They may not have the big glamorous houses on fraternity row. But this is not the driving force behind members of all the fraternities on campus.

Many students at Iowa State are possibly unaware of the existence of four historically black fraternities on campus. These four organizations are in no way limited to the ISU campus, having chapters on major college campuses across the globe.

Founded on the principles of brotherhood, scholarship and education, Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi and Phi Beta Sigma have incorporated themselves and become more than fraternal organizations — they are more like businesses.

They are businesses whose job it is to help themselves and those like them to reach a high level of success.

History

Alpha Phi Alpha, recognized as the first of all black greek letter organizations, was founded in 1906 on the campus of Cornell University. Omega Psi Phi was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1911. Kappa Alpha Psi, also founded in 1911, was founded on the campus of Indiana University. Phi Beta Sigma joined the group in 1914 on the campus of Howard University.

While some people join fraternities for the parties and the houses and the letters, many members of African-American fraternities have different reasons.

Sean Davis, a junior in philosophy and vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha, said, “After watching how the world works, I saw that groups of people have the power to control how the world works. I realized that I wanted to work with people who thought like me and look like me if I wanted to make changes in the world. One way to do this was by joining Alpha Phi Alpha.”

Brotherhood

Brotherhood and camaraderie are very important to members of the various organizations.

Brian Driver, a junior in psychology and a member of Phi Beta Sigma, agrees, “I have three older brothers so brotherhood is very important to me. Since becoming a member of Phi Beta Sigma, I now have thousands of brothers worldwide.”

Greg Lewis, a senior in electrical engineering and treasurer for Kappa Alpha Psi, had different sentiments. “Not only did Kappa’s level of brotherhood and the bond between their members outweigh what I saw of other organizations, but their dedication to the honorable achievement in every field of human endeavor is something I truly believe in.”

There are many prominent African-American members of these fraternities, such as Arthur Ashe, Michael Jordan , Rev. Jesse Jackson, Emmit Smith, Thurgood Marshall, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Like most of their counterparts, community service is a staple for the African-American fraternities. Sponsoring “Go to High School, Go to College” campaigns, diversity crusades, and clothing drives, the different groups all have their own ways of helping others to better themselves through education and attempting to set good examples.

“The black community has a lot of work to do. For us to improve ourselves we must make strides not only educationally but economically,” Davis said.

Controversy

Despite their many strides forward, there have been attempts to pull the fraternities backwards. There have been accusations of elitist attitudes, as well as different incidents of violence and hazing.

“Most of these statements happen because people have little to no understanding of what is going on in the inside of our organizations. We can’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch,” Davis said.

Though the groups are happy with who they are and where they are, they do notice some differences between them and historically white fraternities.

“The so-called white fraternities have access to more resources than we do. The mansion-like houses and the numbers of campus members are all to their advantage,” Lewis said.

However, all the differences are not that superficial.

“I think there is a stronger bond between our members. I mean, I can tell you the names of all the members of my chapter, their parents’ names, even their favorite foods. Some people live in houses and don’t know anything about the guy in the next room. I know stuff about these guys their own mothers don’t know, we are all like brothers,” Driver said.

Commitment

Lewis believes that the commitment factor differs greatly between predominantly white and black fraternities. Particularly when it comes to length of servitude.

“I think we have more of a commitment to our fraternities. I have heard stories of people in other organizations sort of ‘un-joining’ their fraternities and joining others. We are members for life and are expected to be active until we die. We are like family, you don’t just leave one family to join another,” he said.

While historically white fraternities have what is called “rushing” black fraternities have a different method for inducting members.

Informationals are held where young men may attend and listen to current members talk about their organization and their questions are answered. Men are encouraged to visit the informationals of every organization in order to know all sides of the proverbial coin.

The actual joining of the fraternity, or intake process is another story entirely.

Usually it is a process which may takes a few weeks. Different information is learned by prospective members, before actual membership is granted.

Entertainment

Man cannot live by bread alone. All work and no play can leave fraternity life rather dry. Parties are still a constant fun tool, the proceeds from many functions are used to fund other projects.

“I plan to use my talents to serve the African-American community and to broaden my horizons and to have fun doing it,” Driver said.

Perhaps what many of the fraternities are most well-known for is the Stepshows they present. Every group has their own style of “steppin'” unique to each national organization.

Stepping is a style of group dance which involves many of the traditions from African-American culture. The call and response form of speaking or chanting during the dance was made famous with gospel spirituals. The stomping or dancing which imitates the talking drums speaks on its own. Even the dissin’ or making fun of other groups is total fun just in order to put on a better show. These exhibitions have recently been showcased on national award shows, as well as TV shows.

The next Iowa State Stepshow will be held at Greekfest in October.

Even though there are many things alike about the different fraternities they are still four different organizations.

Davis believes that the separation is necessary, as long as it isn’t debilitating to anyone because it is reaching one common goal.

“On a college campus there are different enclaves of people. Everyone has a different personality and attitude. You will find someone on every campus who can fit in with one of this groups. Different people will always form different groups,” he said.

“We are founded on similar principles by different people trying to achieve a similar goal,” Driver said.