UK official urges 'segregated' Greeks to cooperate

[cuteASAbug]

Yay! Please do! ALAM <3!

[TSteven]

Photo from The Kentucky Kernel

Leading in Diversity

This year [April 2005], The Epsilon Chi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. held their first annual Stomp-a-Palooza. This event is a Stepping Competition open to various Greek Letter Organization at the University of Kentucky. What made this competetion differ from any other step show in years past at UK was the fact that all the teams participating were from historically White Greek letter Organizations. Albeit some question the degree of diversity on UK's campus, EX has been interacting with historically White Greek letter Ogrs for years. This event especially, exemplifies that EX is a trailblazer when it comes to breaking down the barriers of race among Fraternities and Sororities at the University of Kentucky.

[Senusret I]

heyyyy my friend is a recent alum from that chapter.

I think he was a stepmaster at one point.

[DZRose]

Originally Posted by TSteven

Photo from The Kentucky Kernel

Leading in Diversity

This year [April 2005], The Epsilon Chi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. held their first annual Stomp-a-Palooza. This event is a Stepping Competition open to various Greek Letter Organization at the University of Kentucky. What made this competetion differ from any other step show in years past at UK was the fact that all the teams participating were from historically White Greek letter Organizations. Albeit some question the degree of diversity on UK's campus, EX has been interacting with historically White Greek letter Ogrs for years. This event especially, exemplifies that EX is a trailblazer when it comes to breaking down the barriers of race among Fraternities and Sororities at the University of Kentucky.

As an alumnae of the DZ chapter at UK, I'll add that while I was there, we always made efforts to participate in activities with the "traditionally black" sororities/fraternities. My roommate pledged Zeta Phi Beta and we used to love to discuss the similarities and differences between our sisterhoods (man, the new member gifts she got from her sisters after pledging was AMAZING!!!). It's nice to see the women of the chapter continuing that tradition in the article above. And it's a little weird to see a pic of the basement of the house on GC!

[UGAalum94]

In the example of no new NPHC groups being able to charter at a particular campus in the 1970s because of no housing, were NPC/IFC groups chartered by NPHC groups were denied? Or were there no new GLOs period?

[barbino]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

In the example of no new NPHC groups being able to charter at a particular campus in the 1970s because of no housing, were NPC/IFC groups chartered by NPHC groups were denied? Or were there no new GLOs period?

Assuming you mean specifically UK---
It seems that there were no new IFC/NPC chapters on this particular campus in the 1970's other than the fraternity AEPi, (1972) which is now inactive, according to Wikipedia. Since I can't remember it, I have no comment on its housing situation. I can remember a recolonization of Phi Delta Theta, which supposedly had wealthy alums and secured an smaller, older house on the outskirts of campus (1978-80?). Other than that, IFC/NPC expansion seemed nonexistent until the 1980's. In 1982 - AOPi came on, and in 1989, Sigma Kappa, according to Wiki.

Before the 1970's, the DG's & the Pi Phi's came on and they built their own new houses (1962-63). These chapter houses were not supplied by the University as with the other sorority houses. Kappa Kappa Gamma still has the stately old mansion that it has owned for many years. In the mid-seventies Gamma Phi Beta's house was new (the chapter is now inactive). The Alpha Chi Omega house was also new, and this chapter is also inactive. These houses were then used by other GLO's. UK seems to have had a shortage of houses, because those owned by the University were filled quickly by other groups. The new ones that were built to house GLO's that did not continue were always reoccupied by other GLO's (Alpha Chi Omega's house became the Sigma Pi house). I forget who got the Gamma Phi's old house.

The last time I visited the campus about 2 1/2 years ago, there were several new houses. I remember the Sigma Chi house was new. The KA house of the late seventies had become a parking lot. This was strange because the other University-owned fraternity houses seemed to still be there. But a few years ago UK announced plans to rebuild its campus and become a top research institution. The changes to the campus were extensive. Hope that this answers your question.

[UGAalum94]

Thank you for that information. It's sad to consider the expense of building a house and then for the chapter to go inactive.

I was mainly interested in Lady Greek's, I think it was, campus where the university shut down expansions of NPHC groups and claimed it was related to housing shortage.

If NPC/IFC groups were allowed to come onto campus, it's pretty clearly racial discrimination, but if no new groups came on, it may have actually been about the housing shortage.

I'm interested in more information about that.

[barbino]

Wait, I forgot - I think that Chi Omega, Tri-Delt, and ADPi also owned and still own their own houses on UK's campus. I was less familiar with the fraternity houses than the sorority houses. But some chapter houses were University-owned and some were owned by the chapters and/or their national.

[BSUPhiSig'92]

My mother graduated from the campus (SIUC) ladygreek was referring to, and I am currently the Greek advisor at it's sister campus (SIUE). More than likely the situation was one of blatant discrimination in the 1960s. My mother graduated from there in 1957, and has told me about how in the one women's dormitory, the African American women were required to live on one floor. She also said that African American males weren't allowed to live on campus at that time. This was only about 10 years prior to when ladygreek mentioned.