SU student stands alone in his attempt to revitalize Iota organization

For Southern University students, their college tenure has been dominated by two truths: Bayou Classic is the biggest event of the year, and the Iotas are nonexistent.
Iota Phi Theta has been the bud of every fraternal joke because they were the only active organization on campus that had no representation.
Fortunately, the jokes have stopped.
The spring of 2006 marked the rebirth of the Alpha Eta Chapter of Iota Phi Theta. Though they have been apart of Southern University history since April 21, 1979, their last member left Southern in 2002.
Four years later, a new man has decided to carry on the torch in the fraternity’s legacy.
Clifford Nichols, a junior music performance major from Natchitoches, was the spring 2006 initiate. He alone has the task of resurrecting the fraternity’s presence on campus.
“We are apart of Southern University history and it’s time we were recognized,” Nichols said.
The week of September 24 – 30 marked the first Iota Week in a long time. The week, which was sponsored by fellow Baton Rouge chapters, included aiding towards sickle cell anemia, which is the fraternity’s national project, as well as a forum on religion and school, and a campus barbeque.
The chapter even hosted a candle light ceremony for each of the university’s fraternity founders to promote Greek unity.
“Iota Phi Theta on this campus is not popular enough to attract a crowd on its own, so we want to have good relations with the other Greeks on campus,” said Nichols. “Most don’t even know we exist.”
Many students aren’t aware of the fraternity’s existence on campus because Nichols alone is the sole member, a fact that drew him to the fraternity.
Nichols said he chose to become a member of Iota Phi Theta because the organization’s members are truly individuals and are not bound by stereotypes.
He says anybody is capable of becoming an Iota without having to look a certain way. Nichols also said he wanted to do something different as well as make a mark in his fraternity’s history, being Iota Phi Theta is the youngest of the nine black Greeks.
“All other fraternities are established and their history books are already written,” Nichols said. “Iota history is still open and growing everyday.”
Nichols said he believes people are afraid to go against what is popular today, and that is the reason people have overlooked Iota Phi Theta as their fraternity.
He said people are too afraid to stand out, stand up and be different nowadays.
In an attempt to restore Iota pride at Southern, Nichols, as well as members of supporting local chapters, will continue doing community service and holding events such as forums and joint programs with the other Greeks on this campus.
“We are apart of the Divine Nine and the Pan-Hellenic Council,” Nichols said. “It’s time we were acknowledged.”