Fraternity raising funds for King memorial

Students stream by the desk where members of Alpha Phi Alpha sit, some stopping to listen. Behind the fraternity members in the Indiana Memorial Union is a bulletin board littered with posters from past events and current charity efforts.\nThe project these men are raising money for, however, is different than most.\nThey aren't raising money for a local charity; they're sitting behind desks at the IMU to raise money for something timeless and awe-inspiring to them, they said, something created by their fraternity and placed in the nation's capitol.\nThe men of Alpha Phi Alpha are attempting to raise money for the Martin Luther King Memorial, which is to be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.\nAlpha Phi Alpha has made the memorial to Dr. King a national project, involving chapters across the nation. \nJunior Dominic Paicely said Alpha Phi Alpha has been involved with the memorial project since its conception.\n"The Dr. Martin Luther King Project is about 18 years in the making, with the memorial project's proposal taking place in 1984," he said. \nThe monument, which will be constructed on a four-acre site on the Tidal Basin, sits within sight of the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. It will be the only monument in Washington D.C. to honor an African American and the final monument to be constructed on the Mall.\nThe design for the memorial was chosen from more than 900 entries from world-renowned artists, architects and sculptors. \nIn a statement, design panel juror Karen Phillips, president and CEO of Abyssinian Development Corporation, said the design selected most closely mirrors the goals of the project.\n"The selected design addressed the physical context, site conditions and philosophical symbolism of the location while ensuring that the program elements -- 'The Man, The Message, The Movement' -- were incorporated into a memorial respectful of Dr. King's legacy," she said.\nSenior Alvoy Lewis Bryan said Alpha Phi Alpha is spearheading the project because Dr. King was a member of the fraternity's Boston University chapter.\nPaicely said the fraternity is trying to raise funds for the project by next year. The national fraternity has had the authority to raise funds since November 1996 and may continue to fundraise until November 2003. The IU chapter's goal is $5,000.\n"During our week, we reserved space in the IMU literature booths," Paicely said. "We also took donations at all of our events and held a raffle during our party, where we were able to raise additional funds. With that being over with, we are now in the process of planning a formal informational presentation."\nThe chapter also plans on throwing a social fundraiser later this semester.\nDespite the efforts of Alpha Phi Alphas nationwide, the goal of $100 million is going to be difficult to achieve, Paicely said.\n"With a national goal of $100 million and the deadline only 20 months away, we can only ask for everyone's support and remain optimistic that the national goal will be reached before its due date," he said. "Every member of Alpha Phi Alpha's Gamma Eta chapter has worked to the best of his ability to make this a success"