This Black History Month, The A&T Register will be recognizing the Divine 9 Greek organizations on our campus. These organizations are a staple in the Black community and will continue to be appreciated at HBCUs all over.
For the past 92 years, The Beta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has continued to network, uplift and cultivate brotherhood in themselves and their local community.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. was founded on Dec. 4, 1906, at Cornell University; however, N.C. A&T’s Beta Epsilon chapter was chartered on Mar. 28, 1929. The chapter was the second fraternity to be chartered on campus, Omega Psi Phi preceding them in 1927.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has an extensive history of numerous members nationwide.
Dr. Robbie R. Morganfield, a 1979 initiate into the Nu Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. at the University of Mississippi and the current interim chair for the Journalism and Mass Communication Department at North Carolina A&T State University, explains that he was interested because of the organization’s past members.
“The organization has a very illustrious history– I was very much attracted to that. Particularly many of the persons that have been members of the fraternity. The list is long: Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young… there were so many amazing members,” Morganfield said.
During his time as an undergraduate student, he served as the dean of pledges for his chapter. When describing notable members of the past, he used the term ‘trailblazers’ because their involvement is in politics, sports and a multitude of other interests.
“It provided me with an opportunity to connect with other brothers who shared my values, my aspirations for excellence in terms of career, personal life, personal ambitions [and] provided me a lot of opportunities to be trained as a leader,” Morganfield said.
The most recent line from the Beta Epsilon Chapter had 34 members and crossed in the Spring of 2020. Throughout the chapter, members have expressed a running theme of excellence, brotherhood and how they have left their footprint on campus.
Joshua Suiter, a senior professional theater student with a concentration in acting and the 15th Mister A&T, was the community service chair for his chapter last year. He explained how fraternities have created a space for Black men where he has grown extremely close.
“I love my brothers. I love my brothers to death. We’re locked in for life,” Suiter said. “We are not just brothers because we were on the same line, those are my guys now. That’s something I really treasure.”
In 2021, the Beta Epsilon Chapter won College Chapter of the Year, Outstanding College Brother of the Year and the Stroll Off Competition at the 60th Association of North Carolina AlphaMen.
Many of the members noted that winning the Step Show during homecoming was a monumental accomplishment because of everything they had to go through.
Morgan Hairston, a junior marketing student and Spring ‘20 initiate, was excited when the show announced his chapter as the winner of the step show.
“We were having a hard time adjusting, and it was combative because we practiced twice a day, went to class and we had stipulations,” Hairston said. “We prepared two months in advance, and this was our first year being eligible to actually win the step show.”
With numerous accolades, members expressed how each of them was either inspired by each other or had a role model in their family.
Troy Elbert Jr. is a junior applied mathematics student and Spring ’20 initiate. He joined the chapter his freshman year and has seen his brothers graduate in the past years. This molded him to “step into the spotlight” and lead in his own way.
This upcoming year, Elbert will be serving as the assistant district director, the highest brother in the state of North Carolina.
“I believe it’s the way you carry yourself. People should know that you’re an Alpha based on the things you do throughout life. It should not be based on stuff such as paraphernalia,” Elbert said.
His father, a Spring ’93 initiate of the Beta Epsilon chapter, poured into the man he is today, according to Elbert.
Hairston, Morganfield, Elbert and Suiter paid tribute to their brothers when it comes to the positions they currently have and the ongoing accomplishments of the chapter to their brothers.
“I feel like winning the step-show educated people about us. The step show theme was actually us being off the yard for so long,” Myles Matthews, a senior mechanical engineering student, and Spring 20’ initiate said.
Jarett Boyd, an N.C. A&T alumni and Spring ’19 initiate looks forward to continuing his involvement in Alpha Phi Alpha. As he moves to Oakland, California to work for Apple full-time, he will continue to be involved in the organization.
“I think the chapter has made me excited for the real world. It just doesn’t stop after undergrad.” Boyd said. “I am looking forward to networking with brothers out there in the Bay area and just forging those connections and [the] a lifetime commitment that I signed up for. So, the journey is really just beginning.”
