Running Head: KAPPA ALPHA PSI 1

National Pan-Hellenic Council:

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Matthew Cheatham and Megan Lorincz

Virginia Tech

Introduction
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There are several different councils that comprise an institutions Fraternity and Sorority

Life (also known as Greek Life) office. The various councils at Virginia Tech include the

Interfraternity Council (IFC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), Panhellenic Council

(PHC), and the United Council of Fraternities and Sororities (UCFS) (Councils, n.d.). Each

one has its own unique purpose and group of students that they serve at the institution. For

example, NPHC is a governing council comprised of the nine traditionally Black Greek-Letter

Organizations (BGLO) and tends to attract African American students as members. The

organizations that make up NPHC were initially created as clubs that benefited the social interest

and collegiate developmental growth of its black members at a time when black students were

not readily welcomed on college campuses (Finkelmen, 2009; Kimbrough, 1995). Today, many

campuses are more welcoming to students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds than in

previous decades, yet these traditionally black organizations remain a safe harbor for many black

students, despite black students no longer being barred from joining traditionally white

organizations. Clearly, there are positive experiences and benefits that are associated with joining

a BGLO that keeps students involved and keeps these organizations alive, which begs the

question of what can be learned by better understanding the experience of students participating

in BGLOs, specifically Kappa Alpha Psi, at Virginia Tech?

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was originally founded in 1911 at Indiana University at

Bloomington, Indiana with ten founding members of the organization. It was originally chartered

as Kappa Alpha Nu before the name was officially changed to Kappa Alpha Psi in 1914 and it

was then that KAPPA ALPHA PSI thereby became a Greek letter Fraternity in every sense of

the designation. (Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, 2012). The Theta Psi Chapter of
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Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. located at Virginia Tech was founded in 1977, making 2017

their 40th anniversary of their founding at Virginia Tech (ThetaPsiNupes, n.d.).

Positionality Statements

Megan

Personally, I come from a mixed race background. However, I have associated myself

with white culture for as long as I can remember. At times, I am accepted as passing as white,

while other times, I am asked for my racial heritage, so I have the unique experience of being

both white and not-white simultaneously. I can see how I come across as the white majority, but I

believe I have an understanding of what it means to be othered that may impact my

interpretation of stories during our research. Next, I am a cisgender, heterosexual female. I

cannot relate to what it is like being a fraternity man, gay, straight or otherwise. I may struggle to

understand some of the questions surrounding masculinity because that is a part of society with

which I have never had to conform. Finally, I was a member of a National Panhellenic Sorority,

so I have some ties to the Greek letter community. I have a base knowledge of NPHC through

my interactions, and I may have some preconceived notions from my past because I knew

members in NPHC during my undergraduate years. I currently serve the Virginia Tech Fraternity

and Sorority community as a Graduate Assistant, so while I do not work with NPHC specifically,

I do have colleagues that do. I often hear updates about NPHC from an administrative

perspective, which I might bring to conversations with students. I need to be aware that I may be

perceived as an authority figure, and I need to mitigate my prior knowledge in interactions.

Matthew

Unlike Megan, I do not come from a mixed background and have grown up in a

predominately white area and culture. I would identify as a white, heterosexual, Christian, male
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who grew up in the suburbs outside of Richmond, Virginia. Since I have grown up in white

culture, I do not have many experiences with other diverse cultures and how they differ. Also, I

am not affiliated with a social or service fraternal organization, so I do not have any ties to the

Greek letter community or culture. Because I am not affiliated, the only knowledge of Greek

letter organizations comes from my friends who were members of the community, so my base

knowledge is rather skewed towards their views. My work with Housing and Residence Life

exposes me to a variety of people and cultures, but the culture of NPHC is one that I still have

not had the opportunity to experience here at Virginia Tech. This is my fifth year at Virginia

Tech, so I do have a rather strong grasp on the culture of the university and acknowledge the lack

of diversity on campus.

Literature Review

Racial Differences in Fraternities

Before looking too deeply at the research related to the National Pan-Hellenic Council,

one should understand the significant differences between the organizations within the NPHC

and the historically white fraternities. Even the reason behind the creation of the fraternities is

different with BGLO as they were created with macropolitical roots as socio-political

movements (McClure, 2006, p. 60). On the other hand, historically white fraternities were

originally established as social clubs for the elite white men at universities. Another facet that is

different between the two types of organizations includes when the students typically join the

fraternity. For historically white fraternities, students usually join during their freshmen year

whereas, for BLGOs, they typically join later in the college career (McClure, 2006, p. 60). In

addition to when students join these organizations, the rushing or pledging process differs

between the two types of organizations. For historically white fraternities, the rush or pledge
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process is rather public and everyone knows the specific organization that you are trying to join.

However, for BLGOs, this is more of a secretive process that very few individuals are supposed

to know which organization an individual is attempting to join or really any information related

to that process (Kimbrough, 2009).

Another difference is that BLGOs have a greater focus or emphasis on community

service and can provide an opportunity for a social outlet for the undergraduate minority

population (McClure, 2006, p. 61). However, historically white fraternities typically focus on

social priorities and provide plenty of activities for the members of the organization (McClure,

2006, p. 61). As previously mentioned another component that separates the two types of

fraternities is the structure or function of the organization. For historically white fraternities, they

are usually larger organizations and can share a house that is owned by that institutions

chapter (McClure, 2006, p. 61). While BLGOs are rather smaller with, typically smaller than

historically white fraternities, and they do not usually share a house that the organization owns

(McClure, 2006, p. 61). Another stereotype that can also be considered a difference between the

two types of organizations is the students socioeconomic class. For BLGOs, the average student

comes from a lower socioeconomic class versus for the historically white fraternities, students

typically come from middle to upper socioeconomic classes and could determine some of their

motivations for being at college and what they want to accomplish (McClure, 2006, p. 62).

