Toward Supporting NPHC Students and Organizations: An Autoethnographic Critical Race Theory Story of What Fraternity and Sorority Life can Learn from the Multicultural Center at one Predominantly White Institution

This is an autoethnographic study that focuses on the ways in which the office of fraternity and sorority (OFSL) can better support the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations and its members at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The study examined what the OFSL could learn from the multicultural center about their approach to supporting NPHC students at Nebraska. The three questions that helped guide this study were: What does the OFSL do to support NPHC organizations at Nebraska? What are the needs of Black students in the NPHC at Nebraska? How does the multicultural center provide support for Black students at Nebraska? This study utilized Critical Race Theory (CRT) to help form the interview questions. CRT also guided the data analysis process by focusing on the five tenets which are: counter storytelling, permeance of racism, whiteness as property, interest convergence, and critique of liberalism. As a result of this study, four themes were found regarding supporting NPHC students better at Nebraska: the OFSL benefits from the work of NPHC students, there is a need to support and center Black students at Nebraska, NPHC students find community within the multicultural center, and it is everyone’s responsibility to serve Black students. These themes helped me understand what support the NPHC students are receiving now and who they are receiving it from. The themes also helped me understand how the OFSL can move forward when it comes to their support for NPHC organizations and students. This study offers actions that can be taken toward supporting Black students and NPHC organizations at the University of Nebraska. By having the OFSL utilize campus resources like the multicultural center to focus on centering and supporting NPHC students in their programs and meetings, NPHC students might build a better relationship with the OFSL and the University of Nebraska can indeed be the best campus in the country to be Greek. Adviser: Stephanie Bond