Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated interacts with the community on campus 

Being of “Service to All Mankind” is one of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated’s five basic mission tenets, as well as promoting “unity and friendship amongst college women,” and their annual regional cluster meeting, held at the Cajundome Convention Center on Nov. 16, 2024, allowed the members of the organization to continue to uphold those values amongst themselves and their community. 

The Epsilon Beta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, chartered at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, along with the North and South Central clusters of the organization, participated in the annual cluster retreat meeting, which is intended for the members to come together to discuss important organizational issues, as well as socialize and enjoy each other’s company. 

This particular meeting was a special one for multiple reasons, according to Shawn Simmons, the South Central regional director for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. “It will bring together, really, for the first time in our region’s history, where North and South Louisiana clusters, because they’re actually two different clusters, are having one meeting,” says Simmons. 

At this cluster retreat meeting, over 1,300 members from both the North and South Louisiana clusters came together to discuss topics that will help their chapters in their program efforts and in their operations, as well as lots of opportunities for picture taking, reconnecting and really collaborating with each other, according to Simmons. 

Simmons is fairly new to her position, only having taken office in July, however, she has made it a priority to inform the ladies of new updates that have come along the way. 

“We’ll have a presentation on our programs, including how to make those more impactful, and then we’ll have a presentation on connection and social action, which will basically be about our post election efforts, asking ourselves, “What can we do, as we are active voices in our local government?,” says Simmons. 

Another highlight of the cluster retreat meeting was the generous donation of food items, toiletries and other necessities to Campus Cupboard, an on-campus location where students can get free access to those items when they are in need. Due to the cluster meeting being held in Lafayette this year, the North and South Louisiana clusters, along with the Epsilon Beta chapter, came together and decided to give back to the University community with this donation. 

Kalea Dixon, the president of the Epsilon Beta chapter, shed some light on what this donation means to the chapter, as well as the campus community. “This is very important to our chapter because we’re able to get recognition on campus, as well as on campus. Since so many people are bringing in donations for Campus Cupboard, it just brings light to AKA and what we stand for, which is community service.” 

Another representative from the Epsilon Beta chapter, secretary Alasca Wilson, spoke to the event’s correlation to Alpha Kappa Alpha’s organizational initiatives. “One of the initiatives we are focused on with this event is ‘Uplift Our Local Community’, so donating to the Campus Cupboard gives students the opportunity to get the resources that they need, in case they can’t afford it, or they don’t have access to it.” 

The University, in tandem with Campus Cupboard was overjoyed to receive the donation from the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. To express the gratitude of the University, as well as accept the donation on its behalf, vice president of Student Affairs, Patricia Cottonham was in attendance. 

As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the head of the department that governs Campus Cupboard, Cottonham was thrilled to be in attendance and shared some insight on the impact of the donation from the University’s perspective. 

“One of the sorority’s platforms is servicing our community, and within that, making sure the sorority has a presence in our community. Under that platform, we have decided to address the issue of food insecurity. It was very appropriate that while being hosted by our local undergraduate chapter, Epsilon Beta, that we live out our tenet of ‘Service to All Mankind’ in a way that impacts the local campus, so we decided to donate to the food pantry.” 

Cottonham also illuminated how important this donation is to Campus Cupboard, along with the University population. “We know the food pantry is very important to our campus. You know, our national statistics tell us that close to 30% of deal with or struggle from some form of food insecurity. Food insecurity doesn’t just mean that you don’t have any food to eat. Food insecurity could also mean that you don’t have good food to eat.” 

“I am happy, on behalf of the University, to accept the generous donation from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, so that we will be able to stock our shelves, and we will be able to provide food for our students.”