Masculinity

When looking at the history of African American students in colleges, there tends to be a

negative perception of black men. They are said to be emotionally hardened and shutoff from

their emotions at times, and, as mentioned previously, they typically come from mostly urban

and poor areas (McClure, 2006, p. 62). McClure noticed after interviewing several of the
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members of these BLGOs that joining one of the organizations was a clear departure from these

negative images (McClure, 2006, p. 63). She found that these organizations in her study could

assist those students who wanted to succeed in college and not fall into the stereotypical negative

black man lifestyle. Although this happened in the organizations McClure studied, we cannot

generalize this to all BGLO, but we can still see similar traits in these organizations across the

country. One member identified the reason behind joining the fraternity was that you see these

guys at a party having fun like everyone else and the next day youll see them in business attire

doing a professional program (McClure, 2006, p. 64). This shows that students in BGLOs want

to be successful and to be seen more in a positive light as a black man on campus. However, we

are not saying that students in the past or students who are not in these organizations are not

successful, but that there is a positive correlation from being in a BGLO.

Another component that falls within masculinity includes what happens when

individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ want to join a fraternal organization. This is a topic that is

rather prevalent today, especially with the heightened cultural awareness, and connects with the

social advocacy that some organizations are doing. According to Stewart, gay membership in a

BGLO impacts hazing, whether some brothers want to remain active and how the organization's

impact communities (Stewart, 2014, p. 11). Additionally, having gay black males in their

fraternal organization challenges their fundamental ideas about brotherhood, loyalty,

trustworthiness, and, most importantly, masculinity (DeSantis and Coleman, 2008, p. 291). Both

of those quotes identify how the culture within BGLO is not always the most accepting of gay

members and some say that the black community is more homophobic than its white

counterpart (DeSantis and Coleman, 2008, p. 291). While this might be surprising it could help

explain why gay black males either do not feel welcome in the fraternity. In this one example the
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idea that a guy who is gay is not getting in my frat is evident and when an openly gay male

tried to join the fraternity this is what happened: He was not welcome. He knew it. We never

saw him again (DeSantis and Coleman, 2008, p. 299-300). All of the said, the concept of

masculinity can be partially defined by a students sexual orientation and could cause issues

within a fraternity if there were students who did not identify as heterosexual.

Hazing / Traditions

Hazing is an issue that continues to plague the fraternity and sorority community as a

whole. McKenzie (1986) and Kershner (1978) claim that fraternal hazing has its origin in

upperclassmen hazing freshman, which became a part of American collegiate culture as far back

as the 1850s; black fraternities experienced hazing as collegiate underclassmen and, in turn,

implemented hazing practices in their fraternities, which they learned from their undergraduate

institutions (as cited in Kimbrough, 2009). Crump (1983) hypothesizes the reason that black

fraternities and sororities were created were so that black students could have some kind of

organization to protect their interests, and to afford some systematic means of providing

wholesome recreation and social pleasures (as cited in Kimbrough, 1995, p. 2). Historically

black fraternities did not create the process of hazing, but the practice has become more violent

in some cases as the organizations have aged (Kimbrough, 1995; Kimbrough, 2009; Jones, 2000;

Parks & Dorsey, 2013). Many of the historically black organizations participate in underground

pledging, which means the pledging process is secret and makes hazing potentially easier for

chapters due to lack of outside scrutiny (Kimbrough, 2009). It is the hope of organizations that

hazing rituals bond members because of the shared experience and trial in order to create

continuity and structure within the organization (Jones, 2000, p. 113; Kimbrough, 2009). In the

1990s, the leadership of eight NPHC organizations met to revamp their new member intake
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process in the hopes to shift chapters away from hazing activities and move towards a more

education-based pledging system, but students have pushed back because they feel as though the

national organizations have taken away a key element in the collegiate members bonding

process (Kimbrough, 2009). Parks and Dorsey (2013) claim that it is the role of student affairs

professionals to help guide and mentor traditionally black fraternities away from hazing, but,

currently, professionals are deficient and lack the requisite cultural competence in order to

properly advise these organizations (p. 126). While there have been multiple attempts at a

solution to ending hazing within black fraternities, there has yet to be a conclusion on how best

to tackle the problem.

Involvement

Despite the potential negatives associated with membership to a black fraternity, there

has been research done which supports the idea that being a member of a traditionally black

fraternal or sororal organization can actually lead to increased campus involvement and

improved leadership skills (Kimbrough, 1995; Kimbrough & Hutcheson, 1998; Patton, Flowers,

& Bridges, 2011). According to Patton et al. (2011), African American students in Greek-letter

organizations were more engaged in effective education practices at historically black colleges

and universities (HBCUs) as compared to the same population at predominantly white

institutions (PWIs); overall, affiliation in general was associated with more involvement on

college campuses (p. 119). Kimbrough and Hutchison (1998) experienced similar results when

they discovered that students affiliated with black Greek-letter organizations were more involved

on both HBCU and PWI campuses with the added information that black fraternal students were

more confident in their leadership abilities as compared to black students not in black Greek-

letter organizations. Kimbrough (1995) found in an earlier study that over half of the students
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researched in traditionally black fraternities and sororities found that their leadership had

improved since joining the organization (p. 6). In that same study, black students in a Greek-

letter organization considered themselves leaders at a level of 92.6% even though not all of

them held an official organization office at that time, yet students in fraternities and sororities

were found to be active in at least two or more other groups and held a position in another club

(Kimbrough, 1995, p. 5-6). In short, there is great value in joining black fraternities, which is, in

part, why they still exist today.

