Welcome Week concludes with NPHC field day

Students gather for food and games at NPHC field day, Alex Ford photos

Welcome Week came to a close last Sunday as Troy’s National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) joined the Welcome Week committee for an afternoon of games on the intramural fields.

The NPHC Field Day featured games like kickball and spike ball, music and grilled food to encourage new students to interact with as many student organizations as possible.

“I think it's important for a collaboration like this because a lot of times we see that the Greek life is separate from like regular students’ life, but we're still regular students at the end of the day,” said Khelsea Stone, a Welcome Week director, Delta Sigma Theta sister and a sophomore nursing major from Montgomery, Alabama. “Being able to come out here and just have a good time -- it's really important for us to like show that although we're Greek, we're still students, so we still want to have time to connect with the income is needed and stuff.”

Stone said she understands it may be stressful or scary for new students to get involved or put themselves out there, but she wants them to understand that her involvement has heavily benefited her college experience.

“You get to meet so many different people and even like the people I was in freshman forum with, I'm still seeing them, still speaking to them, still connected with them and you get to meet new people from those connections,” Stone said. “It's just really a good way to get involved with the culture of Troy, so you can make it a home.”

That sentiment was shared by Gabby Gandy, a sophomore exercise physiology major from Troy, Alabama. She said her time as an Alpha Kappa Alpha sister gaveher plenty of opportunities throughout her college career, whether personal or professional.

“I've made so many new friends, and I made new connections that helped me with internships and just anything on campus; like if I had needed to get dropped somewhere, someone would help me figure it out,” Gandy said.

Events like field day aren’t just about freshmen or new students, though. The goal is for the whole school to unite for a few hours to build stronger connections among all students.

“At the end of the day, we're all humans -- we all need to be together,” said Elijah Crutcher, a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi and a junior accounting major from Huntsville, Alabama. “We all need to support one another, and it’s not one versus the other, it’s everybody together.

“When it comes to Troy University, we're all Troy University students, so let's all come together as Troy University students and have a good time.”

Crutcher also said he didn’t want students to be nervous to come to events that are labeled for the NPHC. All students are welcome at these events, and they want to do their part to make it fun for everyone.

“We come to support the school, and we want to have fun with everybody,” Crutcher said. “We want to get to know everybody and, like, whenever we have events, we want y'all to come to our stuff, too.”

As the final event of Welcome Week, the NPHC now sets their sights on 4daCulture Week, which will take place from Aug. 17 to Aug. 21. More information can be found on Instagram @4daculture.troy.