Wine Psi Phi

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Wine Psi Phi
WΨΦ
FoundedMarch 2, 1959
Howard University
TypeCultural
EmphasisAfrican American
ScopeNational
Motto"To build rather than to tear down"
PillarsBrotherhood, Character, Leadership, Service, Responsibility, and Scholarship
Colors  Burgundy and   Blue
SymbolGrapes
Headquarters756 East 111th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60628
United States
Websitewinepsiphisso.net

W.I.N.E. Psi Phi (WΨΦ) was an African American collegiate fraternity.[1] It was established at Howard University in 1959 as a non-exclusive alternative to the traditional black Greek letter organizations. In later years, many chapters operated as a co-ed "frarority". Today, its collegiate chapters are all inactive, with just a single graduate chapter remaining.

History[edit]

Wine Psi Phi was formed as a social activist organization called HUMS.[2][3] Students Roy Brown, John Mason, and Allen Cherry established HUMS at Howard University on March 2, 1959.[2][4] It formed from the social activism of the Civil Rights Movement and as an alternative to the "fictitious title of Black Greek".[5][4] Its founders dismissed the notion that civilization stemmed from the ancient Greeks and instead considered ancient Egypt to be the "cradle of civilization".[4] The organization was created as a non-exclusive group.[5]

The motto of HUMS was "We Initiate New Experiences" [2][3][6] In 1962, HUMS became W.I.N.E. Psi Phi, also written as Wine Psi Phi.[2][3][6] The fraternity was chartered with the university that same year.[7][6] One of its stated missions was "to reunite lost and wondering minds back to Earthly Understanding".[4]

Chapters were established at Florida A&M University in 1966 and at Bluefield State University and Cheyney State University in 1967 when members transferred from Howard.[8][6] This was followed by a chapter at Lincoln University in 1967.[2] Wine Psi Phi continued to expand across the United States, mostly at historically black colleges and universities.[3]

Its sister sorority was WINE Psi Phi Twins.[9] Later chapters, such as the one at the University of Illinois, operated as a coed "frarority".[10][11] However, the collegiate chapters dwindled over time and went inactive, leaving only a few active graduate chapters.

Reformation efforts[edit]

Beginning in September 2018, the fraternity's national headquarters was hosted by the Durham City graduate chapter in Durham, North Carolina.[12][7] In the early 2010s, there was a division in the organization, with the Chicago graduate chapter obtaining the copyright and trademark of the name Wine Psi Phi which had lapsed in October 2014.[13][14] At its April 23, 2022, national grand cluster or convention, the fraternity's Grand Council met to discuss the problem and to select a new name as it could no longer legally use the historic name WINE Psi Phi.[6][15] The Durham City chapter was reincorporated as Gamma Alpha Fei on September 28, 2022.[6] The Chicago chapter continues to operate as W.I.N.E. PSI PHI Social Service Organization Inc.[16] Both of these organizations claim Wine Psi Phi collegiate fraternity as their origin.

Symbols and traditions[edit]

The fraternity's name WINE is an acronym for its original motto, "We Initiate New Experiences".[2] Its pledge club was called the Grapes and its symbol was a bunch of grapes.[17][2] Its president was called the Supreme Grand Grape or Grand Grapette.[9][18] Many of its chapter's names related to types of wine.[19]

The fraternity's colors were burgundy and blue, with the former being selected as the color of wine.[20][17][2] The fraternity's motto was "To build rather than to tear down".[20][2] Its principals or pillars were Brotherhood, Character, Leadership, Service, Responsibility, and Scholarship.[15]

Historically, Wine Psi Phi pledges were required to participate in the "Cross the Burning Sands" initiation ritual by drinking a fifth of wine.[21] As campus attitudes toward hazing and alcohol changed, drinking alcohol was no longer required for membership in the fraternity.[2]

Activities[edit]

Wine Psi Phi was involved in campus activity committees and favored booking George Clinton's Parliament for events such as homecoming.[22] The fraternity was known for its performances in step shows.[23] Its members also participated in intramural sports.[24] Its charitable activities included food drives to provide holiday meals for families in need, funding scholarships, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and sponsoring a breakfast program for Head Start students.[10][8][18][25]

Chapters[edit]

Collegiate chapters[edit]

Following is a list of known collegiate chapters of Wine Psi Phi. Inactive chapters and institutions are listed in italics.

