New plaza on Southeast campus to honor African-American fraternities, sororities

A new plaza under construction at Southeast Missouri State University will pay tribute to historically African-American fraternities and sororities while also providing a multifunctional and attractive space for student use, university officials say.

The plaza is being installed in Parker Field, a former softball field adjacent to the central pedestrian corridor, which runs between the staircase by Brandt Hall and the stairs next to Magill Hall.

It�s the most heavily traveled area on campus, said Kathy Mangels, vice president for finance and administration at Southeast.

It�s also an area long described as �underdeveloped,� she said, and to add to that, Southeast long has lacked a real, central gathering space, or a quad.

So, Mangels said, in fall 2015, her department and the National Pan-Hellenic Council, or NPHC, which governs and represents the eight historically African-American fraternities and sororities recognized at Southeast, started having conversations about ways to honor the chapters and have a space for the Southeast community.

An artist's rendering of the National Pan-Hellenic Council plaza being constructed on the Southeast Missouri State University campus.Submitted

�We looked at a lot of designs,� Mangels said, including similar spaces at other universities.

After what Mangels described as a �thorough vetting,� the design includes a four-terrace, semicircular earth formation with low concrete walls for seating and a circular, hard-surface plaza as the focal point.

Markers honoring each chapter will be included, as will shade trees, lighting and electrical access, said Bruce Skinner, associate vice president for student life.

Mangels said ADA access also has been incorporated. The existing corridor has elevator access at Brandt Hall, she said, but the ramp on the other end is �not ideal.�

Skinner said while other fraternities and sororities have had housing on campus beginning in the 1960s, the NPHC hasn�t had that �home� to point to.

They have had access to other spaces on campus, such as offices, for instance, Skinner said, but alumni couldn�t necessarily return and have a space they could celebrate.

Now, Skinner said, the NPHC members already are planning events for the fall.

�They�re taking ownership,� he said.

Mangels said she envisions students being able to use the space for formal events, such as having an invited speaker and audience seating on the terraces, or for more casual activities, such as reading a book on the grass or throwing a Frisbee around between classes.

Since the project is part of the campus landscape master plan, Mangels said, funding for the project came from the maintenance and repair budget, intended to improve the campus� walks and grounds.

�With the way our campus is spread out now, it�s right in the middle,� Mangels said.

Construction began in mid-March and is expected to conclude in late July, according to a university news release.

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Pertinent address:

Parker Field, Cape Girardeau, Mo.