STUDENT ACTIVITIES & ORGANIZATIONS

PANTHER PORTAL

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

At TU we are proud to boast a diverse cadre of student activities and organizations that our scholars can participate and find even more community on our campus .

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

The Official Student Leadership Body of TRIBE University

The Student Government Association serves as the collective voice and governing body of the TRIBE U student community. Rooted in leadership, service, and accountability, SGA ensures that student experiences, concerns, and ideas actively shape campus life.

From planning signature events and advising administration to upholding student traditions and representing the interests of every scholar, SGA members are elected to lead with integrity, vision, and courage.

TRIBE U students will elect: SGA President, SGA Vice President and

Four Class Representatives. Candidates will campaign for office, share their platforms, and engage the student body in dialogue about their vision for campus in Discord. All enrolled students will have the opportunity to cast their votes.

Elections will take place virtually prior to the conference, allowing the incoming leadership to arrive on campus prepared to serve from day one.

Black Girl Tribe Formation Conference 2023-2090.jpg

A JOYFULL NOISE CHOIR

Directed by Dean of Chapel, Janika D. Willingham

The Joyful Noise Choir is the spiritual heartbeat of TRIBE University. Founded to cultivate harmony, healing, and holy boldness, this intergenerational ensemble brings together voices from every classification and major.

Under the direction of Dean of Chapel Janika D. Willingham, the choir blends traditional gospel, contemporary praise, spoken word, and sacred harmonies that echo through the Yard and beyond. Known for standing-room-only Chapel Nights and surprise pop-up performances during campus milestones, Joyful Noise doesn’t just sing — they usher.

Membership is open to students who believe that sound carries spirit. No audition required. Just courage, breath, and willingness

HATTIE'S PLAYERS

The Official Theatre Company of TRIBE University

Named in honor of trailblazer Hattie McDaniel, Hattie’s Players is TRIBE U’s premier theatrical collective — where storytelling is sacred and the stage is strategy.

Founded to reclaim narrative and expand imagination, Hattie’s Players produces bold works that center Black girlhood, legacy, satire, joy, resistance, and everything in between. From period dramas and original campus-written plays to spoken word showcases and experimental performance pieces, this company does not shrink to fit the room — they build a new one.

Auditions are open. Courage required.

DEBATE TEAM

The TRIBE U Debate Team is where bold ideas meet sharp delivery. Students may form teams with any scholars across campus — no Tribe limits — building alliances based on strategy, skill, and perspective.

Teams will compete in live debates throughout the week, tackling timely topics and presenting powerful arguments before a panel of judges.

All winning debaters will earn points for their respective organizations, contributing to their Tribe and campus standing.

MS. TRIBE U PAGEANT

The Miss TRIBE U Pageant celebrates confidence, brilliance, and the many ways leadership shows up on campus. This signature tradition honors scholars who embody presence, purpose, and pride in the TRIBE U community.

Contestants will compete in multiple categories highlighting style, intellect, talent, and campus spirit.

A formal call for contestants will be announced closer to the conference.

GREEK LIFE AT TRIBE UNIVERSITY

At TRIBE U we are proud to host the Alpha Chapters of "The Five First" Black Girl Sororities. Beyond our greek life we are proud to boast a cadre of student activities and organizations that our students can participate in. Students must be in good academic standing and attend our Anti Hazing Class and attend interest meetings for the prospective organization.

Click on each tab to learn more about each organization.

ChatGPT Image Feb 25, 2026, 03_28_48 PM.png

ChatGPT Image Feb 25, 2026, 03_50_12 PM.png

ChatGPT Image Feb 25, 2026, 03_57_50 PM.png

ChatGPT Image Feb 25, 2026, 03_48_00 PM.png

imani- faith

Imani was founded after a hard year. Illness had spread through campus. Burnout was real. Brilliant girls were breaking.
A group of six women began meeting early mornings — not to plan, not to argue, not to organize — but to breathe, pray, journal, and be still. At first, the other orgs didn’t take them seriously.
Then girls started surviving.

The Tea:

Imani never rushed loudly. They never competed for numbers. Their influence spread anyway. By the end of the year, even Ujima was sending members to Imani circles. Imani became the keeper of faith, wellness, and inner authority — reminding TRIBE U that brilliance without belief burns out.

