XI PHI's 2024 BLACK COLLEGE TOUR

Harlem Que’s Legacy of Scholarship Continues

Xi Phi Chapter's renowned Omega Black College Tour (OBCT) officially returned to campuses this year, offering high school scholars a unique and immersive experience. Following three years of curtailed programming because of the pandemic, the tour transitioned back to its traditional format, while adhering to all necessary COVID-19 precautions.

This year, participants had the privilege of stepping onto the grounds of some of the nation's leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), like Howard University, Hampton University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Norfolk State University, Winston-Salem State University, South Carolina State University, Claflin University, Johnson C. Smith University, Morgan State University, Delaware State University, Livingstone College, and Morris Brown College.

The OBCT goes beyond a typical campus tour, by offering intense history- based workshops, while creating a sense of empowerment and belonging. Each HBCU dedicates time to showcasing its unique mission while highlighting its diverse academic offerings. Additionally, students gain valuable insights into various financial aid options, including scholarships and grants that are crucial to making these institutions more affordable.

The Omega Black College Tour recognizes HBCUs critical role in shaping future generations of leaders. "This is not simply an education, it's an act of reclamation of self in a world that would deny the black experience," says Donnell Bolden Basileus of Xi Phi Chapter. "HBCU scholars build on the accomplishments of those who dared to dream and became successful in the face of unimaginable odds."

"For 165 years HBCUs - often with great difficulty - have not only survived and exceeded challenges to their existence but they have been highly successful with their goals of educating Black scholars while sharing emphasizing community service. The 2nd District proudly supports the mission of Xi Phi Chapter’s Omega Black College Tour throughout the fraternity nationally and presents it as an example of excellence to the Divine Nine," said Delrecole "Rico" Gales, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s 2nd District Representative.

Harry Watson II, CUP President, the nonprofit funding arm for OBCT stated many scholars received admittance to institutions such as NYU, Penn State, Villanova, and others, but their decisions to visit and enroll in HBCUs reflect the transformative power of an HBCU education. “This year marks our 38th college tour with over 2000 students participating since its inception, demonstrating our dedication

To support Xi Phi’s Omega Black College tour, click here: https://www.xiphichapter.org/cup.php and help deserving scholars take the first step toward their future by exploring the rich legacy and boundless possibilities HBCUs offer.

Omega Black College Tour

The Xi Phi Chapter, Omega Psi Phi Black College Tour was founded in 1986 by John L. Staton, a career educator and administrator who spent more than 35 years with the New York City Department of Education. John was initiated into the fraternity at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio in 1966. Since it was founded more than 1,500 students have been on the tour.

Staton wanted to dispel the myth of HBCUs being inferior institutions, so he created a platform to showcase the countless graduates who had become many of the world’s most recognized and accomplished persons in their fields. The platform would also introduce students to college life at an Historically Black College and University (HBCU).

He also believed that organizing a tour of these campuses would put the transformative power of a college education on full display, and help students dream beyond their current circumstances, while showing them a rigorous but supportive and nurturing environment where they could flourish.

“I’ve come to realize that the times I’m outside of my element is when I’ve experienced the most growth, so it’s really important to me to get students out of their comfort zone and expose them to a world far outside the bubble in which they live,” Staton said.

The program is at its best when students buy into the fact that their current circumstances aren’t an impediment to achieving their goals according to Staton. “We attempt to spark their intellectual curiosity and surround them with students from similar backgrounds who are on track to graduate during every campus we visit. On the last tour we reinforced the campus visits with a one-day trip to various memorials in Washington, D.C. so that they were bombarded by even more success stories about world renown African-Americans with the goal of searing into their young minds that success in whatever they choose to do is within their reach,” he concluded.

To learn more about the Omega Black College Tour and its diverse activities, contact
OBCT@xiphichapter.org.