Item:
Title
Proclamation - Omega Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., 50th Anniversary at Duke University (10min)
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: April 8, 2024
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to recognize the 50th Anniversary of the Omega Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., at Duke University.
April 12, 1974: The arrival of the first Black Greek student organization - the Omega Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi - signaled a new day in Black student life on a campus that welcomed Black students only 11 years before. That a Black fraternity would be allowed, much less be successful, on a campus that was generally unaccustomed to the Black experience, with a Black male population of fewer than 100 - was profound, unprecedented, and courageous.
The university administration, under the leadership of President Terry Sanford, appreciated the bold vision of Omega Zeta's charter, which heralded a new era for Black students at Duke and the University as a whole. As current Duke University President Vincent Price describes in his letter announcing Duke's Centennial Celebration in 2024, the university's transformation essentially began during Sanford's tenure: "It's a story of outrageous ambition - as Terry Sanford put it - of buildings built, programs created, and a reputation grown. It's a story of the slow and belated transition from a closed campus of the few to an open community for all - a transition that is still continuing."
In the years since, hundreds of Black students began life-long associations with Omega and six other Black Greek- Lettered Organizations later established on campus. Beyond the significance to Duke University, the establishment of the Omega Zeta chapter of Omega Psi Phi reflected a need of a new generation of Black collegians to reconnect with the traditions fundamental to the progress of Black Americans over the previous century. This reconnection included efforts to forge meaningful rela...
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