Mystery of campus benches unfolded

It is not uncommon for the everyday student at Georgia College to pass by the historical benches located between Atkinson and Parks halls and not know the significance they hold to the National Pan-Hellenic Council Inc. sororities and fraternities on campus.

NPHC Inc. is the organization of historically African American Greek organizations that was founded on May 10, 1930, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization is made up of five fraternities and four sororities that are recognized at universities all across the country. These nine organizations are sometimes referred to as the “Divine Nine” according to the NPHC Inc. website.

At GC, the NPHC Inc. is represented by three sororities and three fraternities: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Sorority Inc.

Historically, the NPHC Inc. sororities and fraternities have been represented on campuses by “plots” purchased by the school or organization that have served as a social center or meeting place for the members of the organization. The symbolism of the plots goes as far back as the Civil War when land was confiscated from Confederate rebels and divided into 40-acre plots and distributed among the newly freed

slaves. To the members of the NPHC Inc., the plots are treated almost as sacred grounds according to the Elon University website.

In the late 1990s, when the GC NHPC Inc. requested its own plots on campus, the school granted permission to decorate the benches between Atkinson and Parks halls with their letters and symbols.

“The benches hold a big piece of our history,” said Marcus Green, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha and graduate student in public administration.

Whether it is getting together to sing hymns on Founder’s Day, celebrating with friends and family after graduation or just meeting up with some friends for a lunch date, the benches serve as a place of congregation for the members of the organization, according to Green. There is some confusion among the non-NPHC Inc. members about the importance of these benches on campus.

“The agreement at that time was that because these benches were so central to campus pedestrian traffic, they were not to serve as ‘plots,’ but would be available to anyone who wanted to sit on them,” said Bruce Harshbarger, vice president of public affairs.

Harshbarger also stated that many students could misinterpret another student sitting on the benches as disrespectful, however this is not the case.

These occurrences happen on a day-to-day basis. It is impossible to set up any kind of guidelines regarding the benches and the pedestrians who may make use of them on their way to classes.

“I was leaving class one day, and I was on the phone with my mom when I decided to sit down on one of the benches,” Leslie Albrycht junior criminal justice and psychology major said. “I had been sitting there a few minutes when a young woman came up to me and politely asked if I wouldn’t sit on the bench because it was disrespectful to the sorority. I had no idea.”

A meeting was held earlier this month where the GC Memorials and Monuments Committee discussed the possibility of erecting new NPHC Inc. plots in place of the old benches.

“The format is currently being looked over by the campus architect and the plot proposal will be made via the format that the Committee approves, hopefully later this semester,” Harshbarger said.

For now, the benches stand as plots for the existing NPHC Inc. organizations on campus. Each sorority and fraternity is responsible for the upkeep of its respective benches. The NPHC Inc. organizations on GC campus ask that their fellow students respect the historical benches and recognize the significance of the benches to their sorority or fraternity.