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U of M's African American fraternity wins four national awards
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL ( 9/10/2007 ) --Kappa Alpha Psi, the largest predominantly African American fraternity at the University of Minnesota, recently won four awards at the national convention in Minneapolis. The U of M chapter received the Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award, given to the top-ranked chapter in the country based on community, campus, leadership and national fraternity initiatives. This is the first time that the University of Minnesota has ever received this award. Fraternity member Oscar Stewart was one of five undergraduates in the country to receive the Guy Levis Grant Award. Stewart, who graduated in spring 2007, received this award for his leadership within the fraternity and his involvement within the Greek community. He is the first University of Minnesota student to win this award. The third award was given to Fred Thomas, who was recognized as Advisor of the Year for his work with the chapter. The chapter also won the step show competition at the convention. In addition to the awards, chapter member Dameon Daniels was elected as a National Board member for the fraternity. He will be representing all of the undergraduates around the country. "With a motto of honorable achievement in every field of human endeavor and a commitment to service in the public interest, we make a conscious decision to guide our chapter accordingly," Stewart said. The chapter is extensively involved in the national Guide Right Program, an initiative designed to engrain Kappa as a prominent role model for young students in the community. Members commit themselves several times a month to guiding young students' lives both inside and outside of the classroom. Some of the specific efforts toward that goal are weekly study nights, monthly counselor and teacher meetings to discuss student progress, monthly meetings with parents to discuss what Kappa can do to further their child's growth, and enrollment and shuttling of the students to ACT preparatory classes. During Christmas, the chapter volunteered at the Phyllis Wheatley Center Breakfast with Santa, an event where the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi prepared, served and provided breakfast to over 200 families. Another example of the chapter's community contribution is in its get-out-the-vote drive last year. The Kappa brothers spent their evenings surveying and registering young people in the community to vote and telephoning voters in the district and encouraging them to vote at the primary. "By registering nearly 1,500 voters and surveying countless area residents, the Psi Chapter made some progress in the fight to increase the size and scope of the youth vote," Stewart said. This summer, the chapter capped a fine year by successfully hosting the 78th national convention, a biennial event attracting about 8,000 fraternity members. "The convention is regarded as one of the most successful conclaves in recent history," said Stewart, who served as the local undergraduate events architect for the convention. "It injected several million dollars into the Twin Cities economy through a multitude of events ranging from the Economic Summit to the Family Outing to the Diversity Job Fair." Chapter president Isaiah Potts said the membership's dedication is the reason for the chapter's success. "Our chapter boasts one of the most extensive and diverse memberships in the country," he said. "With such a large talent base, our chapter has paved the way nationwide with innovative initiatives." ---------- |
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