Black Fraternity/Sorority Members at the University of Kansas Are Raising Money For a Permanent Monument

The members of Black fraternities and sororities at the University of Kansas are working hard to preserve the rich Divine 9 legacy at their school by securing permanent plots on the campus.

The University of Kansas has had all 9 orgs on campus in the past and boasts 4 single-letter chapters including th Delta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Mu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, and Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.

The students and alumni have been raising money since April and have brought in over $35,000 in donations with the goal of reaching $50,000. Their deadline was just extended to June 18th to bring in the total amount and they reached out to Watch The Yard to see if D9 members across the country could help contribute to preserving the Black fraternity and sorority legacy on campus.

“Having a space dedicated to these organizations and their members would not only mean so much to them, but would also depict KU’s commitment to diversity. Many KU students and alumni are proud members of these fraternities and sororities, which became a home away from home during their time at KU. The organizations bring a rich history to KU’s campus, but without a space to call their own, they are unable to celebrate individual fraternity and sorority traditions or bring NPHC organizations together,” they stated.

The proposed “Divine Nine Plaza” will be located near the Burge Student Union and the Integrated Science Building, in KU’s re-developed Central District. Each of nine sororities and fraternities will be represented by a monument that includes founding and charter years as well as the organization’s crest. A historical marker, depicting the story of NPHC, will also be included in the plaza.

The fundraising committee is rushing to raise the money in time and donations can be made through University of Kansas’ crowdfunding platform by clicking here.

For those who don’t know, here is a quick history of the D9 orgs chartered at the university going back to 1915.

• Alpha Phi Alpha’s Upsilon Chapter was chartered at KU on December 21st, 1917
• Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Delta Chapter was chartered on February 15, 1915 
• Kappa Alpha Psi’s Mu Chapter was charted on March 27th, 1920
• Omega Psi Phi’s Rho Eta Chapter was charted on April 29th, 1976
• Delta Sigma Theta’s Psi Chapter was chartered on June 5th, 1925
• Phi Beta Sigma’s Zeta Omicron Chapter was chartered on October 20th, 1979
• Zeta Phi Beta’s Omega Theta Chapter was chartered on February 25th, 1979
• Sigma Gamma Rho’s Eta Iota Chapter chartered on October 9th, 1976
• Iota Phi Theta’s KU Colony was charted on May 13th, 1997

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