After months of preparation, ONYX, the annual event sponsored by the National Panhellenic Council and the Black Student Union, hit the Capstone last week. Over 700 students participated in ONYX, as well as 20 student organizations.

The event kicked off with the NPHC convocation and pancake eat-off competition at Lakeside Dining Hall. Marcus Ayers representing the Beta Eta chapter of Omega Psi Phi won the eat-off.

“ONYX 2011, by far, exceeded my expectations,” said Courtnee Davis, president of ONYX. “I was delighted with so much joy to see all of the ONYX team’s hard work come full circle.”

Davis was on the ONYX committee last year and said she wanted it to be bigger and better this year. The main goals for this year’s ONYX were to bring together all minority groups on campus and provide a platform for freshman students to get involved in organizations early on in their college careers.

“This year I wanted to showcase as many minority organizations as possible along with NPHC greeks,” Davis said. “The turnout was amazing. I felt such unity.”

“We definitely accomplished all of our goals for this year, including getting freshmen involved,” said Jahmir Jones, vice president of ONYX. “However, we still have a long way to go. If ONYX keeps going at this rate, we will have a fully engaged minority population on campus.”

Jaquan Howard, a freshman from Opelika, Ala., majoring in biology on the pre-medical track, said he’s glad there are events like ONYX on campus.

“ONYX really opened my eyes to a lot of different organizations that I didn’t know about,” Howard said.

The block party was the premiere event for day two. Each organization was judged on creativity for the table-decorating contest. The Lambda Zeta chapter of Delta Sigma Theta won the competition with a duck-fishing contest.

Each organization also had a video and a presentation with the fraternities and sororities performing to compete in the stroll off competition. The Theta Delta chapter of Phi Beta Sigma and Delta Sigma Theta took the trophies for the stroll off.

The NPHC also sponsored a giveaway of prizes including gift cards to surrounding restaurants and businesses.

The week ended with a pool party at Riverside.

Jones and Davis said they hope ONYX continues to grow in the coming years.

“I hope that the event continues to get bigger and better, I hope that it remains fun, and I hope that more people attend,” Davis said.

Jones said, “My favorite moments from this year’s ONYX was seeing all the ONYX planning committee thoughts turn to action. It was good to actually see almost every minority organization present at this event, and to see everyone eager to see what we had in store. As for next year, I hope that the committee takes measures to involve more students and more organizations in ONYX, as to make ONYX a more well-rounded event.”

Jones also said that ONYX is meant to inspire and encourage individuals to go past the status quo and actually make a difference, adding that he hopes students will continue to make it better.