OmiKron Upsilon chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity based in Loyola University New Orleans is using their resources and brotherhood to make an impact in the community. Created in 1911 as Kappa Alpha Nu, later renamed Kappa Alpha Psi in 1915, is a black fraternity that was founded with a mission of creating community and pushing achievement in universities.
According to their website, “Kappa Alpha Psi is the second oldest existing collegiate, historically Black, Greek Letter fraternity and the first intercollegiate fraternity incorporated as a national body.” The different chapters that make the fraternity take part in different outreach programs, like tutoring local schools, enrichment programs, fundraising, and more.
Established in 2005, OmiKron Upsilon is the Loyola University New Orleans chapter of the fraternity. Current chapter President Torron Brown, initiated in 2022, is very grateful for the opportunities that he has experienced and the activities where he gets to give back to others.
“How we give back affects the community around us …We provide a variety of initiatives and programs, like kappa league and kappa camp for which offers mentorship for high school students,” said Brown.
These activities not only benefit the community, but they also impact the OmiKron Upsilon members. “It helped me mature in ways I could not imagine as a person, it helped me look at things in a broader perspective,” mentioned Brown.
This semester, fall 2023, the chapter’s members organized and participated in activities like going to multiple schools and reading to children, planting trees in Ms. Gloria’s Garden, and other fundraising activities.
Other than activities, Kappa Alpha Psi prides itself on brotherhood and creating community within each university. Some members even feel that being a member connects them to their family or provides a second family.
John Watkins, fundraising chair, initiated in 2022, said “It has always been a part of my life, everyone in my family is a part of Alpha Kappa Psi. I feel that kappa Alpha Psi is a bigger part of my life than what I ever imagined when I was little.”
Even after graduating, members like Vincent Manuel, initiated in 2016, still feels a strong connection to the fraternity.
“I was in a displaced home; that is part of the reason why I wanted to join. After I joined I gained lifetime brothers. So to be able to give back, to be able to mentor them, to be able to help them get to where they need to be it’s a blessing for me. And anytime they need to call or anytime they need anything, I’m in a good position to help them.” said Manuel.
According to the members themselves, the best way to describe OmiKron Upsilon and Kappa Alpha Psi is brotherhood from initiation to the end.
