Meat NPHC was a social outreach event hosted by the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) at NC State. The event was hosted on Sept. 8 in the Witherspoon Student Cinema and the African American Cultural Center.
Meat NPHC was marketed as a social cookout event where students who were interested in NPHC sororities and fraternities could mix and mingle and learn more about the organizations. This setup was different from its past iterations which consisted of a Q&A session and a panel discussion on Black Greek life on campus and how to prepare yourself to complete research on interested organizations.
When speaking with members of the executive board (e-board) of NPHC, they spoke on how they hoped this event would be a chance to show the campus who the faces of NPHC are so that students could get to know them and the organizations in an informal setting.
On this topic, Jaylen-Kye Jones, the NPHC Parliamentarian, said “Meat NPHC [was] a great way for unaffiliated folks to learn about what Black Greek letter organizations are [and] what we do. But also [for students] to get to know who we are as people as well behind the letters.”
This sentiment was shared by several e-board members, including Jala Royster, NPHC special events co-chair, “This event was to have the student body come out so they can see that all the Greeks can get along and work together to get a job done I want everyone to see all the [organizations] just gathered together laughing, joking [and] showing that we’re all friends.”
There were over 100 students at the event, which began as a mixer where interested students would talk to students in NPHC to get to know them and their organizations. Conversations were encouraged by the emcee of the event. A few students were talking about different classes they had and various service opportunities they had completed or were looking forward to participating in.
Since NPHC is comprised of service-based organizations, Nubian also took the chance to ask NPHC community service chair, Jada Jant, about community service and outreach initiatives.
“As a council, [NPHC] actually [does] community service every month. This month we’re [doing] community service [by] volunteering at the Black farmers market. [This year we] want to incorporate more community members in our community service, not just [our] organizations,” said Jant.
After these conversations, NPHC served a few Black cookout staples: grilled chicken, burgers, hotdogs, mac and cheese and baked beans. Many students lined up outside the African American Cultural Center in hopes to receive a plate and get some good food while continuing to learn about the organizations.
At this point, Nubian was able to catch a few more e-board members to discuss the importance of strong leadership and what to look out for this year from NPHC. Kayla Beasley, NPHC Vice President had a few things to say on the matter at the event.
“Being part of the e-board is just another step of leadership. Being able to help facilitate different programs, events, and be a voice to help guide and just plan. It’s an opportunity to work closely with people in other [Greek organizations],” Beasley commented.
When asked about the future of NPHC for this year, the NPHC President, Alvin Mutongi, directed any interested parties to follow them on social media. The NPHC Instagram page is @ncstatenphc and the fraternity and sorority organization pages are linked there as well.
Overall, Meat NPHC was able to adapt to unexpected weather conditions to host a casual, social and informational event for interested students to discuss community service and get to know members of Black Greek life on campus.