Method

For the purpose this research, we will be using an ethnographic approach to studying this

particular population. According to Murchison (2010), ethnography is defined as a research

strategy that allows researchers to explore and examine the cultures and societies that are a

fundamental part of the human experience (p. 4). This particular method allows us to learn

about the fraternity culture through conversations and human interaction rather than viewing

members as purely research subjects, which is dehumanizing. In learning about the individuals as

people, we can begin to build a better understanding of the organization by finding similarities

and shared experiences that are the foundation for this particular organization. We will be

combining information from event observations, interviews, conversations, and social media

posts in order to answer our aforementioned research question and begin to understand the

Virginia Techs Theta Psi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi.

Research Plan

In reviewing the literature, we were able to identify four main topic areas within existing

research revolving around NPHC membership, including racial differences between IFC and

NPHC organizations, masculinity, traditions/hazing, and involvement. Based on existing

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research, we developed four hypotheses that ultimately answer our research question of how

membership in an NPHC organization impacts students experiences in college. Our first

hypothesis is that being a member of an NPHC fraternal organization does change a students

collegiate experience for better or for worse. It is too soon to say if the experience is completely

negative or positive, but a type of change does occur through being a member. Next, we believe

that becoming a member of a traditionally black fraternity can lead to members becoming better

men because they are able to witness other black males acting in professional settings. With this

hypothesis we are not implying that those black men joining the organizations are not good

men, but that they will just become better by joining the organizations. Another hypothesis is that

NPHC fraternal membership increases overall campus engagement. Research implies that once

students join a BGLO, they are more likely to get involved in other campus organizations and,

potentially, take on leadership roles, which is a shift in a students experience prior to being in a

traditionally black fraternity. Finally, we believe that traditions play a large role in members

lives, because at the core of traditions are rituals, which in turn are grounded in values. The

entire reason Greek letter organizations were created were to help students feel accepted and

improve the world around them through the use of values. Students who join these organizations

are frequently reminded of their values, which they are more likely to incorporate into their day-

to-day lives, shifting away from how they were before they joined their Greek lettered

organization. In summary, our hypotheses are as follows:

Being a member of this organization has affected their collegiate

experience.
Being a member of this organization has made them a better man.
Being a member of this organization has increased involvement of

the student.
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Being a member of this organization exposes the student to

traditions which impact his daily life.

As mentioned above, there were four different hypotheses that we were able to come up

with based on the literature that we found. After establishing these hypotheses, we were able to

create several questions that we have for members of the organization within the NPHC, the

Theta Psi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. For the first hypothesis, that being a member of the

organization would have affected their collegiate experience, we thought of these questions:

How has your college experience changed since joining your

fraternity?
Is there anything that you would change about your fraternity or

your fraternity experience?

If you were conducting this study, what would you do?
What story can you recount that would help me better understand

your experience?
Who would agree or disagree on your views about your fraternity?

As for the second hypothesis, that being a member of the organization had made them a better

man, it came from the idea of masculinity and its role within traditionally black fraternal

organizations. From that, these questions were created:

Do you feel like you are a better man because of your fraternal

experience? Why or why not?

Being a member of the organization has caused the student to increase their involvement at the

institution is the third hypothesis formed and is based on the literature that was found on

involvement with the fraternal organizations who are members of NPHC. The questions for this

hypothesis include:
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Have you gotten more involved on campus or taken on more

leadership roles since joining the organization? If so, expand or describe in more

detail.

The fourth and last hypothesis is related to how traditions play a large role in the experience of

the members in the organization. These questions include:

What roles do tradition and ritual play in your chapter?

Why are traditions and rituals so important or not?

As of right now, Kappa Alpha Psi does not have many events on their calendar. We

intentionally want to go to organization specific events in order to get to know the Kappas and

see them in their element, independent of NPHC. For Kappa specific events, we plan on

attending the St. Jude Stroll Off on February 25th and the new member presentation sometime

later in the month of March, which has yet to be officially released. There were two other events

on the Kappa calendar, but we did not believe a pre-game and the PN (also known as Pretty

Nasty) events would be conducive to proper research. That being said, NPHC has a few events

on the calendar that may also provide time to interact with members, such as the NPHC

Executive Board weekly meetings and an upcoming Laser Tag event. The current president of

NPHC is a Kappa Alpha Psi, so these are potential opportunities to not only connect with him,

but also to talk about leadership and involvement outside of his own organization. These general

NPHC events allow us to really dig into the entire BGLO community and get a glimpse of what

it might be like to be a part of the Divine Nine. Next, our hope is that we will be able to attend a

chapter meeting or an executive board meeting for Kappa Alpha Psi. We have plans to reach out

via email with each of the four members directly to set up one-on-one conversations, but we are

also open to holding a group discussion due to the smaller size of the Theta Psi chapter outside of

chapter organized events.

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Kappa Alpha Psi is not particularly active on social media. When the organization does

post, they tend to utilize social media as one of their main forms for advertising events and other

important notifications for the fraternity, such as recent awards or honors. Currently, they have an

Instagram (@thetaspinupes), Twitter (@ThetaPsiNupes), and Facebook. The Instagram account

was created last year and is only really used to advertise upcoming events and celebrating current

or former members of the organization. The Twitter account is used for rather similar purposes,

but also used to acknowledge other NPHC organizations, Black Student Alliance, and other

organizations at Virginia Tech. On the other hand, the Facebook page has only been used once

since Spring 2016 and seems to be their least active social media outlet. Even though their social

media pages on not that active, they are still the main ways for communicating events with

GobblerConnect as the only other location for events or information to be posted.

