Featured Image Courtesy of Alpha Phi Alpha
Story by Reggie Johnson
On Sunday at 6 p.m. Middle Tennessee State University’s Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Kappa Xi Chapter will host its first Neophyte Presentation since 2017 in the James Union Building.
Alpha Phi Alpha was founded at Cornell University on December 4, 1906 in Ithaca, New York. The fraternity was the first intercollegiate Greek letter fraternity established for black students. It was born out of the desire for maintaining close association and unified support for members of this small minority group.
The 432nd Realm was established here on March 25, 1975 by eight brothers called the “ABECEDARIAN 8.” These eight men are Baine Spottwood, Russell Johnson, Samuel K. Avent, Jake M. Burrell, Warren C. Mackey, Leroy Wade, Robert D. Frazier and Larry Grier.
Chapter President from 1997 to 1998, Montrell Dobbins, graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a major in Mass Communication. He was a charter member of the Collegiate 100 Chapter at MTSU, a member of the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society and the first African American SOA. While here, Dobbins was also a part of MTSU’S NAACP Chapter.
As former President, Dobbins explained the organization’s motto and who they serve and represent.
“Our motto is, ‘First of all, Servants of all, We shall transcend all.’ In Alpha, we strive to uplift the downtrodden in our communities. We’re advocates for those less fortunate than us. We want to promote their life and provide better resources, connections and support in the communities that we serve. We have major programs that are implemented on both the collegiate and alumni chapter level. These programs are what we use to help prepare our brothers for the real world,” Dobbins said.
Dobbins gave insight into what’s to come with the Alpha’s return to campus and the Murfreesboro area.
“Those are mandated events our chapters have to implement to stay active. When our new members become initiated, they’ll begin those programs and hopefully they’ll be creative and implement new ones that will specifically service this campus. They will also implement Big Brother Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, food drives, mentorship, sexual health awareness and domestic violence programs,” Dobbins noted.
Dobbins gave more details about Sunday’s event, hoping that students will be able to learn about this historic frat.
“Sunday is a Neophyte Presentation of our newest members on campus that will include the traditional songs and steps—a celebration to welcome them into our fraternity and to present them to the student body on campus. We haven’t been an inactive chapter the past five years, so it’s pretty exciting for us to be back,” Dobbins said.
The frat has not been active since 2017 and are now hoping to make a return to campus this Sunday.
“The average student here has never seen our fraternity from a freshman to a senior. Five years is a long time for us to be missed, but we feel welcomed, while our presence has not been physical, our spirit has never died! We’ve been here since 1975 and have been at the forefront of fraternity life. That’s our goal to get back to that. Our slogan for Sunday is to ‘Return to the throne.’ We’re returning to lead by example, transcend and establish a community here that provides a better college experience,” Dobbins said.
For Alpha Phi Alpha, they are excited to return to campus and help the community.
Reggie Johnson is a Lifestyles Reporter for MTSU Sidelines.
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