The founders were members of which academic institution?

• A. Syracuse University
• B. University of Michigan
• C. Cornell University
• D. Princeton University

Answer: (C)

The founders formed Alpha Phi Alpha while they were students at Cornell University. In 1906, on the campus in Ithaca, New York, a group of Black students came together to create what would become the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for Black men. That direct historical connection to Cornell is why this institution is the correct answer. The other universities listed were not the setting for the fraternity’s founding.