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formal gathers, and the exposure to the mystique of Greek letters and organiza- tional colors helped to influenced how I thought about my future.” …I also grew up in Nashville, Tennessee among three icons of the HBCU network Tennessee State University, Fisk University, and Meharry Medical College. Therefore, achievement, college, and family have played a significant role in my profes- sional development.” In reflecting on his inspiration related to Kappa Alpha Psi, he shared,“Inspired by a good friend, neighbor, and mentor, James E. Lawson (Epsilon Rho, 1987) I enrolled at Western Kentucky Univer- sity were I learned more directly about how Black Greek organizations could play a role in mentoring and leading campus life in general. Howard Bailey (Epsilon Rho, 1969) was our Dean of Students and served as a de facto older brother/uncle to all young Black men on campus, and his presence along with the brotherly presence of the Epsilon Rho (EP) chapter, led to my initiation in the Spring of 1989, with the “Diamond Legacy” line (I was Scroller #10 (the “tall tail of ten”)).” “Crossing with my line brothers and joining the EP not only provided me with a brotherly network, it also gave me opportunities to think about how to serve and give back to the Noble Klan of Kappa but also to the broader communi- ty. I served as Junior Province Vice Pole- march (1992-93) and Strategus (1991- 92) in the South Central Province and worked to create an annual JVP summit in the province that would help under- graduates connect outside of formal meetings and discuss the governance, politics, and needs of the fraternity.” “I also served in several roles at Epsilon Rho, including Dean of Pledgees, His- torian, Fraternity House Chairman, and “Step Master.” I have continued to serve my chapter after my undergraduate years by chairing numerous anniversary reun- ion committees and organizing efforts.
Greg Clark (Epsilon Rho 1989) and Wilson showing why he was Step Master at WKU.
ogy and survey methodology. These disciplines gave me additional tools and frameworks to understand the “public” part of policy: social behavior, political voice, democratic values, and principles of justice. Today, my research focuses on how racial attitudes and informational frames affect political opinions about policies, social issues, and groups (e.g., felons, racial-ethnic populations, and the underserved); and I use survey ex- periments to mirror these effects. I have been fortunate to cultivate and practice my scholarly interests in a variety of settings including positions with the U.S. Army, SPSS, the Gallup Polling Organization, and my current academic home, UD.”
In discussing his formative years, Dr. Wilson shared, “My upbringing was heavily influenced by Kappa and the broader mission of Black Greek letter organizations. My father, Eton R. Wil- son (Alpha Delta, 64’) was a Kappa, my mother, aunt, and sister are “Deltas,” my maternal grandfather was an “Alpha,” and my grandmother was an “AKA.” Nearly all of my cousins are also Greek; Barry Stanback (Theta Omicron, 76’) and Zuri Stanback (Iota Chi, 90) are both members of Kappa. As a young man I saw the fraternal spirit up-close. The parties, the meet- ings, the programmatic events and in-
In this way, Kappa prepared me for
Operation Iraqi Freedom: Wilson at right.
Opposite page: Wilson is a part of the $60,000 donation to the WKU Foundation.
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