Omega Psi Phi Hopes for Return to Tenn. State

Photo credit: K. Cummings/the Meter More than 100 members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. assembled for the dedication of a monument on the Tennessee State University campus in September, though the undergraduate chapter has been inactive on campus since 2001.

By Cara Anthony
Black College Wire

To Sekou Charles, the possibility of being a part of the reactivation of the Tennessee State University chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. is a matter of patience.

Charles, a member of Nashville's Gamma Phi graduate chapter, said his chapter will oversee the intake process if the Rho Psi chapter, banned five years ago after the death of a pledge, is reinstated.

"We are just waiting to get the green light from the national council," said Charles, a graduate student from Chicago studying marketing management. University President Melvin N. Johnson "seemed to have a friendly attitude about the chapter coming back."

The chapter was banned after being linked to the death of student Joseph Terry Green Jr.

"This revocation may be lifted by the Supreme Council of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. after five years." said a May 10, 2001, letter to chapter members from the Omegas' then-fifth district representative, Henry F. Jackson Jr., "or at such time that no member of the Rho Psi Chapter is enrolled as a full time or part time student at Tennessee State University, whichever is later."

Horace Chase, the fraternity's current fifth district representative, said even though the suspension is expected to be lifted soon, there will still be limitations.

The fraternity held a regional meeting in Nashville on March 31 – April 2, with the Rho Psi chapter on the agenda, according to Jonathan Babalola, who reported on the meeting for the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute.

"The chapter is on suspension until the end of May," Chase said in the Diversity Institute story. "We'll look into the visibility factor when the time comes . . . but there will be restrictions."

It was reported that Green died after an initiation ritual called the "walk of death," according to archives of the Meter, the student newspaper. The "walk of death" was said to require pledges to participate in extraneous physical exercise over a long period of time before "crossing over" and receiving membership into the fraternity.

The death was investigated by the Tennessee State Police Department, Metro Nashville Police and the Metro Nashville Medical Examiner.

Although the Rho Psi chapter was also linked to the death, the incident did not occur on Tennessee State property. On the morning of initiation activities, Green and seven others were off campus at Nashville's Whites Creek High School, Green’s alma mater.

Green's parents filed a $15 million lawsuit against the fraternity. Doug Fierberg of the firm Bode & Grenier L.L.P. said on his Web site that the parents received a "substantial confidential financial settlement."

"All organizations have had things happen they're not proud of," Chase said in the Diversity Institute story. "I'm looking for good, strong leadership to bring Rho Psi back into the fold at TSU. We don't want to fall into any more problems because, quite honestly, it's an embarrassment to our organization."

Dean Ronald Myles, director of student activities, said members of the student body have inquired about the organization, but that, "Reinstatement will not be automatic."

Cara Anthony, a student at Tennessee State University, writes for the Meter.

Posted May 1, 2006