National Pan-Hellenic Council Week of Service gets back to origins

This week, UNC’s National Pan-Hellenic Council will be focusing on one of its founding principles: service.

“There’s a lot of confusion on why we were founded and what we’re about,” President Michael Morrison said. “What we’re all about is service.”

NPHC organizations have been working on this project since before spring break.

“I was really satisfied and really impressed that everyone got their events together despite where they were,” Morrison said.

The fraternities and sororities were paired up for each project. Morrison challenged the organizations to create service projects that would impact both the campus community and Orange County.

“It’s great when we do community service projects on campus, but there is a community outside of campus,” Morrison said.

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. led a Tar Heel TABLE event in Carrboro on Monday, packaging food for underprivileged children.

Tuesday, the entire NPHC will hold a bake sale from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. outside The Library on Franklin Street. They will be joined by members of the Carolina Union Activities Board, the Greek Alliance Council and the National Panhellenic Conference, along with Student Body President-elect Houston Summers.

“We wanted to show unity across campus,” Morrison said.

Joey Blake, president of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., said Wednesday’s park cleanup is an opportunity for those outside of the Greek organizations to get involved.

“It’s simple, but it gets the organization’s face out in the community because a lot of the time at UNC, they don’t understand what the NPHC fraternities and sororities are,” he said.

Thursday will include two events led by sororities — one in the Pit to raise money for March for Babies, an event to raise money and awareness for premature infants, as well as a food drive at Fitzgerald’s.

The week will wrap up on Friday in the Union.

“We encourage people to come through to make cards for the children’s hospital, and there will be one big card for the dining staff,” Morrison said.

Lauren Mayfield, president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., said service brings together all NPHC organizations.

“I’m excited to see us working together for our different awesome causes and touching the Chapel Hill community,” Mayfield said.

All of the members hope to take the main focus of their organizations off of step shows and place it on service.

“At least since I’ve become involved, the NPHC hasn’t always been unified around service as we should be because at the end of the day, our organizations were founded for service for all mankind,” Blake said.

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