Narrative

Originally, this research project started as an ethnography on the National Pan-Hellenic

Council organizations in general. However, from the beginning, we had a feeling that our topic

might narrow as the semester progressed. Our first interaction with a member of Kappa Alpha

Psi was at the joint program between the Black Student Alliance and NPHC laser tag. Walking

up to the event, it was a tad confusing at first because we did not know if we were in the right

place. We looked for a sign in the hallway, but eventually we found a check-table and a large

gathering of black students in the main hallway of War Memorial Gym. We approached, a small

group of five predominantly white graduate students and graduate student candidates, to see if

we could check into the event. Barbara, the Associate Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life

and the Advisor for National Pan-Hellenic Council, caught Megans attention and struck up a

conversation.
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Do you want to play laser tag? Barbara asked, to which the entire group responded in

the affirmative. Barbara swiftly lead the group into the basketball court and made sure each

member of the group was outfitted with the appropriate gear. At the time, neither Matt nor

Megan knew that there was a waiting list to play that they had by-passed.

After the first round of laser tag, Alex, a fellow graduate student and co-advisor to

NPHC, found the small group of graduate students and said hello.

Are there any Kappas here? Megan inquired, prompting Alex to look around the room. Alex

stared intently at a student for a while until he finally approached a tall, lithe black man, and

brought him over to introduce him to Matt and Megan.

Hi, Im George, the student said with a shake of our hands.

Megan and Matt are doing a project on Kappa Alpha Psi and wanted to meet a brother.

Alex said, walking away towards the crowd of laser-taggers so that Matt and Megan could have a

moment with George.

My brother Bob is around here somewhere, George said scanning the crowd. With no

luck, George turned back to the conversation with Matt and Megan. After a few moments of

explaining what an ethnography was and that Matt and Megan were going to attend a few events,

George seemed to perk up, Yeah, we have a couple events coming up this weekend.

We are planning on coming to the Stroll tomorrow! Megan replied, probably a little too

excited.

Cool. See you there. With that, everyone parted ways. George back to the large group,

Matt and Megan back to their prospective graduate students hanging in the corner of the gym.

Want to play another round? Megan asked the group. Only two of the prospective

graduate students responded in the affirmative.

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Megan approached a few girls standing closer to the laser tag arena in the gym and asked,

Hey, ladies! Is there any there equipment for this round.

To which, one of the women turned to Megan and inquires, um, have you signed up for it?

There's a pretty long waiting list. That was the moment the group learned that they had by-

passed the sign-in process in order to play a round of laser tag.

Fast-forward to next day, Matt and Megan slipped out of interview weekend with the

hopes of being gone an hour in order to see the St. Jude Stroll off that the Kappas were hosting at

the German Club Inn. Are you sure this is the right place? Megan questioned as they

approached the building with a seemingly empty parking lot.

Yup. I've been here a few times for previous events, Matt continued to walk through the

door.

Once inside, Matt quickly found the venue in on of the large banquet rooms. A wooden,

temporary dance floor had been laid with chairs surrounding the floor on three sides. A DJ set up

and folding table was set off center of the fourth side of the dance floor. A few people were

scattered around with room, with the largest gathering of people being a group of black males

clad in white and red, assumedly the Kappas.

Matt and Megan took some seats in the second row of one of the stage corners and

proceeded to wait, talking amongst themselves about previous experiences with Stroll and

observations of the space. Slowly, people began trickling into the event. At first, the area around

Matt and Megan filled in last, even though we sat in the second row. It was almost as if people

were not comfortable around us, which, in turn, made us a little self-conscious. Many people

were wearing different sorority and fraternity colors and emblems of the remaining NPHC

organizations. Some students Matt was able to identify as Virginia Tech athletes, and still some
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audience members appeared to have no affiliation, but arrived in groups of two or more to see

the show.

Overwhelmingly, the audience appeared to be black or of African-American descent, with

little exception. Matt was able to identify a small group of predominately white students as

members of the German Club, which was the organization that owned the venue.

After approximately an hour of waiting, the Stroll began. The Kappa announcer

explaining that old skool strolls would be the first half of the event with the new skool strolls

after the intermission. From there, the event started with every NPHCs cheer, saying or sound to

herald their presence. Each Stroll group represented a different NPHC organization, showcasing

their fraternity or sororitys signature move, with only one non-NPHC organization in the mix,

Alpha Kappa Delta Phi.

Everyone in the audience cheered for each team, meaning that different NPHC

organizations cheered for one another. Every group being perfectly supportive of the next.

Chapters from other parts of Virginia even attended this Stroll event, most notably another Kappa

Alpha Psi Chapter from Norfolk State which competed in the event in place of the local Theta

Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Chapter.

As the competition continued on, Matt and Megan were mindful of the time. Both stayed

longer at the event then they had intended, and both needed to get back to their respective roles

at Interview Weekend. However, the announcer earlier in the day had promised that the Theta Psi

Nupes would be strolling at intermission. With the late start of the showing, Megan and Matt had

to leave before getting to see the local Kappa chapter perform, so before the intermission was

over, both Matt and Megan quietly slipped out of the show.
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About a week later, the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi hosted a discussion on black male

leadership as part of their service efforts to the community. The purpose was to bring in older

black males in the community in order to discuss their role in life and the Virginia Tech

community.