Chapter Charter date Institution Location Status References
March 2, 1959 Howard University Washington, D.C. Inactive [4]
1966 Florida A&M University Tallahassee, Florida Inactive [2][8]
1967 Bluefield State College Bluefield, West Virginia Inactive [2]
1967 Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Cheyney, Pennsylvania Inactive [2][26]
1968 Lincoln University Oxford, Pennsylvania Inactive [2][27][9]
Concord January 25, 1969 Saint Augustine's University Raleigh, North Carolina Inactive [2][28]
1969–1975 ? Kittrell College Kittrell, North Carolina Inactive [2][a][b]
Richards 1969 Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois Inactive [29][19][30]
1972 Delaware State University Dover, Delaware Inactive [2]
Akadama Plum 1973 Lewis University Romeoville, Illinois Inactive [31][19]
Nu Viking 197x ? Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City, North Carolina Inactive [4][17][2]
197x ? South Carolina State University Orangeburg, South Carolina Inactive [2]
197x ? North Carolina Central University Durham, North Carolina Inactive [2]
December 15, 1977 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, North Carolina Inactive [2][20]
19xx ?–1979 Virginia State University Ettrick, Virginia Inactive [32][33][c]
Annie Green Springs October 1979 Chicago State University Chicago, Illinois Inactive [34]
Benedict College Columbia, South Carolina Inactive [2]
Pineapple Smash Bradley University Peoria, Illinois Inactive [19][35]
Sangria Clark Atlanta University, Morris Brown College, and Spellman College Atlanta, Georgia Inactive [19]
Bali Hai Eastern Illinois University Charleston, Illinois Inactive [19]
Cherry Kirsberry Eureka College Eureka, Illinois Inactive [19][36]
Cold Bear Illinois Benedictine College Lisle, Illinois Inactive [19]
Spanada Illinois State University Normal, Illinois Inactive [19][37]
Ait Mo Gai Kennedy–King College Chicago, Illinois Inactive [19]
Morehouse College Atlanta, Georgia Inactive
Morgan State University Baltimore, Maryland Inactive [2][38]
Morris College Sumter, South Carolina Inactive [2]
MD 20/20 – Wolf & Sons Olive–Harvey College Chicago, Illinois Inactive [19]
Shaw University Raleigh, North Carolina Inactive [2]
TJ Swan Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois Inactive [19]
Southern University at Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, Louisiana Inactive [39]
Akadama Red Thornton Community College South Holland, Illinois Inactive [19]
Whiteport University of Illinois Urbana, Illinois Inactive [24][19][10]
Chianti University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Stevens Point, Wisconsin Inactive [40][19]
  1. ^ Chapter was founded in 1969, and incorporated on May 8, 1973.
  2. ^ The college closed in 1976.
  3. ^ College closed the chapter after a death from a hazing incident.

Graduate chapters[edit]

Following is an incomplete list of WINE Psi Phi graduate chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are indicated in italics.

Chapter Charter date and range Location Status References
Durham City Graduate Chapter April 30, 2011 – September 28, 2022 Durham, North Carolina Withdrew [7][41][a]
W.I.N.E. PSI PHI Social Service Organization Chicago, Illinois Active [16]
  1. ^ Chapter was reincorporated as Gamma Alpha Fei in 2022 after it could no longer legally use the name WINE Psi Phi.

Controversies[edit]

On April 5, 1975, a Northern Illinois University chapter's pledge, Richard A. Gowins, died after an initiation ritual that required him to drink a half gallon of mixed wine, tequila, and gin in an hour.[42][43][11][44] A coroner's jury ruled the death accidental.[30]

