The divine hidden gem nestled under the ‘Mother of Fraternities’

Hailed as the “Mother of Fraternities,” Miami University is known for its robust Greek life and their multitude of affiliations representing thousands of students. These individual organizations, or chapters, fall under four larger national councils known as the Interfraternity Council (IFC), Pan-Hellenic Association (Panhellenic), Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).

According to Miami, nearly 30% of the undergraduate population is involved in Greek life, but only 24 students are currently affiliated with NPHC, a council composed of nine historically black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs), also known as the Divine Nine (D9).

Founded in 1930 on the campus of Howard University, the NPHC serves to help govern these nine BGLOs and was “established on the principles of service, academic excellence and community advocacy,” according to its website.

While many of these organizations have founding dates going back to the early 20th century, they first appeared on Oxford’s campus back in 1953 when Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. was successfully chartered.

Six more of these organizations have joined since: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. (1969), Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (1977), Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. (2000), Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (2001), Omega Psi Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (2020) and Sigma Gamma Rho (2024).

As active Greek chapters, these organizations work to be a space for racially marginalized students to connect, organize and propel a legacy of excellence within their communities.

While these organizations emphasize their historical impact in Black and American culture, Ava Britford, a senior and the president of Miami’s NPHC and the treasurer of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, said students should know that while BLGOs are historically Black, they are not exclusively Black.

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Unlike their predominantly white Greek council counterparts, BGLOs on the campus of Miami do not host a designated time for rush or recruitment during the spring semester.

Jasmine Hardy, the associate director of fraternity and sorority life, said this is because “the NPHC does not govern how chapters do their membership intake.”

This informal process prioritizes discretion and could be one of the potential factors for why GBLOs see a lower level of student interest.

Despite being relatively small, BGLOs can be seen engaging with and hosting events for the community and student body several times throughout any given semester. These events are such as the new membership presentation for Omega Psi Phi March 31.

This event took place on the green grounds of the Fine Arts Plaza behind the Art Building, and brought in a mixture of around 50 students, including Miami alumni and even older affiliated Greek members living near Butler County.

Starting approximately 4o minutes after 7:11 p.m. — the founding year of the organization in military time — chants and calls coming from all angles echoed through the area.