As part of a combined team of several Michigan chapters of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, MSU students landed first place at the 2004 Grand Conclave March Down biannual step-show competition Saturday in St. Louis, Mo.
More than just walking or dancing, "stepping" is based on traditional black song and dance rituals and largely developed in black sororities and fraternities as a way of expressing pride and unity, said Ron Craig, the fraternity's adviser and the National Panhellenic adviser for the MSU Department of Student Life.
"It's a large part of the African-American experience in college, whether it's being done on a historically black college or university campus or on a predominantly white campus, such as MSU," Craig said.
The predominately-black MSU chapter came together with fraternity members from Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Ferris State University and Wayne State University to compete against nine other combined teams from around the nation and world.
The 10-minute routine consisted of uniform steps and chanting, accompanied by freestyle vocal beats simulating trumpets and drums. Team members wore military-style boots to enhance the sounds of stepping, marching and hopping.
"We just have aggressive personality, so small steps aren't enough," said Goliath Que, a fraternity member who attends Wayne State. "Even when an Omega man walks, it's a stomp - not a step. It's always a strong walk."
Each chapter of the winning team pocketed a $1,500 prize, a registration fee reimbursement and a trophy. As an individual team, the MSU chapter won the district finals in April.
"The fraternity has been doing the step shows since the chapter was formed, so it's nothing new," said Ondra Malone, MSU chapter president and computer engineering senior. "It's been going on for years, but this is the first time that we can actually say we took the trophy home."
By watching previous step show tapes and reviewing the movements for the past several months, the team was well prepared, said Reno Russell, a recent MSU graduate and MSU chapter member.
"We had a lot of practice," Russell said. "We drove down to Detroit every night to practice with people."
The fraternity is linked to many celebrities such as Jesse Jackson, Michael Jordan and Langston Hughes, fraternity officials said. It was the first black fraternity created, with about 150,000 members worldwide.
The first chapter was founded on Nov. 17, 1911 at Howard University, a historically black university. The MSU chapter was formed more than 30 years ago and has around 10 active members.
In order to be considered as a member, requirements include a minimum of a 2.5 grade-point average and active involvement on campus, Malone said.
"We really choose quality over quantity," he said. "We're not just trying to have members in the house, we gain membership so the fraternity members can have friends for life."
