Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in a series to celebrate black history month that will look into influence and achievement from Baker University’s black community throughout campus history.
Though they belong to the smallest sorority on campus, the sorors, or sisters, of Zeta Phi Beta may have a chance to make a huge impact on Baker University’s campus forever. Likewise, a group of men hope to make a similar impact by just getting started.
The demographics of greek life at Baker were in a state of constant change until sometime around the end of the 1970s, and historically black fraternities and sororities were no more dominant in the community then than they are now.
Students attempted to bring other charters to campus during the ’90s, but were unsuccessful.
Although Baker’s four current fraternities, Zeta Chi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Kappa Sigma and Delta Tau Delta, and four elder sororities, Phi Mu, Zeta Tau Alpha, Alpha Chi Omega and Delta Delta Delta, have held strong, a variety of other fraternities have come and gone and a number of sororities have suffered the same fate.
When looking through archived editions of the Baker Wildcat, it is evident that historically black fraternities and sororities tried to make their marks on campus, but greek records show that none were truly successful. How these greek organizations fell off the Baker radar is poorly documented, but the struggle to acquire new charters throughout the years has touched many of the university’s current students.
Director of Greek Life Bryan VanOsdale said a small group of women approached him at the beginning of the fall semester to discuss bringing a new charter to Baker.
“They came in at the first of August and introduced themselves to me and asked what I knew about historically black sororities,” he said.
VanOsdale said he led the women in the direction of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, or the “divine nine” – a group of five historically black fraternities and four historically black sororities.
Sophomore Ron Atkinson said he began working with former Residence Life Coordinator Henderson Hill during the 2005-2006 year, and he and other interested men have since been working with VanOsdale to pursue a charter from Kappa Alpha Psi, also an NPHC organization.
The women of Zeta Phi Beta entered the greek community in a different manner than other Baker sorority members traditionally do and are hoping to have an alternative focus within their social organization.
Instead of focusing on social events, Zeta Phi Beta will place its center of attention on philanthropy and community service.
VanOsdale said the women want to make an impact on the university and community through that drive for service and by bringing a sense of openness and awareness to Baker.
“I think they’re just really wanting to be known for serving the community and changing the community in a very positive way,” he said. “The Zeta Phi Beta motto is ‘finer womanhood,’ and they’re wanting to live up to that.”
Atkinson said if he and others get their charter, they would take a new approach to going greek as well. He explained that he and others felt they could not relate to the current fraternities on campus.
“One of the things was that we can’t say what they stand for and what separates them from the next fraternity,” he said.
Atkinson said if Baker gets the Kappa Alpha Psi charter, it will strive to focus on historically strong values and traditions from the NPHC. He said he wants the fraternity to make a lasting impact on the Baker community.
“It will add a different option – not just for us, but for people after us,” he said. “We want to be as much a part of Baker as we can be.”
Atkinson said though the NPHC generally recruits more minorities, adding the fraternity is more about expanding options.
“I don’t like to say that it’s just for black people because it’s not,” he said. “The NPHC is historically black, and the IFC is historically white.”
Atkinson said a culture of growing diversity has encouraged the spread of common ground.
“Now we’re blessed with so much diversity that it really doesn’t matter who you are,” he said.
The lack of historical information about Baker’s bygone attempts at fraternities and sororities will work as incentive for the women of Zeta Phi Beta and those working to obtain the Kappa Alpha Psi charter to fight to leave a mark on the community.
VanOsdale said what the women and men are doing is exciting for the entire university.
“It’s history in the making,” he said.