National Pan-Hellenic Council Greek Garden

The National Pan-Hellenic Council, otherwise known as the NPHC, has a long and complex history on the University of Mississippi Campus. First founded at Howard University, the NPHC was created to unite all historically Black Greek organizations and has been flourishing on college campuses and providing a Greek community for Black students all over the United States since 1930. In 1973, Omega Psi Phi became the first of the “Divine Nine” National Pan-Hellenic Council Greek organizations to establish a chapter at the University of Mississippi; today, six different historically Black fraternities and sororities operate on the campus. Despite having an influential presence at the university, there is a lack of symbolic representation that is painfully tangible among NPHC students. 

Greek Houses, or the lack thereof, are the most glaringly obvious way in which NPHC fraternities and sororities have been excluded from the University for the past fifty years. On the night of August 4, 1988 the NPHC fraternity Phi Beta Sigma was gearing up to move into their brand new house on Fraternity Row when it was suddenly burned down by a still-unknown arsonist. This incident did not change the way Black students existed on campus, but it did change the way that the public understood the Black experience at the University of Mississippi. The burning of the Phi Beta Sigma house merely brought to light the kind of hostilities that were existing in campus culture at the time. In the fallout of this attack, the University of Mississippi once again became the subject of national outrage and the question of racism on the Ole Miss campus was fresh in the minds of the public. In an article published by The Harvard Crimson newspaper on October 22, 1988, the anonymous writer argues that, “while the arson is evidence that racism remains a problem at Ole Miss, it has helped bring needed attention to the problem.”[1] Despite the majority of the university rallying around them and raising funds, Phi Beta Sigma was unable to rebuild and Fraternity Row remained segregated in practice if not in policy. 

Though no historically Black sorority or fraternity currently has a Greek house on campus, the subject has yet to fade from public attention. In 2016, the University of Mississippi broke ground on the National Pan-Hellenic Council Garden, which would open in the following year. Located near Crosby Hall on Northgate Drive, the garden was created to serve as a place on campus dedicated to NPHC students.[2] This project drew a good deal of contention when it was announced and still serves as the subject for debate. Some think the garden is a disappointing consolation prize to make up for the lack of NPHC housing and meeting space on campus. Others believe the garden to be a lovely addition to the school and a beautiful testament to the contributions of NPHC organizations at the University.[3]

When asked whether she thought the Garden was a replacement for on-campus houses, NPHC President Candace Bolden said, “No, it is not a replacement for the houses that were removed,” and then added, “I don’t think a lot of Black Greeks spend a lot of time in what we call the ‘Greek Gardens.’” She argued that there should be more for Black Greek students at the University than what the Garden offers them. But Candace spoke of the significance of the Garden as a sort of monument to the Divine Nine, saying, “I am happy that we actually have a space on campus where people can look and see and learn a little bit about our organizations.” Despite mixed reactions, the 2016 groundbreaking of the Garden felt like something important and symbolic for Black Greek life.[4]

Despite the fact that the garden is in no way a replacement for Greek houses, it still acts as a quiet and charming place where members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council can meet, study, relax, and find community. On her hopes for the future of the Garden, Candace said, “I definitely think that, here soon, we’re going to be able to translate the Greek Gardens into something that is more inclusive and more of what we want, a space where we can get together and be ourselves.” Even though this space isn’t what Black Greeks need, it could just be what opens the door to more opportunities to solidify the place of Black Greek life on campus.

This entry was written by Reagan Whittington

1.  “Ole Miss Integrates Fraternity Row In Aftermath of Racial Incident.” The Harvard Crimson. October 22, 1988. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/10/22/ole-miss-integrates-fraternity-row-in/.
2. Steube, Christina. "University Celebrates Dedication of NPHC Garden." University of Mississippi News. May 4, 2017. https://news.olemiss.edu/university-celebrates-dedication-of-nphc-garden/.
3. Bose, Devna. "NPHC Organizations Especially Affected by Student Union Construction." The Daily Mississippian. February 8, 2019. https://thedmonline.com/student-union/.
4. Norwood, Ashley F.G. "First Garden for Black Greeks Blooms at Ole Miss." Mississippi Today. May 4, 2017. https://mississippitoday.org/2017/05/04/first-garden-for-Black-greeks-blooms-at-ole-miss/.