The idea of a chapter return had been percolating in the mind of Professor Patrick Coggins, PhD, for more than a decade. Coggins, who arrived at Stetson in 1991 to teach Education, became part of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.’s rich fraternity past as a college student in 1963, and he helped to deliver Stetson’s original chapter in 1999.

That chapter, Tau Theta, would last only nine years, with the university pausing its existence due to membership challenges. This occurred despite a legacy that dates back to 1906 at Cornell University, when Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was established as the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for African American men. A social organization with a service mission, the fraternity endured, even thrived, through the Great Depression, World Wars and the Civil Rights Movement. Its pillars are captured in “Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind,” while its motto is “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All.”

Through the years, fraternity members ranged from civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. to musician Duke Ellington, along with Justice Thurgood Marshall, Olympian Jesse Owens and many others.

So, the Stetson chapter’s initial setback notwithstanding, Coggins knew the fraternity could someday return to campus — if only he could free himself to aid the effort. But first there were tasks that included developing the university’s multicultural presence in the form of the Cross Cultural Center and creating the curriculum Cultural Credit, among numerous other achievements.

Now, finally, the fraternity’s Stetson revival appears imminent.

Talented Members Who ‘Want to Make Changes’

“The university has approved it. And it’s already approved on the national level,” said Coggins, proudly wearing his commemorative 50-year “lifetime” fraternity pin, just one month before retirement at Stetson. “[The administration] wants us, because we fit the profile of the university, the top 20% of the class. Alpha is the top 5, 10% of the class. That’s what we want. We don’t want everybody, but we want those individuals who are talented and want to make changes.”

There is still work to do, Coggins acknowledged, but he is confident in a new chapter before the end of the Fall 2025 semester.

The same goes for Ken Lundy, Stetson’s assistant director of Graduate Admissions, College of Arts and Sciences. After joining Stetson in 2022, Lundy met with Coggins and immediately became excited about a chapter’s possible return. Lundy remembers his first day as a fraternity brother: May 17, 1987, when he was a student of the University of California – Davis. Also, he knows the exact date that Stetson’s chapter was chartered in 1999: Nov. 14.

Lundy points to the fraternity’s past and said, “When it comes to the United States and history and entertainment, politics and academics, Alpha Phi Alpha was part of it.”

Also, he cited a current network of fraternity alumni who remain actively connected in graduate chapters nationwide. “Our fraternity is just as active on the graduate side,” he described.

Lundy is busy spreading the word through what he calls Alpha “informationals.” One such event on campus in early April, dubbed Break Bread with the Bros, attracted more than 20 students. At least 14 students are ready to become new brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., more than enough to officially qualify for a new chapter. The effort has been bolstered by Stetson’s return to football, which happened in 2013, along with interest from the other teams.

Further, there is help from Orlando, where Stetson alumnus Jamil Solomon ’01, a member of the original Tau Theta chapter, is doing his part as a mentor and supporter. Solomon is the founder of Cynosure Media LLC, a company that specializes in cutting-edge drone technology.

For Stetson, a chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. would mean a fourth Divine Nine organization.

Of course, the importance of a D9 fraternity on campus is obvious. Even more, both Coggins and Lundy believe the timing is right for a new chapter to begin in the fraternity’s long history.

“This is more than a fraternal commitment … . When I came here,” Lundy said, “I just felt I could help, and helping students actually helped myself become acclimated to Stetson. So, this helps me just as much as it helps the students. … Hopefully, we will soon have some activities going on with these gentlemen.”

Said Coggins: “The time has come for us to get Alphas back.”