To wrap up Kappa week, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. hosted its Black Diamonds event in the Student Center Ballroom D on Nov. 5.

Throughout the week, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. hosted a variety of events to give back to the school, promote the fraternity and bring the Black student community together.

Timothy Caldwell, the Keeper of Records for the Gamma Upsilon chapter of the Kappas, said that fraternity week gives them a chance to show what Black Greek Fraternities are about.

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“The weeks are always, like, to celebrate that fraternity; show the campus that that fraternity is active. It’s a way for us to throw events so the campus can come meet us, know who we are, use us as resources. So we try to have different, informative events,” Caldwell said.

He said the group hosted a variety of events including resume workshops, community outreach and social activities.

Caldwell said, when he was a freshman, the Kappas always went out of their way to help students, especially freshmen, find their way around campus. 

“They were a resource to me if I needed a tutor and they showed me to the tutors. If I needed anything, needed to go to the Rec Center for something, they always knew where to send me,” he said. “We’re all here trying to get a degree and the Black fraternities and sororities, they help with connecting you with people in your program.”

Grace Gunn, the coordinator of Black Affairs Council (BAC), said BAC sponsored the event because the main job of the group is to give Black Registered Student Organizations and Black Greek Organizations the resources they need to put on events for students. 

“That’s our whole job, to have a collective meeting for all Black RSO and Greeks and most of the Greeks are some of the first founders of Black RSOs here and it is our job to make sure everything goes smooth,” Gunn said.

DJ Knowledge was the entertainment for the night. During the event, students were seen dancing and talking all throughout the ballroom. 

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Malik Hill, a graduate student and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, said being able to have an on-campus party of this size, for the first time in a while, is a great way to get rid of that stigma about on-campus parties.

“We are having the first on-campus party in five years, basically to provide a safer environment, not only for the SIU schools but the people of Carbondale in general,” Hill said. “It’s been many disparities in Carbondale dealing with parties and we really want to take a different approach this year, by making sure everybody can be safe to have an enjoyable time.”

Teeriy Roseland, an alum of SIU and member of the Kappas, said it is important to celebrate Kappa week because members get to celebrate all their accomplishments and acknowledge the struggles they have overcome.

“So we’ve been rolling since 1950, so that’s seventy years, so we like to celebrate that and it’s really a history. It’s a part of Black History, it’s part of Carbondale history, Kappa is a part of American history since 1911,” he said. “Our founders overcame a lot of crazy odds, thinking about the time the KKK was founded in 1911, that was fourty or fifty years after slavery it’s something to be celebrated.”

Later in the evening more people started flowing in. Members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Sigma Gamma Rho and Delta Sigma Theta took to the dance floor and had fun together.

“It is just a great way to end the weekend before people have to wake up tomorrow and Sunday and do their homework and study,” Caldwell said.

Staff reporter Janiyah Gaston can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @DEJaniyah. To stay up to date with all your Southern Illinois News follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter. 

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