Members and Alumni of the “Divine Nine” historically African American fraternities and sororities gathered with the rest of the ETSU community on Saturday morning to celebrate the unveiling of the National Pan-Hellenic Council Plaza.
The plaza, which was conceptualized in 2017 and has been under construction since July this year, is a designated space to honor the contributions and history of the nine chapters.
“This plaza will give us a recognition of who our organizations are, and what we are able to do in our community and how we give back and impact those around us,” Malineski Russell, council president of the NPHC at ETSU, said. “It gives our students a place to come and know who our organizations are and what we stand for and the things that we do in the nation.”
Cold temperatures pushed the dedication ceremony inside of Reece Museum. During the ceremony, Malineski, 2016 NPHC President BriAnna Taylor, ETSU President Brian Noland and campaign fundraising leader Dessi Foster from University Advancement spoke.
During her presidency, Taylor passed a resolution to urge the university to establish a designated space for the NPHC.
“I wanted the council to stand out in its entirety and to be able to showcase our uniqueness and our culture as we all are aware,” she said. “Now that we are here today to celebrate the unveiling of this plaza, it’s very surreal to see it all come together and to know all the conversations that have been had to get this together.”
At the time of the dedication, the plaza had raised $60,000 in gifts and pledges.
Plaques on the plaza recognize donors of more than $1,000. Foster reminded the crowd that the final phase of the plaza – including amphitheater seating and enhanced lighting – still needs donations. The goal for the final phase is $50,000.
After the ceremony, attendees walked over to the the plaza between Governors and Centennial Halls for the unveiling. Members and alumni unveiled their chapter’s plaque one at a time.
“It’s a message that welcomes alumni home to the university,” Noland said. “It’s a message that diversity is critically important to this institution, and it’s a message that we as a university are here for all of our students. So this space and spaces all across our campus provide opportunities for gathering, provide opportunities for celebration and provide opportunities for reflection.”
