Knuck if You Brunch: NPHC Means Unity

Photo Courtesy of Sara Mears

When you become Greek, you become family. And that is exactly what happened at the Knuck if You Buck leadership retreat on Feb. 1, 2020.

The Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLO) of Western Carolina gathered to take part in the members-only leadership retreat. Those present were Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. The sorority women and fraternity men present spent the day bonding, learning and engaging in meaningful workshops.

Strolling, bonding and learning was the expectation and it was surely in full supply as all six chapters of WCU’s Nation Panhellenic Council (NPHC) gathered bright and early to brunch.

The one-day retreat was organized and planned by Victoria Bost, a Higher Education graduate student and Greek Student Engagement and Development Graduate Assistant. In her role, Bost serves as WCU’s NPHC advisor.

The purpose of the retreat was centered around the idea of unity. “NPHC stands for unity and means family to me,” Bost said. “And what better chance to bond and learn from each other than over chicken and waffles?”

Ms. Jane Adams-Dunford, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., gave a presentation about the importance of being a unified group and the expectation of all BGLO. Students were able to discuss their experiences and come to a better understanding of the extent of them and their organization’s impact on campus.

Students were encouraged during a session to utilize problem-solving skills and were given the opportunity to make goals for the semester within NPHC.

On top of wanting to create a good internal dynamic amongst all BGLO on campus, the retreat offered students the opportunity to realize what the organizations mean to the larger community. “The black community is small here at WCU and we need to ensure that we are constantly cultivating our relationships with each other,” Bost said. “So our focus with this brunch was to make sure our bond was strong and we go back to the basics of what BGLO stand for.”

With unity comes a little fun. All organizations present were split up into families for the day, encouraging members to break apart and bond with people outside of their respective organizations. This lead to fun opening greetings from each of the four families, icebreakers and some healthy competition in the ‘Build a Chapter’ activity.

While the name ‘Knuck if You Brunch’ may sound foreign to some, the name is very familiar to BGLO’s everywhere“’Knuck If You Brunch’ is a play on words to the title of the universal stroll song ‘Knuck if you Buck’ by Crime Mob, to incorporate the spirit of strolling and fun into the day.”

Other than community service and high standards, NPHC is known for strolling. Bost incorporated strolling into the day by planning a stroll video, filmed by undergraduate student, Jeremy Sasser. All NPHC organizations piled into the Ramsey Center and recorded a stroll video Roddy Ricch’s The Box.

All organizations were asked to wear their best paraphernalia, sporting their Greek letters, symbols and crests, as they did their organizations proudly. The retreat concluded with a Greek unity group picture, lots of laughs, some chants and a newfound strength between the BGLO’s. “At the end of the day, no matter the organization, we are all a family,” Bost commented. “And after that day is when I can honestly say we all believed that,”

All of  BGLO’s host events and programs. For more information, check out their Instagram @nphcatwcu.