Matt and Megan arrived to the event approximately ten minutes before the discussion

started. Two tables of the six were filled with black male students. Only Bob, a Kappa and the

president of NPHC, sat at a table by himself.

I feel a little out of place here. Do you think it's weird that I'm a female and at this talk?

Megan whispered to Matt as they approached the the event space.

It should be fine. Don't worry too much about it, Matt reassured her as they approached

the first empty table.

Maybe we should sit with Bob? It might be a little less awkward that way.

Matt and Megan made their way to one of the front tables where Bob sat. After the polite

exchange of greetings, Matt and Megan sat next to Bob at the table. Not long after, Bob got up

and began working on some final touches to the discussion.

Apparently, the pizza was late, and there a few last minute details that needed to be

double checked. Soon, James, a current Student Affairs professional at Virginia Tech, joined Bob

to help tie up the remaining loose ends. This entire time Matt and Megan sat, not really talking

but observing. Students began to file in a few minutes after the event was supposed to start.

Before long, each table was almost full with the exception of our table. James, noticing our

situation, struck up a conversation, asking about us and why were in attendance; he even invited

us to join him that weekend at the Black Male Leadership Conference that was being hosted at

the Inn the next weekend.

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The speaker, Adrien DeLoach, walked to the front of the room, which caught the

attention of the students and the room fell to a hush. The speaker began by giving his own history

and how it was due to strong black male role models and others in the community that he felt

like that's how he got to where he was that day. He challenged the room of mostly male black

undergraduates to think of people in their own lives who had helped them and who they could, in

turn, help in their community back home. From there he transitioned to examples of how

Mohammad Ali, a prominent black boxer, was able to train to become one of the best boxers of

all time and how that applied to the students at Virginia Tech. At one point in the speech, the

speaker was talking about Alis many children, but made sure to remind the audience that there

were ladies in the room so he wanted to be mindful of the audience.

After the speaker wrapped up, the pizza had arrived. Everyone stood in line, and that was

when Megan noticed that a few other women had joined the audience.

By the time the pizza had run out, the next portion of the event had been set up: a panel of four

upperclassmen males in the community. At least one current collegiate Kappa was on the panel,

Bob, and one of their alumni brothers served as the moderator with questions. They discussed the

future of the black community at Virginia Tech, and how it was up to the students in the room to

keep the momentum going as leaders on the campus. Their message was one of involvement and

making the most of the college experience.

The day before the New Member Presentation or crossing as it is often called

informally. The Theta Psi Kappa Alpha Chapter celebrated its fortieth year on Virginia Techs

campus. One event that celebrated this moment was the Kappa Kookout on the Prairie Quad. A

large group of people in red and white stood around in the Quad, laughing and eating. Mainly the

men stood around the grills, while women and children sat at nearby tables and the stairs to
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Pritchard Hall. Megan with her little puppy in tow attend the event. At first, Megan did not

recognize anyone, but soon Megan began talking with a few young women near the grills

because they noticed her tiny Pomeranian in hand. Only older member of Kappa Alpha Psi,

wearing a bright red Nupe shirt, stopped Megan and asked a few questions about her dog before

returning to conversations with his fellow alumni brothers. Soon Megan spotted George and

approached him. Hi George! How are you doing?

Hey! Doing well. Good to see you.

After a bit of light chit-chat, the two went separate ways, leaving Megan to awkwardly

wander around until she spotted Alex in the crowd.

What brings you to the cookout? Alex asked Megan as he approached.

I was out walking my dog, and my ethnography project. What about you?

Oh. That's right! I just wanted out of my apartment over there and decided to drop in

since I was one of the advisors to NPHC.

The two briefly discussed how it was a little awkward because neither one of them knew

too many people and that they did not really know what to do at the cookout. Alex was able to

find one of the undergraduate Nupes that he recognized and asked for some water, only to

discover that the event had been so popular that they had run out. It was not longer after that that

both Alex and Megan parted ways and left the event.

The final Kappa Alpha Psi event that we experienced was the New Member Presentation,

which is when the fraternity reveals who they have accepted into their organization. The newest

class members are often referred to as neos, which is the shortened version of neophytes.

Initially, the neos were almost an hour and a half late to their New Member Presentation.

As the time progress, more and more groups of people began to arrive at the Deitrick Plaza.
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 20

Again, each of the other NPHC fraternities and sororities and the Alpha Kappa Delta Phis were

present to support the incoming Kappas. This time more families were present, including young

children and parents of current Kappas. There was also a large presence of alumni Kappas,

because the Presentation was taking place over the Chapters fortieth anniversary celebration

weekend. In general, there also appeared to me more Virginia Tech students, including people

passing by and staying to watch the presentation.

Once the newest Kappas arrived, the crowd cheered until the President of Kappa Alpha

Psi gestured for everyone to quiet down. All new members were dressed the exact same: a smart

grey pant and vest combo with red ties, black shoes, and matching full-faced masks. The

presentation began with the President calling out cues for the neos to perform certain practiced

creeds, songs, and performances. At one point, the neos began singing to each sorority, to which

each organization responded with their cheer. The neos also passed out roses to mothers and

more mature members of the female population in the crowd. There was shimmying, dancing,

singing, and cheering. Everything appeared to be going well until the neos were asked about the

fraternities in the NPHC community. The line straightened up and began reciting their rehearsed

chant, which included derogatory and vulgar nicknames for each fraternity with an

accompanying gesture. The President asked three neos to step forward in order to repeat said

chant, which is customary when the neos do not perform up to the directors standard. By this

point in the show, Barbara stepped in and asked that portion of the show end or else the

presentation would not continue. The tension in the audience was palpable, especially amongst

the NPHC fraternities in attendance. For the remainder of the show, the President would

apologize for that performance and claim that it was all in good fun.
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 21

When it came time for the neos to reveal their identities, the crowd became excited and

loud. Family members began calling out the number of their relatives as an act of

encouragement. The alumni brothers swarmed the neo line and began patting their new brother

that was the same line number on the back before each new member removed their mask and

presented their identity to the crowd. Seven men ended up revealing themselves as members of

Kappa Alpha Psi on that day, taking the organization from a total of four active brothers to

eleven which made them the largest NPHC organization on Virginia Techs campus at the time.