At Virginia State University, pledge Robert Etheridge drowned while trying to rescue Norsha Lynn Delk, a pledge for the sorority Delta Sigma Theta; both were attempting to swim in the Appomattox River, fully clothed, as part of a quasi-baptism ritual on March 22, 1979.[32][33][45] The university banned the chapter and the sorority after the incident.[33]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Walter M. Kimbrough (2003). Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-8386-3977-1.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "About Wine Psi Phi". Wine Psi Phi Social Fraternity, Durham City Chapter. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ a b c d African American leadership: a reference guide. Santa Barbara: Mission Bell Media. 2015. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-9907300-3-3 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ a b c d e f The Viking (yearbook). Elizabeth City, North Carolina: Elizabeth City State University. 1988. pp. 136–137 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ a b Elizabeth Calvert Fine (2003). Soulstepping: African American Step Shows. University of Illinois Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-252-02475-7 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "About". Gamma Alpha Fei, Social Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  7. ^ a b c "THE GAF At A Glance". Gamma Alpha Fei, Social Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  8. ^ a b c "Wine Psi Phi Shows Purpose". Tallahassee Democrat. 1974-11-03. p. 156. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c "Members of LU's Newest Fraternity". The Lincoln Clarion. Jefferson City, Missouri. 1972-11-03. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c "The Christmas Season". The Urbana Daily Citizen. 1973-12-15. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-05-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Booze Kills Student". The Cincinnati Post. 1975-04-09. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Home". Gamma Alpha Fei, Social Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  13. ^ "The Daily Vineyard". Gamma Alpha Fei, Social Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  14. ^ "W.I.N.E. PSI PHI SOCIAL FRATERNITY". Trademarkia. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Home". W.I.N.E. Psi Phi Social Fraternity, Inc. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via web.archive.org.
  16. ^ a b "Contact Us". W.I.N.E. PSI PHI Social Service Organization. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  17. ^ a b c The Viking. Elizabeth City, NC: Elizabeth City State University. 1982. p. 197.
  18. ^ a b "Breakfast Program Continues". The Urbana Daily Citizen. 1975-02-18. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Chapters". W.I.N.E. PSI PHI Social Service. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  20. ^ a b c The Fayettevillian. Fayetteville, NC: Fayetteville State University. 1978. p. 156 – via Internet Archive.
  21. ^ Matthews, Vincent; Amdur, Neil (1974). My race be won. Internet Archive. New York, Charterhouse. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-88327-023-3 – via Internet Archive.
  22. ^ Arthur Kempton (2005). Boogaloo: The Quintessence of American Popular Music. University of Michigan Press. pp. 371–. ISBN 978-0-472-03087-3.
  23. ^ Fine, Elizabeth C. (Elizabeth Calvert) (2003). Soulstepping : African American step shows. Internet Archive. Urbana : University of Illinois Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-252-02475-7 – via Internet Archive.
  24. ^ a b Peterson, Doug (January 25, 1974). "Nabor House triumphs". Daily Illini. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  25. ^ "Big Brother, Sis Projec Detailed". The Urbana Daily Citizen. 1975-05-23. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Jamison-Laster". Press of Atlantic City. 1972-10-22. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-05-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Dennis E. Gregory (October 2003). The Administration of Fraternal Organizations on North American Campuses: A Pattern for the New Millennium. College Administration Publications. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-912557-27-4.
  28. ^ The Falcon. Raleigh: Saint Augustine's College. 1974. p. 98 – via Internet Archive.
  29. ^ "Student Association, 1955+ | Northern Illinois University".
  30. ^ a b Blaska, David (1975-04-23). "Jury Rules Gowins' Death Accidental". The Daily Chronicle. De Kalb, Illinois. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "History of the Black Student Union at Lewis University".
  32. ^ a b Hank Nuwer (2001). Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking. Indiana University Press. pp. 248–. ISBN 0-253-21498-X – via Internet Archive.
  33. ^ a b c Nuwer, Hank (1990). Broken pledges: the deadly rite of hazing. Internet Archive. Atlanta: Longstreet Press. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-929264-72-1 – via Internet Archive.
  34. ^ Reflections (yearbook). Chicago: Chicago Normal College. 1980. p. 21 – via Internet Archive.
  35. ^ Anaga (yearbook). Bradley University, 1978, p. 176. via JSTOR..
  36. ^ "Disco Dance Saturday at Eureka College". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. 1977-11-03. p. 42. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Profile: Blacks on Campus". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. 1975-10-05. p. 26. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Terry R. Matthews; Lynne P. Woodfork-Matthews (1 March 2004). Demon Chased Angel Watched. Xulon Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-59160-571-3.
  39. ^ "layborn 'Bee' Perks | EuniceToday.com | The Eunice News, Eunice, La". Eunice News. November 11, 2014.
  40. ^ "SPBAC approves additional budget requests" (PDF). UWSP Pointer. October 26, 1978. p. 8.
  41. ^ "Home". Wine Psi Phi Social Fraternity, Durham City Chapter. Archived from the original on 2022-01-15. Retrieved 2024-05-11 – via web.archive.org.
  42. ^ Nuwer, Hank (2001). Wrongs of passage : fraternities, sororities, hazing, and binge drinking. Internet Archive. Bloomington : Indiana University Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-253-21498-0 – via Internet Archive.
  43. ^ Nuwer, Hank (1990). Broken pledges : the deadly rite of hazing. Atlanta: Longstreet Press. p. 299. ISBN 978-0-929264-72-1 – via Internet Archive.
  44. ^ "Fraternity Initiation Drink Fatal, Illinois Coroner Says". Fort Lauderdale News. 1975-04-09. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ Ezzell, James; Everett, LeeNora (1979-03-24). "2 VSC Students Drown During Initiation Rite". Richmond Times-Dispatch. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved 2024-05-12 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

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