Kaylee SciaccaIn the tradition of years past, students, family and friends turned out to McDougald-McLendon Arena in droves to greet the newest members of the yard at this year’s New Members’ Presentation on April 3.
Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi, the National Honorary Band Sorority and Fraternity respectively, preceded the Divine 9 organizations with lines of 3 and 2 apiece. Both groups welcomed the Sound Machine band, of which many members were in attendance and the new members themselves were a part of as well.
Phi Beta Sigma was next, with 11 new members added to the Gamma Gamma chapter, including the Echo’s own Jalon Hill. They were followed by the 16 new women of the Beta Omicron chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., who pranced and leaned their way to thunderous applause.
Two of the three National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternities that brought in more members at the event did so with acknowledgment of those who did not live to see their own presentation: Tyler Hilliard, a 20-year-old Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. pledge of the Pi Epsilon chapter at the University of California Riverside and 22-year-old Brandon Adams, who was pledging Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. through the Delta Kappa chapter at Georgia Tech.
Before the 11 new members of Alpha Phi Alpha were unveiled—without their faces covered, unusual for the beginnings of NPHC presentations—Spring 2017 initiate Denzel Goodlin entered the staging area and asked the audience for a moment of silence.
Omega Psi Phi took it further and had chapter advisor D. Curtis Lawson present the new members himself with all 12 new Tau Psi Ques dressed in suits with matching purple ties. Lawson also told those present that the fraternity had declared an indefinite moratorium on membership selection and all social activities. They were the only group not to be in any type of obvious costume or include a stepping section in their presentation section.
The presentation ended in its fourth hour with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. presenting 40 new members to the campus community at large. When it came time for the new Deltas to reveal themselves, they lined up in two lines of 20 girls, had their masks taken off while facing each other, and ran out of line to face the crowd one by one.
NCCU’s Alpha Chi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. presented their 20 new members in the Greek Bowl nearly two weeks later on April 16.
