In 2024-2025, SCARC engaged in a collections survey and enhanced description project to better highlight archival materials documenting OSU’s multicultural Greek organizations, specifically those created by and for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students. This project is part of SCARC's broader anti-racist and enhanced description efforts that began in 2020. For more information on SCARC's on-going anti-racist work please see our online guide Special Collections and Archives Research Center Anti-Racist Actions. As components of this work, SCARC archivists:

• conducted research to chronicle the history and activities of these organizations on OSU's campus,
• identified archival collections that would support research on each group, and
• curated additional digital resources to complement analog archival materials.

Please note: the sororities and fraternities featured in this subject guide surfaced as part of our initial round of research into BIPOC Greek life on OSU’s campus. However, we believe other groups are likely documented in our materials and will add to this guide as more information is discovered. Additionally, the majority of our collections date through 2014; it’s also possible that some groups have been formed since then and are not yet included in our collections. This is an active project, and we will continue to seek out and add to our collections - and this guide - materials documenting BIPOC Greek groups on campus. We encourage you to reach out to us (scarc@oregonstate.edu) with any questions or any additional information! 

For more information regarding OSU’s Greek organizations, please see the Greek Life portion of the Oregon State University History in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center research guide.  

We acknowledge that harmful language and imagery impacts those accessing our collections and has the potential to perpetuate systemic discrimination and cultural bias. Certain collection materials held by the Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC), and the language used to describe them, may include harmful language and overt expressions of bigotry or bias, as well as outdated cultural or geographical references and stereotypes. Providing access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors depicted therein.

Archivists are not, and cannot, be neutral, and we openly and vehemently reject the biased views represented by harmful language and attitudes in our collections. We recognize, however, these viewpoints illustrate social mindsets and perspectives of their time, and that such stories cannot be erased when providing a truthful history of who we are. We do not intend to hide any aspects of our collections, and believe in the importance of fostering access to our resources in a responsible and transparent way.

We commit to embedding these practices across every facet of our work on a continual basis.

This guide is meant to highlight the rich history of BIPOC Greek organizations on OSU's campus. Past and present BIPOC Greek organizations are listed alphabetically in this guide; each tab at left includes a brief history of the organization and their activities on campus, and a list of archival collections and other resources documenting their presence on campus.

Collections listed in this guide are identified by title, and are described in a brief statement outlining the contents of the collection. Relevant subjects, topics, and/or keywords have been bolded, and box and folder information have been included as necessary or appropriate.

All collections listed in this guide are open for research. Please note that some of the collections selected are not yet fully processed, arranged, or described; in other words, a comprehensive description of the collection's content may not yet exist. Some of these collections are described in what SCARC refers to as a "preliminary container lists;" these lists can be found by expanding the "Preliminary Collection Inventory" section in the finding aids / collection guides for those collections.

For those wanting to take a more comprehensive research approach to the history of BIPOC Greek organizations on OSU's main campus in Corvallis, the following collections - both analog and digital - provide materials documenting multiple BIPOC Greek groups.

Archival collections available online include:

• The Daily Barometer: The Daily Barometer is Oregon State University's student-published campus newspaper. The content is written and edited by Oregon State students and includes news articles, editorials, and advertisements. This publication documents the full range of campus programs and activities including academic and research initiatives, student activities, athletics, campus buildings and facilities, as well as local and regional news and events. The first issue was published on March 16, 1896 as The College Barometer.
• Minorities in the Barometer index: Implemented by SCARC's Oregon Multicultural Archives (OMA) curator, Natalia Fernández, the Minorities in the Barometer index is a compilation of Barometer articles documenting minority and multicultural issues at OSU. To date, OMA has compiled Barometer articles from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. With The Barometer being full scanned and available online (see the link above), researchers are able to search other decades on their own.  
• OSU Fact Books: Published from 1988 to 2001, the OSU Fact Book sought to provide an overview of university operations packaged for consumption by a broad audience. Prepared by Oregon State University's Office of Budgets and Institutional Research, the Fact Book provided information on OSU's history and organizational structure, as well as summaries of its academic programs, admissions, and enrollments, including student demographics.
• General Catalogs: The General Catalogs provide comprehensive information about Oregon State University from its earliest incarnation to present day. The Catalogs are a wealth of data about university operations from year to year and include course descriptions and degree requirements; descriptions of campus buildings and facilities, and a campus map in some editions; enumeration of tuition and fees; lists of faculty and administrators; and enrollment data. Early editions of the Catalog even included lists of all students enrolled in a given academic year and, occasionally, a list of alumni.
• "Black Greeks at OSU" documentary, 2006: This documentary was produced during winter term 2006 by Oregon State University student Reagan Le as a component of coursework assigned for CSSA 505 ("Multicultural Competency in Student Affairs"). It documents the perspectives, experiences, and frustrations of members of African American Greek letter organizations at OSU and consists primarily of snippets from a group interview conducted with three people: Jarvez D. Hall (Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity), Earlean Huey Wilson (Ujima Education Office), and Charlene Addy McGee (Delta Sigma Theta sorority). Major themes of the documentary include feelings of disconnect between multicultural Greek organizations and "traditional" Greek organizations as well as umbrella groups such as the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and Greek Life. Narrators also discuss their sense of isolation from the larger campus community and the need for more open dialogue at OSU. The interview with Wilson, Hall and McGee was conducted at the OSU Ujima Education Office on March 3, 2006.