Famous Alumni: Toni Morrison, bell hooks, Marian Wright Edelman

UJIMA- Collective Responsibility

Ujima was born one year after TRIBE U opened, when a group of students noticed something uncomfortable: Too many girls were enjoying freedom…and not enough were willing to be responsible for it. The founding seven women were known for being: early to class, late to bed deeply unimpressed by nonsense.

They met quietly in the unfinished east wing of the original academic hall, drafting what would become the first Student Code of Responsibility. Legend says Eleanor Boarman herself read their charter, nodded once, and said: “This institution will stand because of girls like you.” That comment became their whole personality.

The Tea:
Ujima refused to be called a “sisterhood” at first — they called themselves a charge. They controlled access to study rooms, tutoring, and eventually… influence. Everyone wanted in. Few made it. Ujima didn’t throw parties. They approved them.

Famous Alumni: Michelle Obama, Octavia Butler, Hazel M. Johnson

NIA- PURPOSE

Nia formed when younger students — watching Ujima run things, Ujamaa fund things, and Kuumba disrupt things — asked a dangerous question: “But… to what end?” Founded by twelve women (the largest founding line), Nia was intentionally intergenerational — girls from different ages, regions, and interests. They were less concerned with how power moved and more concerned with why.

The Tea:

Nia held the first open forums on campus, inviting everyone to speak. They were accused of being “too emotional.” They responded by publishing a manifesto. Nia became the conscience of TRIBE U — the org that asked uncomfortable questions right when things felt settled. Ujima enforced. Ujamaa funded. Kuumba imagined.
Nia challenged purpose.

Famous Alumni: Audre Lorde, Zora Neale Hurston, Misty Copeland

ujamaa- cooperative economics

Ujamaa formed two years later, partly because of Ujima. A group of nine students (older, sharper, a little slicker) noticed that while Ujima held responsibility, no one was teaching girls how to hold power. Specifically: money.
They began pooling stipends, selling handmade goods, and quietly funding classmates who were struggling. When the school treasurer realized a student collective had outpaced the official emergency fund, there was… tension.

The Tea:

Ujamaa was nearly shut down for “unsanctioned economic activity.” Ujima voted against them in the first SGA debate.
Eleanor Boarman broke the tie in Ujamaa’s favor. From that day forward, Ujima handled order. Ujamaa handled resources.
They’ve been side-eyeing each other lovingly ever since.

Famous Alumni: Madam C.J. Walker, Oprah Winfrey, Robin R. Fenty

kuumba- creativity

By 1902, TRIBE U was respectable. Kuumba found that… boring. Founded by five women (smallest founding line, loudest impact), Kuumba emerged after a now-legendary incident where students staged an unauthorized performance blending African drumming, poetry, and modern dance. The performance was technically against policy. The audience cried. The administration froze. Ujima called it reckless.
Ujamaa called it unprofitable. The Kuumba girls called it necessary.

The Tea:

Kuumba’s charter was written in verse, not prose. Their first meetings were held outdoors because “walls interrupted imagination.”
They are the only org whose early records include sketches, songs, and unfinished sentences. Kuumba didn’t want control or capital.
They wanted expression. And TRIBE U has never been quiet since.

Famous Alumni: Nina Simone, Beyonce Giselle Knowles- Carter, Ava DuVernay

Important Community Notice

While TRIBE U is a creative facilitation of college and sorority life, there will be absolutely no hazing of any kind — physically, emotionally, socially, or digitally. This experience is designed to highlight the leadership, scholarship, sisterhood, and tradition that make collegiate life powerful — not the harmful behaviors sometimes misrepresented by individuals acting outside the values of real organizations.

We honor the memory of Caleb Wilson, the young man whose life was tragically lost due to hazing.

His story and many others stand as a reminder that tradition without integrity is dangerous.

As a non-negotiable standard, every participant, student leader, volunteer, and staff member is required to complete anti-hazing training prior to the conference. Accountability, dignity, and safety are foundational to the TRIBE U experience.

At TRIBE U, leadership is built through discipline, excellence, and respect — never harm.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES & ORGANIZATIONS

PANTHER PORTAL

TU HOME

HISTORY

ACADEMICS

My TU ACCOUNT