To start the Georges interview, Megan and Matt both re-introduced themselves and the

reason why they were interviewing him and trying to find out more information about his

organization. Megan then asked How has your college experience changed since joining your

fraternity? with George responding that he is now a lot more involved overall at Virginia Tech,

meaning not just his fraternity but other councils, such as BOC, BSA, and NAACP. He also said

he has made more of a connection with people, specifically with other greek students not in

NPHC organizations and has changed for the better since he now represents the fraternity.

Trying to gain more information about how George would have gone about gathering

information differently, Megan asked George If you were conducting this study, what would

you do? George did not provide too much feedback, but did say that he would do research on

the organization and go to different schools because everyones experience will be very different,

especially between HBCUs and PWIs as well as alumni and undergrad chapters. That way you

would be able to get four different types of perspectives including differences in the size of the

line where you can have 22 crossing at an HBCU versus having 7 cross at Tech.

One of the first questions after the introduction that Megan asked was What story can

you recount that would help me better understand your experience? George took a short period
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 22

of time, but came up with four different stories about his experience. The initial story he

provided was that I have an Audi, which is a car, that when I got it, it was supposed to be about

$13,000, but with a trade-in a could get it for about $10,000. The car was nice too, it had a brand

new engine and it its a 2006. I went with my grandma and as we were talking to the car

salesman, he noticed my keychain and he happened to have crossed at Longwood in the 80s, so

he dropped my price by a few more thousands.

Following the car story, George mentioned his second story was being able to talk to

brothers who are older than me, including the charter members who were all at the 40th reunion

a few weekends ago. I was able to talk to them and they have helped shape me as they gave me

the reason why they wanted to charter the organization at Virginia Tech which makes me want to

take on other roles.

For his third story he provided, George stated that after I crossed/probated on March 24,

2016, I was put into the eastern province group chat, which is made up of every chapter in the

region, and it is really just a like a big family in the chat. I can go to other schools and could stay

with other brothers and wouldnt have to pay for a hotel room. I have this chapter, but I also have

the other chapters that I can be close with too.

A fourth story that George provided was, my best friend from home that I have know

since I was like 3 years old crossed at Howard, which helped found the Tech chapter, during the

same semester and could relate and understand what I was going through. We could talk about

only having two weeks left and it helped us have a deeper bond and connection now.

Following the story question, Megan asked George, who would agree or disagree on

your views about your fraternity? To which George, did not really answer the question as asked

but did answer the question of do you agree or disagree with the views of your fraternity?
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 23

George responded to that question by saying I agree with everything related to my fraternity,

especially the philanthropy, which is St. Jude, because I have a connection to St. Jude as I used to

live behind one of their locations in Richmond.

Megan continued to ask questions and this one related to masculinity was Do you feel

like you are a better man because of your fraternal experience? And why? Quickly responding,

George said that I am the same man as I am now as when I crossed, but just more aware of what

I have to do. I am always being on watch since people know you are a Kappa, so that expect

more out of you and you better represent them well. I have matured since crossing, I have

crossed my ts and dotted my is.

George had already mentioned it briefly during a previous question, but Megan asked

him have you gotten more involved on campus or take on more leadership roles since joining

the organization? To this question George responded its more of something that Im currently

striving to do now and I am actually thinking of trying to the Vice President of NPHC next year.

I might even go for president since the current president, Bob, wants it to be run by a Kappa next

year. I also am thinking about trying to be a liaison for BOC and even get on the board for BSA.

This has helped me to be more vocal and I want to help bridge the gap between Greek and not

Greek.

What roles for tradition and ritual play in your chapter? asked Megan as we were

getting close to finishing our questions. George, replied they play a big role. You know how

things are supposed to be done and we are enriched to do certain things in a certain way and we

need to get things done if we are supposed to do them in on a certain day. Certain things out

chapter does, other chapters dont do and wouldnt understand why we do them. We live out our

ritual in our daily life, Kappa in general, we all have one main ritual and its always shown.
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 24

Continuing the conversation about rituals, Megan asked why are traditions and rituals so

important or not? He answered that they help you stay true to your roots and understand why it

was founded and what it means to be a Kappa and Greek. They make you stay true to yourself

and the bigger or greater cause because being in a fraternity could cause you to be someone who

you arent.

The last official question Megan asked George was Is there anything that you would

change about about your fraternity or your fraternity experience? which we asked last because

of the sensitive nature of the questions. Though George responded rather calmly that he wished

there was not as much stuff (or events) that we had to go to. For example we have to go

something called province meetings, where all of one province, or region, comes together for a

meeting one to two times a month. He continued by saying they have to pay to go to all of the

events and even for the hotels, and not everyone has the money to go to these events, but they are

required to be there. Another area of change that George addressed was the way a lot of alumni

look down on undergrad brothers because they feel they have power over you. To that point,

Megan asked like respect your elders type of power? To which George responded, yes respect

you elders and deference, which is good, but can get frustrating when someone is from an older

line but you are older and they still feel they have power over you.

