By Justin Rushia

There’s a new frat in town. 

Alpha Phi Alpha was officially revived in April after a seven-year hiatus, with senior Jordan Williams and junior Ryan Williams (not related) inducted into the fraternity’s Upsilon Kappa chapter. Founded in 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha calls itself the first Greek frat established for African-American men.

“Greek life at SUNY Plattsburgh has always been active, but it hasn’t always been as diverse as it could be,” Jordan Williams told APN. “There has been a gap when it comes to organizations that truly represent different cultures and backgrounds. That lack of diversity affects how inclusive Greek life feels for a lot of students.”

But Alpha Phi Alpha faces an uphill battle in turning around the negative stereotypes toward frats in Plattsburgh. SUNY cracked down on the school’s party scene in recent years following a student death and shocking reports of hazing. 

In 2003, student Walter Jennings died after a hazing incident where he was forced to drink gallons of water through a funnel until he then vomited multiple times. This led to hydroneutremia, a rare condition that caused Jennings’ brain to swell. Eleven members of the Psi Epsilon Chi fraternity were charged with a combined 150 crimes, including criminally negligent homicide. 

But the party went on. In 2014, Global Brand Magazine ranked Plattsburgh as the No. 95 party school in the country, ahead of larger institutions such as Clemson and the University of Louisiana. 

SUNY appeared to finally draw a line after a 2017 incident where 21 members of the Pi Alpha Nu fraternity were charged with hazing, criminal nuisance and unlawfully giving their pledges alcohol. The frat made their pledges to hold a plank position on the floor while the brothers vomited and urinated on them, beat them with paddles until their knees buckled, and made them eat potentially dangerous items such as raw tobacco.

Since then, SUNY has cracked down on hazing and implemented stricter rules for the fraternities. Alpha Phi Alpha itself paused operations on campus in 2019. 

“There’s rules on top of rules on top of rules,” Delta Sigma Phi sophomore Jackson Hooper said. “It’s basically pussified the frats and made it very difficult for us to do anything worthwhile or fun.”

Hooper said the rules have been overly restrictive. He said frats can now be fined and given two-week suspensions for failing to pre-register their parties. 

“They’ve just made it so we pretty much can’t advertise having a good time and drinking,” Hooper said. “That’s what the college experience is, and everybody knows that.”

Alpha Sigma Phi vice-president Manny Oliver attributes the decline in Greek life at Plattsburgh to negative stereotypes and stigma surrounding these organizations. 

“All these stereotypes are said and used against fraternity and sorority life, but at the same time, fraternity and sorority life can open up so many business opportunities for people,” Oliver said. 

Hooper agreed that the stigma associated with Greek life has negatively affected involvement.

“For example, people assume, like, you know, if you’re in Delta Sig, you’re gonna be degenerate f***ing cokehead, but that’s not the case at all,” Hooper said. “If you’re in a fraternity, people almost look down on you.” 

Jordan Williams hopes to change that perspective. He said he first wanted to bring Alpha Phi Alpha back to Plattsburgh in his sophomore year after he saw his first Alpha stroll at homecoming. Strolling is a cultural tradition for Black fraternities and sororities and consists of an organized dance, usually performed in a line, which represents power and unification. 

“I felt inspired by the way they brought the Black community together in Plattsburgh,” he said. “After noticing the chapter had been inactive since 2019, I felt a responsibility to help revive it and build something even stronger than before.”

The revival of Alpha Phi Alpha shows that interest in Greek life has not completely disappeared, even if it might never be what it used to be.

“I think that it would be very difficult for us to get back to, like, a top five party school in the nation,” Hooper said. “But I think that it could definitely improve if people want to voice their opinions and work with the school and see what we can do about these rules.”