By Jake Markowitz
The University of Iowa Student Government will allocate funds for a plot of land by Danforth Chapel to be used to honor the nine traditionally black greek chapters on campus.
On Tuesday, UISG voted to pass a bill that will set aside $7,700 to commemorate the “Divine Nine,” which are part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
The plot would have a concrete foundation with 10 granite pedestals representing each of the nine chapters and one representing the whole council. The pedestals would each have a plaque with the history on each chapter.
“Overall, the total project is $60,000,” UISG Sen. Anthony Yang said. “Together, UISG and [the Graduate & Professional Student Government] want to support funding a little bit, so we’ve pledged to do $10,000.”
The “Divine Nine,” a group of historically African-American fraternities and sororities, have had a presence at the UI since 1911 but remain without houses. This, UISG Sen. Brooke Kimbrough said, had caused many members to feel unappreciated.
“They’re really important and central to a lot of black events that occur on campus, and they don’t get a lot of recognition through the university,” Kimbrough said. “Who has the house and who doesn’t is a lot of times how black greeks think about how they’re represented on campus, that they’re not really here.”
When the meeting opened up for discussion, numerous members of UISG voiced their support.
“I think this is a phenomenal thing to put our support behind,” UISG Sen. Sean Finn said. “This is something that will stay on our campus for years and years to come. I think an addition like this is going to also add to the culture that our campus supports and craves.”
While many supported of the bill, the UISG senators were not unanimous in their opinions.
“I believe it’s important we recognize the contributions that the [National Pan-Hellenic Council] has made to the university,” UISG Sen. Kyle Apple said. “With that being said, I’m skeptical about supporting this bill. If we set a precedent of funding one council, we’ll need to fund all of them.”
The UISG funding is not necessary for the project to be set in motion, UISG Vice President Lauren Freeman said, which caused some resistance.
“I think it’s very deserving that [the Pan-Hellenic Council] has some kind of structure,” Sen. Lindsey Rayner said. “I think that’s absolutely fantastic, but I also want to think through the fact that it’s on the students’ dime. If the project is able to follow through without the students’ money, then I think that would be better.”
In the end, the bill received 95 percent of the UISG votes.
“This is a statement,” UISG Sen. Tayo Oladele-Ajose said. “This is a statement saying that black students, people of color on this campus, at this [predominantly white university], where you daily feel alienated, where you feel isolated every day, here’s a spot that shows that the University of Iowa Student Government is on board with you. That the University of Iowa is on board with you.”
