Greene Street

Greene Street serves as an important factor in the African American experience at USC.

In 1995, the Association of African American Students (AAAS) planted the "Tree of Knowledge" on Greene Street. With the planting of the tree, the organization buried a time capsule for students in the future to be able to find. The tree of knowledge was one of the first spaces that was dedicated to Black students, and was once used as a meeting placed for students to converse between classes.

Once planted, the members of AAAS painted the trunk in its organization colors; red, black, and green--which can be vaguely seen today. Since the dedication of the tree, Black students continue to use the space to gather and convene with each other. This space has been used for protests, announcements, and social gatherings.

In 2018, the Tree of Knowledge was rededicated, and a plaque was added to dedicate the tree to the Association of African American Students.

Today, social gatherings such as Hip-Hop Wednesday and the AAAS Cookout, take place around the Tree of Knowledge to keep the unity in the Black community.

The Association of African American Students (AAAS) was established in 1968, and was known as one of the leading organizations on campus. This organization, along with the NAACP, served to voice students needs and enhance the experience of black students on campus. Though the USC chapter of the NAACP ceased in 2015, AAAS continues to lead African-American students on campus.

In 2012, the university dedicated a wall in Russell House to African-American contributions. The "African-American Presence Wall" is located outside of the Russell House ballrooms. This wall includes 8 panels filled with African-American history., including the first African-American students to desegregate the university.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a council made up of the nine historically black international Greek organizations referred to as the “Divine Nine”. "The Corner" refers to the intersection between the library and the Center for Health and Well-Being. The Richard T. Greener Statue is also located here and was designed in honor of the first African American professor at USC.

For years, there were Greek letters of the Theta Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated embedded in the concrete in front of the McBryde building. Later, the Zeta Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated (chartered in April 1973) became the first NPHC organization to build a house in Greek Village on July 8th, 2005. This broke many barriers on campus and paved a way to build relationships between different greek organizations.

In November 2021, the University developed a plot located at the Women’s Quad residential hall in honor of the November 1873 charter of the Theta Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

As of today, USC now has active chapters for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs strives to educate each member of the university community. Through understanding the individual responsibility they carry, Carolinians can create a community of acceptance for all individuals as well as nurture an atmosphere of inclusion and positive social change.