The historically black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. has put a national hold on recruitment due to an alleged hazing incident which left one member critically wounded.
Nineteen year-old Fort Valley University student and Alpha Phi Alpha brother Brian Tukes was hospitalized for acute renal failure after complaining of back pain and vomiting. He is currently in a stable condition. Fellow Fort Valley student and Alpha Phi Alpha member Bryson Trumaine Amey was arrested for allegedly beating Tukes with his fists and other body parts at the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity house.
“Following my review of 2009, it became clear to me that one area that needs our immediate focus is the conduct of the brothers involved in the intake process,” Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. General President Herman Mason said in a memorandum addressed to the fraternity’s community.
Seven African-American Cornell University students established Alpha Phi Alpha, the nation’s oldest historically black fraternity, in 1906. The Kappa Pi chapter was established at the College of William and Mary in 1975.
Some of the fraternity’s more famous members include Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and Jesse Owens.
The College’s chapter is known for its step show performances at various campus events.
Once the Kappa Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha receives a sufficient number of applications from potential members, the fraternity begins a two weekend rush period.
There are five active members of Alpha Phi Alpha on campus, but none have been recruited this year. There have been no reported hazing incidents involving Alpha Phi Alpha at the College.
“There have not been any problems here at the College, and we have been here since 1975,” Alpha Phi Alpha Historian Lamar Shambley ’10 said.
Shambley could not comment on how the national halt on member intake could affect recruitment on campus. It is still unclear how long Alpha Phi Alpha recruitment will remain frozen.
__**Editor’s Note:** Earlier versions of this article referenced Alpha Phi Alpha’s founding year as 1904. The fraternity was founded in 1906. Additionally, Alpha Phi Alpha’s step shows were referred to as “step-dancing shows,” and the fraternity was referred to as “APA.”__
