- Doncorleone Mahone,
Kappa Alpha Psi member
Kappa Alpha Psi is back on the ISU campus – and determined to make a difference.
The fraternity has been officially welcomed back to campus after years of inactivity. Part of ISU’s National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), they are now the eighth out of nine African-American organizations to participate in the university’s Greek affairs.
Large crowds gathered in front of Milner Library to watch the men of Kappa Alpha Psi reveal their new members during a probate celebration. The celebration conjured a crowd consisting of ISU alumni, members of other chapters of the fraternity and constituents from each of the African-American Greek organizations.
“It was a beautiful sight to see,” said probate attendee Savon Parker. “I haven’t seen Kappas on ISU’s campus since I’ve been here, so everyone was really excited to see them finally come back!”
For several years, ISU’s NPHC chapter has only been allowed to have seven African-American sororities and fraternities integrated into the national organization. Kappa Alpha Psi or “the Kappas” have been absent from the campus since the 1990’s.
With the support of current and former students, as well as faculty members, the Kappas have worked hard to regain their status as an active ISU fraternity. Although they know they have a lot to prove, they are setting an ambitious agenda for making positive changes on campus.
“The first thing we’re going to do is unify the university,” said fraternity member Doncorleone Mahone. “We have a lot of remarkable things we’d like to do but that is the most important because unity is essentially everything. I’m excited about the things we are going to do on campus because this entire process has been a long time coming.”
Kappa Alpha Psi members pride themselves on persistence, achievement and giving back to the community. The new members say that aside from trying to improve their campus, they also want to help the community by conducting informative programs and teaching young children how to achieve their goals.
The program kicks off with a women’s appreciation night on May 3.
“We want to be more than just a Greek letter,” said Mahone. “This organization has standards and expectations and we plan on holding each of them high by creating programs and putting in lots of work.”
A lot has changed over the last few weeks for the newest members of Kappa Alpha Psi. The fraternities’ return wasn’t just special for ISU students, the men themselves have also expressed the joy of being a “Kappa man” and what their fraternity means to them.
“It is truly an honor to be a Kappa because I’m glad to be a part of the legacy of the fraternity and the efforts to bring it back after so many years of absence,” said fraternity member Darius Hennington.
“Being the first to make the chapter better than it was will is an honor and an accomplishment for me because it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child. I feel like a role model; others look up to me for what I’ve done so I have to maintain a positive image on campus for others to aspire to.” he said.