Story by Cheyenne Wilson and Jaclyn Jones
Friends and family cheered loudly as the new members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity displayed their knowledge of their founders, history and more this past week during what is commonly known as a probate.
Lead by their chapter president, Bianca Tyson, five new members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, SGRho, marched masked and in unison into Brown Gym and onto stage Thursday night.
Tyson said the probate, or in SGRhos’s case, a neophyte presentation, is a tradition to reveal new members and showcase what they have to offer.
Along with displaying their knowledge of their founders, history and the Greek alphabet, greetings were made to the other organizations within the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
“The five girls from this line are very determined and dedicated. They have worked very hard, and myself and the chapter are very proud of them,” Tyson said.
Following the introduction of the SGRhos, 10 new members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Alphas, were introduced to a packed Brown Gym.
Calvin Stafford serves as the parliamentarian and intake coordinator of the Eta Chi chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and was extremely excited to showcase the new members of his fraternity.
“This group of guys will take our fraternity to the next level, pertaining to academics and brotherhood,” Stafford said.
“We have a wide array of brothers. You’re going to see people from spirit groups, SGA, CAB and also some athletes,” Stafford said.
New members of NPHC organizations are usually masked and their identities hidden until the end of their presentation, as finding out who exactly the new members are, is what most people are anxious for.
Towards the end of their probates, one by one, the new members of Sigma Gamma Rho and Alpha Phi Alpha were introduced to the student body as they removed their masks to music.
A lot of planning goes into the presentation of new members.
The SGRhos and Alphas were scheduling to have their events in the same week.
To save ULM students the cost of paying for two separate shows, the sorority and fraternity joined together to have one celebration.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Omegas, also held their probate Saturday in the Quad, where they introduced five new members.
Wearing their signature gold and purple boots, the newly inducted Omegas followed tradition and displayed their knowledge of their organization’s history and paid respect to the members that came before them, before revealing themselves to the public.
The NPHC process of taking in new members differs from that of the NPC and IFC.
Instead of having one rush together, the sororities and fraternities of the NPHC have separate interest meetings where students can come and learn more about each organization.
