held at the SAC in Room 305, helped facilitate discussions on race as an aspect of a larger societal structure that includes economic status, class position, and religious views. Workshops such as these and a mixture of other similar, mid-week, and extensive meetings target local audiences of students, community members, and local citizens to explore issues that affect their lives in relation to the rest of society.
Outgoing senior and President, Jeffrey Paul, heads the fraternity’s Rho Rho Chapter, currently a close-knit family of eleven brothers. In balancing event planning, daily paperwork, logistics, and checks and balances, Paul nevertheless remarks on how he ‘would not change his experiences’ over his past three years with the frat. One of the skills he has mastered as a student leader and president is how to encourage his fellow brothers to volunteer in services and community outreach programs.
Their chapter’s ongoing programs include the local program, ‘Dear Mommy, Where’s Daddy’? for single parent households and a national program for promoting higher education for current high school students by helping bring inner city students to SB for a taste of college classes and college life. Upcoming events include a Women’s Appreciation Event at the Student Union Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8:00 PM, the Black and Gold Pageant on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:00′ PM in the SAC Auditorium, and March Madness, a month-long series of educational programs every Wednesday at SAC at 8:00 PM.