Following the original planned questions, there were several questions that related to

concepts that flowed with the conversations or events that had occurred recently, including how

are you feeling after the New Member Presentation? George did a nervous chuckle and then

said he would have liked there to be a change of location and for it to have started on time. I

like things to start on time, but we couldnt control that the line wasnt on time and it didnt help

that there were seven of them. He also mentioned that there were good vibes until a certain
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 25

point, at which we looked away since we had no say in what they were doing, but it was not

supposed to taken in that way as it is more of a show. Following that response, Megan added a

quick follow up question by asking, was it similar to your own New Member Presentation?.

George commented how their New Member Presentation was similar in that it had the same

layout but a different location and it was later in the day. Theirs was more rushed after a certain

time, whereas ours was smooth sailing and on our own time, but it helped that we were actually

on time.

Continuing the conversation and building off previous comments, Megan asked

knowing about the NPHC community, how could you advocate for more involvement and what

would that look like? George responded that he wanted to be able to grow in all of the

community, not just the black community, that show up to events and get like 200, 300, or even

400 people to an event. Bringing President Sands or taking pictures with him to get us seen in a

positive light since we are sometimes seen in a negative light. We need to recognize the positive

vision we have for the NPHC be able to work with other organizations not just those within the

black community, like BOC or BSA.

Megan then asked, what was your motivation to join Kappa? Were you a legacy or either

of your parents involved in greek life? George shared with us that my dad actually knew

Arthur Ashe fairly well and grew up in Richmond so they were really close. When Arthur Ashe

died, his family was still really close with my dad and were really nice to my family, so I got to

see a lot of Kappas when I was growing up. My mom went to Howard and almost did AKA, but

was a Chemical Engineer and did not have time for that then. So, I was exposed to greek life

when I was younger, but no one actually in my family was greek. Seeing the positives in the
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 26

people when I was younger made me want to join and also to be my own person, besides just a

black man at a PWI.

Again continuing off of the previous conversation, Megan asked George what are

Kappas known for? To which George answered Achievement. Achievement in Every Field of

Human Endeavor, Kappas motto. I always set my goal to that and I want to be an entrepreneur

so it fits. I want to achieve at every level possible, which was entailed in me before I crossed

from my family. Following that question, the interview was concluded and both Megan and

Matt thanked him for participating and sharing his experience within this organization.

Analysis

In reviewing our observations, a few patterns became clear, including interactions with

others, interactions with NPHC community, interactions with BSA, and overall fraternity culture.

Usually, behaviors were observed in more than one instance.

In looking at how members interacted with others outside of the Black Student Alliance

and National Pan-Hellenic Council communities, members of Kappa Alpha Psi had to be

approached in order to engage with people outside their comfort zones. At the laser tag event,

Alex introduced us to a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi. No one sought out the new people that had

joined the laser tag event beyond the leaders like Alex and Barbara. At the Stroll, again Barbara

approached us, but none of the Kappa Alpha Psi brothers interacted with us or the German Club

members even though both groups were some of the first people at the event in a nearly empty

room. Once Alpha Kappa Delta Phi arrived, no one greeted their Stroll team, and they almost

forgot their performance in the line up. The announcer even announced their organizations name

wrong for the performance. At the Black Male Leadership Discussion, we approached Bob and

said hello to George in line for pizza, but initially no one would sit with us. There was also a
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 27

table of women in the back of the room that only one male sat at, and he was not even a member

of the fraternity. Next at the cookout, Megan initiated conversations with both George and Bob,

but they were brief. Many of the girlfriends and wives of the Kappas also seemed to be on the

perimeter of conversations. Finally, at the New Member Presentation, we had no interaction with

the brothers beyond observing the event. This could all be because each of the events the

brothers were busy with other activities in order to make the event run smoothly, but it is also

surprising that there was minimal interaction with others beyond just the ethnographers if they

were not members of the aforementioned communities. George in his interview even stated that a

vision he had for his brothers and NPHC as a whole was get them move involved in the campus

beyond just the NPHC and BSA communities.

In observing fraternity culture, we noticed that ritual and tradition play a large role in the

Nupe experience. For instance, strolling took place at more than one event and is an activity that

Kappa Alpha Psi chapters do across the nation. Kappas event have a signature move called the

shimmy. During the New Member Presentation, the uniformity of the outfits and speech speak

to the a tradition of being one as a fraternity. They spoke, moved, and performed as one, which is

again a tradition of the organization nationally. Most, if not all, brothers wore red and white at

events, which are the national fraternitys colors. Observers could find Kappas based on their

colors before even seeing their Greek letters. In how members portrayed masculinity, every

Stroll was provocative or sexual in some way, which is often attributed to hyper-masculinity and

assertion of dominance (Young, 2003, p. 4). In the same instance, the brothers showed how they

could be gentlemen by handing out roses to women in the crowd and by the dapper clothing

selection for their presentation outfits. Both are forms of masculine expression, which are

traditional expectations of the fraternity experience. Brothers are expected to Stroll and wear
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 28

certain attire for the New Member Presentation. Finally, high alumni involvement is another

tradition that NPHC organizations in general share. The expectation is that once you are a

member of a Divine Nine organization, you are a member for life, which was showcased by the

high attendance of alumni for all of the Kappa Alpha Psi events.

