Photo Courtesy of the Pi Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Taking one small step for men, one giant leap forward for gentlemen.

As crimson and cream canes dropped, feet stomped. Students, faculty and staff congregated at the mouth of the Henry Madden Library, forming a ring-shape around a chanting step team. Bystanders tore through the crowd of spectators for a visual window to place an image to the slapping sound that echoed through both the Peace Garden and the Free Speech Area.

The sound was that of canes being driven with great force into the concrete by the Pi Beta Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. step team. To some, a cane may just be a hollow staff, a toothsome Christmas treat or even the first son of Adam and Eve, but to Kappa Alpha Psi the cane symbolizes a mark of a true gentleman.

A cane is to a Kappa as a bone is to a bulldog, priceless.

Whether it is a constant reminder of the brotherhood principles: God, family and school, used as a prop in a step show or hanging from their back pockets, the cane is an honored tradition that will continue to be handed down to future fraternal brothers.

For mass communication and journalism major Tyrone Brazzell, that tradition was literally handed down by his father.

“I heard about Kappa Alpha Psi through my dad,” Brazzel said. “He was a Kappa at Tuskegee University in Alabama and I followed in his footsteps as a Kappa at the Pi Beta Chapter.”

As a member of the six-man step team, Brazzell said that being a stepper and a Kappa Alpha Psi has enriched his life.

“The most beneficial thing I have gained from being a Kappa Alpha Psi is its value system,” Brazzell said. “It has taught me the principles of how to be a better person as well as a better leader, brother, son and nephew.”

Aside from the cane, Kappa Alpha Psi, also known as the “pretty boy” chapter, use a combination of handclaps, feet stomps, vocal chants and Greek symbols to produce a rhythm with their body as their only instrument.

Each member specializes in either stepping, twirling or a mixture of the two. However, the most difficult part is the balancing act between stepping, twirling and being consistent.

“It’s all about practicing techniques so you can get down,” Brazzell said. “Twirling the cane in and around your fingers and your hands, then through the legs and behind the back.”

The step team practices up to 12 hours a week to prepare for the annual yard show and step performances for schools, churches and juvenile detention centers.

Kappa Alpha Psi has yet to collaborate with a fellow dance group on campus, however, “We would love to team up with Dance Xpress,” Brazzell said. “Bring them on.”

The step team has been a part of Kappa Alpha Psi since the fraternity’s inception on the night of Jan. 5, 1911. Founded by a group of 10 students from Indiana State University at Bloomington, the groundbreaking steps are still readily apparent on Fresno State’s campus today, 100 years later.