Additional archival collections that have not been digitized include:

• Greek Life Office Records, 1918-2015: The Greek Life Office Records document the administration of this office, which regulates and provides support services to the fraternity and sorority community at Oregon State University. These materials were primarily generated by the Greek Life Office and reflect administrative activities such as the development of training workshops/classes, the compilation of membership statistics, collaboration with law enforcement agencies in educational programming, and the evaluation of annual rush activities. The Greek Life Office was established in 1998.
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha (Box-Folder 3.20)
  • Alpha Phi Alpha (Box-Folder 3.24)
  • Delta Sigma Theta (Box-Folder 4.8)
  • Gamma Alpha Omega (Box-Folder 4.12)
  • Kappa Alpha Psi (Box-Folder 4.15)
  • Kappa Delta Chi (Box-Folder 4.18)
  • Omega Delta Phi (Box-Folder 4.26)
• Student Club and Organization Records, 1931-2008: The Student Club and Organization Records document the approval and recognition of more than 900 student clubs and organizations at Oregon State University.  The records include annual review forms, constitutions and by-laws, lists of officers and members, and event registration forms.  The Office of Student Involvement provides support services to student organizations and oversees the process for annual recognition of clubs and organizations.
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha (Box-Folder 1.06)
  • Alpha Phi Alpha (Box-Folder 1.07)
  • Gamma Alpha Omega (Box-Folder 4.07)
  • Divine Nine (Box-Folder 3.08)
• Educational Opportunities Program Records, 1968-2013: The Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) Records document the materials and activities of the EOP office in its goal to provide support for students who have traditionally been denied access to higher education. This includes the administrative documents and resources of the program, its committees and workshops, as well as the program’s publications. There is also a significant amount of photographic materials documenting program activities.
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha (Box-Folder 5.47, 5.48)
  • Gamma Alpha Omega (Digital Folder 142)
  • Kappa Alpha Psi (Box-Folder 4.87)
• Ujima Education Office Records, 1995-2013: The Ujima Education Office Records document the office’s administration, event programming, and student outreach efforts at Oregon State University. The collection contains documents collected by Earlean Wilson Huey during her time as coordinator of the Ujima Education Office. Established in 1997 to increase retention and recruitment of African American students at OSU, the office served as a mainstay of African American identity and community for nearly two decades.
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha (Box-Folder 2.37)
  • Kappa Alpha Psi (Box-Folder 3.1)
• Dean of Students Records, 1915-1999: The Dean of Students Office was established in 1962 as part of a major administrative re-organization of the university to provide “a more efficient line of communication from the students to the university president.” The office ceased to exist as a separate unit of Student Affairs on August 1, 1997, but was re-established in 2000. The Dean of Students Office records document the programs and activities of the office, especially pertaining to student organizations, student living groups, student retention, non-traditional and commuter students, and services to students offered by the Dean of Students staff.
  • Although this collection does not include materials pertaining to the sororities and fraternities featured in this guide, there is the example of Sigma Chi (national organization, not local chapter) not originally allowing Eugene Okino (1947-), a third-generation Japanese American, into OSU’s Beta Pi chapter of Sigma Chi in 1966. See Series 1: Fraternities and Sororities and specifically Box-Folder 1.33: Sigma Chi Okino Initiation, 1955-1968.

The Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC) maintains and makes available the University's unique collections of manuscripts, archives, photographs, and books. Subject strengths include:

• the historical records of OSU 
• the history of science and technology 
• cultural and ethnic groups in Oregon 
• experiences of LGBTQ+ people within the OSU and Corvallis communities
• hops and brewing in the Northwest 
• natural resources in the Pacific Northwest, especially agriculture and forestry. 

We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful. We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-Racist Actions Statement.

The Special Collections and Archives Research Center public service point is located in the Reading Room on the 5th Floor of the Valley Library at Oregon State University. If you plan to visit us, please check our calendar.

See our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center for more on how to visit SCARC, find our collections, and research tips.

In order to provide more efficient and effective service, the Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC) is offering on-site access to our collections by-appointment. Advance notice of your visit and research interests allows us to better assist you in identifying materials relevant to your research, and provide more efficient service during your on-site visit. A by-appointment model also allows us to limit Reading Room disruptions, and focus on you and on your research needs.

We will continue to respond to general and reference questions remotely via our department email, scarc@oregonstate.edu. There is a wealth of online content in Oregon Digital, on the SCARC website, in ScholarsArchive@OSU, in SCARC LibGuides, and on OSU MediaSpace, and public services staff are available to assist you in navigating and searching these sites. In some cases, by working closely with our archivists and librarians, and identifying a limited amount of specific materials, we may be able to support your research remotely through digitization. 

Please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center for more information about our by-appointment model, and other services.

Your archivists are here to help!

Staff of the library’s Special Collections and Archives Research Center are available for virtual reference consultations. Please email us at scarc@oregonstate.edu if you have questions or would like to set up an appointment.