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Asian Greek History....

The history of Asian fraternities and sororities is a history that dates back to the beginning of the 20 th century. The reasons for this are many, but one of the primary factors is the policies practiced by the United Stated government to “aliens ineligible for citizenship”, or the term the U.S. government used for people of Asian heritage. Because of policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907, and the Immigration Act of 1924, people of Asian origin faced extreme difficulty in accessing higher education and the privileges that came with it.

Greek organizations played large roles in collegiate life beginning in the mid 19 th century and continuing on to today. Because Asians were barred from joining these organizations, and because of the racial climate of the times, collegiate students of Asian ancestry needed to band together in order to survive the times. Due to the popularity of fraternal organizations, it is no surprise then that the creation of Asian based fraternal organizations happened.

Pre-World War II Organizations

The first organization to be established by Asian Americans was Rho Psi Fraternity, established at Cornell University in 1916 by a group of Chinese American men. Although it isn’t known specifically why they formed their organization, it has been theorized that they took note of Alpha Phi Alpha, widely recognized as the first Black fraternity, which was founded ten years earlier at the same institution. Rho Psi grew substantially in the 1920’s and 1930’s, establishing chapters in places all over East Asia, such as Hong Kong, as well as multiple chapters in the United States. However, the organization began to focus more on post college experiences, and officially became Rho Psi Society, a co-ed professional organization, in 1976.

The next three organizations to be established all were founded during a time when Asians were not readily accepted on the West Coast. With the establishment of Pi Alpha Phi Fraternity in 1926 at UC Berkeley by a group of Chinese American men, the official growth of Asian American Greek organizations had begun. Three years later, a group of Japanese American women formed Chi Alpha Delta at UCLA in order to have the same opportunities, such as scholarships, which primarily were associated with the fraternal system. Finally, in 1930, a group of Chinese American women established Sigma Omicron Pi, which stands for Sisters of Pedagogy, at UC Berkeley as an organization that would provide sisterhood to Chinese American women interested in teaching. With the establishment of this organization, the establishment of pre-World War II organizations was complete.

The 1940's through 1970's

The 1940’s through 1970’s saw the establishment of many organizations for both Asian American men and women in California. The first of these was Sigma Phi Omega Sorority. It was started by a group of Japanese American women in 1949 at the University of Southern California to provide a haven against the anti-Japanese racism that was prevalent in the post-World War II era. Many organizations established during this time period existed primarily as local fraternities and sororities, and became the basis for what is now known as the Southern California Asian Greek Council. Although they are not as large in numbers as some of the newer organizations, these fraternities and sororities established the basis for Asian American, as opposed to a specific Asian ethnicity, fraternal organizations and made that concept possible.

Pi Alpha Phi Brothers circa 1930's

Sigma Phi Omega founding mothers

The 1980's

Although only a few new organizations were established during this decade, one organization had a larger impact than any other on a National level. That organization was Lambda Phi Epsilon. Started in 1981 at UCLA by Craig Ishigo and 18 other men, they envisioned a brotherhood that would span many states and universities and would provide a true Asian American fraternal organization to people all across the country. Lambdas founded their Beta Chapter at 1985 at UC Davis, and then followed that up with establishing 4 other chapters between that year and 1990, one of them which was in Texas making it the first chapter of a modern Asian fraternal organization to be founded outside of California. Lambdas expansion outside of California made the concept of Asian American Greek life visible to those outside of the state and opened the door for the next decade.

The 1990's

The 1990’s could be considered the true birth of Asian American fraternal organizations on a National level. Organizations popped all across the country and the concept of Asian American Greek life became much more visible. For example, alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority, Inc. was established at UC Berkeley in 1990, and quickly expanded to have 14 chapters by 1995 in places such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Texas. Their rapid set the stage for what was to happen next.

In 1994, Pi Delta Psi Fraternity, Inc. was founded at Binghamton University making it the first organization still in existence as a Greek organization to be established outside of California. Following their founded, other organizations popped up all over New York State such as Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc., Iota Nu Delta Fraternity, Inc., and Nu Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc. in 1994 followed by Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. in 1995. They formed the basis for what would become New York State Asian American Greek life. However, New York was not the only state to see new organizations form.

While organizations did form in states such as Pennsylvania and Georgia, the other major state besides New York to see many organizations develop was Texas. Organizations such as Delta Kappa Delta Sorority, Inc., Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc., and Delta Epsilon Psi Fraternity, Inc. all were established in Texas. What is notable about these organizations is that many of them focused on South Asian Americans. While organizations such as Iota Nu Delta Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, Inc. were established earlier, Texas can clearly be considered the state that nurtured this sector of Asian American fraternal organizations. By the end of the 1990’s, at least 35 organizations had been established in that decade alone. Moreover, many of these organizations did not stay at just one university as these 35 organizations established over 115 chapters during this time period. All told, over 140 chapters were established during this decade.

The 2000's

The 2000’s, so far, could be described as the decade in which organizations established in the decade before began to mature and flesh themselves out. While not nearly as many organizations were established during this time period, many new chapters of older organizations began to spring up all across the country. Expansion went beyond the traditional states of Texas, California, and New York as chapters popped up in places like Florida, Maryland, and Illinois. In order to better understand this phenomenal growth, the chart below shows some major organizations and their chapters in 1999 and in 2007:

Organization	Chapters in 1999	Chapters in 2007
Pi Alpha Phi	7	13
Sigma Omicron Pi	7	12
Sigma Phi Omega	7	8
Lambda Phi Epsilon	32	46
alpha Kappa Delta Phi	27	43
Pi Delta Psi	11	21
Sigma Psi Zeta	6	21
Kappa Phi Lambda	8	24
Sigma Beta Rho	4	37
Delta Phi Lambda	1	10
Delta Phi Omega	2	22

Lambda Phi Epsilon Founders

As of 2007, over 65 Asian American fraternities and sororities exist totaling over 420 total chapters. Because of this substantial development, college campuses that were once dominated by historically White fraternities and sororities now have organizations that are specifically geared towards other communities. This paradigm shift is exciting for Greek life because of the amount of philanthropy and cultural programming that is put on by organizations such as those mentioned above. While the book is not complete on Asian American Greek life, we are at a time now when we can look back and truly smile in wonder at how far things have come.

Copyright 2007, National APIA Panhellenic Association.