Outside the Student Union Commons, people dancing, music playing and students strolling make up the famous Courtyard Wednesdays at MTSU.
Behind Courtyard Wednesdays is MTSU’s National Pan-Hellenic Council, the self-governing body composed of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities – known as the Divine Nine.
“We each have our own values, but they all come into the same understanding of what our purpose is,” said Jaliyah Webb, NPHC President and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority member. “That’s to uplift Black students.”
NPHC has made strides to garner more representation on campus, including getting Courtyard Wednesdays recognized as an official event by the university. Despite not being advertised on the university’s website, this semester’s first Courtyard was the largest turnout many had ever seen.
“We knew who we were, but nobody else knew who we were,” Webb said. “Now we’re doing things like Courtyard on Wednesdays to show people this is who we are, and this is a part of our culture.”
But the goal of NPHC goes beyond just hosting fun events, Webb said.
“It’s cool for us to come together and mingle and stroll … But at the end of the day, the goal is to make everybody feel like they belong and are safe,” Webb said. “It’s hard to find our people because we’re not given that space … So, I think our goal is to just give people that space.”
NPHC also focuses on empowering students by organizing events such as financial literacy and resume-building workshops. The organization plans to further strengthen its impact by potentially hosting a career fair and establishing an NPHC scholarship for incoming students.
Caleb Baker, vice president of administration and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity member, said one big accomplishment for NPHC in recent years has been securing their own office suite on the third floor of the Student Union. The suite includes three offices shared between the seven active chapters, as well as a spacious conference area; the windows surrounding the suite are adorned with letters of each organization within the D9.
“Beforehand, we didn’t have an office space or much of anything really representing the D9 on campus,” Baker said.
Previously, the NPHC and the organizations that comprise it would meet in a single office room in the Student Union.
“We had no computers or anything, just the room,” Baker said. “We all had to function out of that small room, and that was just within the previous year. A year later, you see what we’ve done. We’ve expanded this whole area to have an office of our own.”
Baker emphasized that the office space isn’t made to be exclusionary, but rather signifies that NPHC is a legitimate organization that requires a legitimate space. Their doors are always open for students to come in, study and relax as they wish.
“This is our place that we can say we come to handle business and get stuff done, and we actually feel more seen on campus,” Baker said. “We’re trying to further that with the plots.”
Plots are grounds often found on campuses dedicated to organizations within the D9. They showcase the organization’s symbols and colors while signifying their historic pride.
Brick pillars along the Student Union Commons feature black and gold plaques honoring the D9. However, Baker says these are hardly noticeable compared to plots at other universities or the large letters lining MTSU’s Greek Row houses. The NPHC has been working to get new plots installed that better represent the organizations, but the board of trustees has been reluctant.
“We’ve been trying for so long,” Baker said. “They say it would mess up the aesthetic of campus. We’ve proposed spaces … We even asked to paint the trees by Peck Hall. It’s [farther] away and not messing up the aesthetic. They said no because they tailgate there.”
NPHC leaders have proposed to have the plots funded by alumni and vowed to maintain the upkeep of the plots, but the board has repeatedly denied their proposals for a designated space.
“You don’t know how many times we’ve tried to formulate meetings face to face and gotten shut down,” Baker said. “We want to have an actual conversation … Or better yet, give us [options] … We want to know what we say is heard and not just disregarded.”
The struggle to have their ideas heard by the board has been long and tiring, Baker said. However, the success they’ve achieved in recent years motivates him to continue. He and Webb said they hope future generations of the NPHC will reflect on their hard work and find inspiration.
“I think we’re on a good path,” Webb said. She envisions the next generation of NPHC “staying on that path and staying true to it. Remembering that we’re here for a reason and continuing that on.”
NPHC hopes to continue being a safe space for students and hold more events where students feel welcomed.
“We are here for you,” Webb said. “If you have a concern, you want something to happen, or if you just have a question, let us know. If you just want to come in and hang out, we’re here for that too.”
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