Throughout the several observations we were able to have of the NPHC organizations,

the majority of the interactions between the different organizations showed a mutual respect even

if they did not have the best relationships. However, during the New Member Presentation,

Kappa Alpha Psi showed some disrespect for other fraternal organizations within NPHC and it

has had some negative impacts on relationships between chapters. On the other side, Kappa

Alpha Psi showed a large amount of respect to the sororal organizations by singing songs to each

organization. Different from the New Member Presentation, Kappa Alpha Psi hosted a Stroll Off

to benefit St. Jude and each of the organizations was there to support each other and support

Kappa Alpha Psi since this was a philanthropy event. The amount of respect shown at each of

these events was drastically different but also understandable due to the significance and purpose

of the different events. Additionally, there were groups there to support every organization and

not just the focus on one group which helped in the respect shown for each group. The laser tag

event that was hosted by both NPHC and BSA was different than both events as there were few

letters that were seen throughout the night and it was not evident who was with each

organization. The interactions were much more friendly and natural as there was no competition

or show trying to prove which organization was better as it was just an event to have fun and

support BSA and NPHC as a whole.

As seen in most of the interactions with the students in Kappa Alpha Psi as well as NPHC

there was a strong partnership with BSA and other black organizations on campus and it could be
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 29

seen by their participation and attendance at events. Additionally, some members of NPHC are

also are the board for BSA and help strengthen the relationship in how BSA and NPHC

organizations support each other. During the Black Male Leadership discussion it was evident

that these students were looking to be role models for new black males coming to Virginia Tech

for the first time, especially since Blacksburg is not a diverse area. Also, these student leaders

need to see more support from the black faculty and that was mentioned at the discussion as well,

but there were several black male faculty at the event showing their support which helps show

these students there are those role models on campus they can look up to. One of the most

popular comments mentioned during the Black Male Leadership discussion was that it took

students a long time to find their place on campus or a community they felt at home with. It was

not until they got involved with an NPHC organization or BSA or something like those that they

were able to truly have that community and comfort here at Virginia Tech, a PWI. They still had

some community outside of these groups of people, but this was where they could be their true

self.

At the Black Male Leadership discussion it seemed like it was really important to the

students at the discussion that the inclusion of athletes or at least their presence at events was

important to bringing the entire black community at Virginia Tech together. Additionally,

providing support for students who dont fall under the stereotypical black male and might not

feel included was also an important topic of discussion that seemed to be one that is often not

discussed because no one wanted to define what the stereotypical black male looked like. It was

evident from our interactions with members of Kappa Alpha Psi at the Black Male Leadership

discussion that these students were focused on getting more involved in both the black

community as well as the overall community at Virginia Tech. George confirmed this during the
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 30

interview as well, when he talked about how being in a NPHC organization has increased his

want to be involved and opened up an avenue for him to get more involved.

Another component that was noticed in the interactions with students was the importance

of masculinity and what that meant for them within their fraternities and the university. Each

student comes into college with their own perspective of what defines a man or masculinity, but

what was alluded to was that being a member of Kappa Alpha Psi helped the students confirm

who they are as a person and a man. So not necessarily defining what masculinity is, but

providing the space for these students to mature as men throughout college and defining what

that meant for themselves. George mentioned how being in Kappa Alpha Psi has helped him

mature as a person but it also had helped him mature academically and professionally. By being

a member of this organization it is opening these students up to opportunities to attend

conferences both at Virginia Tech (Black Male Leadership discussion) and across the country

that help them learn from others and grow.

Conclusion

When looking at our original research question of how membership in an NPHC

organization impacts students experience in college as well as our four hypotheses, we noticed

that most of our areas of focus found in the literature was definitely evident through our

interactions and observations of the members in the organization. Out of the four hypotheses we

used, we were able to confirm three out of the four based on the observations from events and

the interview with one of their members. Being a member of a NPHC organization, such as

Kappa Alpha Psi, has changed the members experience for better and has allowed them to have

a more positive experience at Virginia Tech. This was evident based on the community and the

involvement seen by the members at all of the events. It also was clear from the students we
KAPPA ALPHA PSI 31

interacted with that being a member of the organization increased their involvement at the

university by either making them want to get more involved or providing the opportunities for

the students to get more involved. Also, as we anticipated from the literature, traditions and

rituals played a large role in the members lives as it was stated by one of them that they live out

their rituals in their daily lives. The only hypothesis were unable to determine was if being a

member of this organization helped students become better men by witnessing others in a

professional setting. We were not able to gather enough information particularly related to the

professional setting component, but we were able to see that being a member of this organization

has allowed the members to mature and grow through the rich history of their organizations.

References

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Appendix

EVENT DESCRIPTION TIME/DATE WHO

ATTENDED

BSA & NPHC Laser tag hosted jointly by February 24 from 7 Matt, Megan

Laser Tag BSA and NPHC. 9 pm

Stroll-Off The Kappas hosted a February 25 from 2 Matt, Megan

stroll off between other 4 pm

NPHC organizations on

campus and in the

surrounding areas.

Critical The Kappas hosted the March 13 from 7 Matt, Megan

KAPPA ALPHA PSI 34

Discussion on discussion and even 9 pm

Black Male invited a guest speaker to

Leadership provide tips on what it

means to be a successful

black leader, as well as

there being a panel of

current black male leaders

within NPHC and BSA.

Kappa Kookout Alumni reunion cookout March 25 from Megan

hosted by the Kappas to

celebrate their 40th

anniversary at VT.

Kappas New This was the Kappas New March 26 from 2 Matt, Megan

Member Member Presentation, 5 pm

Presentation where they had 7 people

joining their fraternity.

Interview 1 Interviewed George about April 7 from 4 - 5 Matt, Megan

his Kappa experience. pm

Chart 1: Shows the various events that Matt and Megan were able to attend during the period of

this ethnography and includes a short description of each event.