Lambda Phi Epsilon
| Lambda Phi Epsilon | |
|---|---|
| ΛΦΕ | |
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| Founded | February 25, 1981 UCLA |
| Type | Social |
| Scope | International |
| Motto | To be Leaders Among Men ΗΓΕΜΟΝΕΣ ΕΝ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΙΣ ΕΙΝΑΙ |
| Colors | Royal Blue and White |
| Mascot | Dragon (unofficial) |
| Chapters | 52 |
| Nicknames | Lambdas, LPhiE, LFE, LiFE |
| Headquarters | Kerckhoff Steps Los Angeles, California USA |
| Website | Lambda Phi Epsilon, Inc |
Lambda Phi Epsilon (ΛΦΕ, also known as LPhiE, LFE or LiFE) is an internationally-recognized fraternity in the United States and Canada. With a total of 52 chapters, it is the largest Asian-interest fraternity in North America. Lambda Phi Epsilon's goals include servicing the community through various philanthropies, increasing Asian awareness, promoting academic scholarship, and strengthening the Asian American voice on campus. Lambda Phi Epsilon Fraternity, Inc. being the current largest Asian-interest fraternity, continues to expand to other campuses every year.[1]
History
Founding Fathers
A group of eighteen dedicated men decided to form Lambda Phi Epsilon on February 25, 1981. Noting that Asian fraternities and sororities at the UC campuses were recognized only as service organizations due to their memberships focus on specific Asian groups and to the exclusion of other ethnic groups, the goal of the founders was to transcend this limitation. The founders hoped to set new and higher standards of excellence for all Asian-interest organizations to follow, while feeling a need to offer a fraternity that would be recognized by the IFC and the Greek system. While the original charter focused on Asian Pacific Americans, people from all ethnic backgrounds were welcome to join and support the brotherhood of Lambda Phi Epsilon. Their vision was that the members would eventually become the leaders of their respective communities and bridge the gaps that divided the Asian American community through an affiliation with a common organization. Craig Ishigo and Darryl L. Mu signed the charter as president and vice president, respectively.[2]
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National expansion
Since its founding at the University of California, Los Angeles, Lambda Phi Epsilon has continued to grow and establish presence on campuses all over the nation. Within a few years, the fraternity had chartered to the University of Texas, Austin (Zeta Chapter), the State University of New York, Buffalo (Nu Chapter), and the University of Michigan (Xi Chapter). In 1990, the organization was recognized by the North-American Interfraternity Conference, being the first Asian Interest fraternity to do so. The fraternity has since expanded to all corners of the United States and beyond.
State University of New York, Buffalo (Nu Chapter) was Lambda Phi Epsilon's first chapter to be chartered on the American East Coast. Starting as Delta Gamma Tau, on September 15, 1992, this fraternity merged with Lambda Phi Epsilon (effectively taking on Lambda Phi Epsilon's letters) to unify organizations with identical purposes and to strengthen the Asian-American voice in the campus community.
On December 5, 2004, Lambda Phi Epsilon established a chapter at the University of Toronto(Alpha Xi Chapter), thereby granting Lambda Phi Epsilon status as an international fraternity.
Philanthropy
The fraternity's national philanthropy are the bone marrow drives. For a patient living with leukemia or any other blood disorder, the odds of finding an appropriate match are already slim; their best chance of finding a matching donor lies within their own ethnic community. Unfortunately, Asian donors make up just a small fraction of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Because of this, every chapter of Lambda Phi Epsilon hosts several bone marrow drives in conjunction with the Asian American Donor Program, the Cammy Lee Leukemia Foundation, and Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, to inform, educate, and recruit potential marrow donors for the NMDP. By increasing the number of Asian donors in the national registry, Lambda Phi Epsilon hopes to better the chances of Asian patients finding donors that they are compatible with.[1]
Lambda Phi Epsilon recognized bone marrow drives as the national philanthropy when Evan Chen, a brother from Stanford University, was diagnosed with leukemia. The fraternity, along with Evan’s friends, organized a joint effort to find a bone marrow match for Evan. What resulted was the largest bone marrow typing drive in the history of the National Marrow Donor Program and AADP (Asian American Donor Program). In a matter of days, over 2000 people were typed. A match was eventually found for Evan, unfortunately by that time the disease had taken its toll on him and he died in 1996.[3] Since then, chapters across the nation hold annual bone marrow drives to help others find matching bone marrow. In particular, the fraternity seeks out "minority donors because they are the hardest to find." [4]
In addition to hosting bone marrow drives on a national level, individual chapters of Lambda Phi Epsilon participate in their own local philanthropies including Habitat for Humanity, AIDS walks, beach clean-ups, adopting highways, and assisting the elderly community. On many occasions the fraternity teams up with other student organizations to help fund raise for various charities.[5]
In Canada where bone marrow drives are not as visible, brothers participate annually in Relay 4 Life, a 12-hour walk or run marathon hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society. In 2007, Lambda Phi Epsilon at the University of Toronto raised over $1500 in support of funding cancer research. In addition to Relay 4 Life, brothers have participated in the blood drive along with weekly sandwich runs throughout the summer.
Chapters
Lambda Phi Epsilon has a total of 52 chapters in North America, with more than half of its chapters concentrated in California, New York, and Texas. A complete list of Lambda Phi Epsilon's chapters and links to their websites can be found at the link given above.
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West Coast
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The South
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The Midwest
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East Coast
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National Convention
Every year, Lambda Phi Epsilon holds an annual convention during Memorial Day weekend at various locations around the world. Convention is a national event for members to get together for business and pleasure, and is one of the largest Asian American gatherings in the United States. Parties, after-parties, as well as Brotherhood showcases where members from their respective chapters can perform a dance or step are held all weekend long. The winning chapter is awarded a sword called the "Keight." Named after the original eight step team members from the University of California, Santa Cruz (Kappa Chapter), the "Keight" is a figurative trophy passed down from the previous year's winner. Meetings are held to elect national board members and review current policies, and career development workshops are set up to help current members develop skills used in the professional world. The weekend is closed off with a final banquet.
In 2006, Lambda Phi Epsilon's UCLA chapter hosted Convention XVII which marked the twenty-fifth (silver) anniversary of the fraternity and was held in the fraternity's founding city, Los Angeles. Over 90% of the original founders were confirmed to attend.
Notable alumni
- Yul Kwon - winner of Survivor: Cook Islands , one of People magazine's Sexiest Men for 2006.,[6] and deputy chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau [7]
References
- ^ a b Kwek, Jessica (2000-05-17). "Fraternity Holds Campus Marrow Drive". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
- ^ "Lambda Phi Epsilon National Fraternity - About". Lambda Phi Epsilon National Fraternity. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
- ^ "Contributions to the Fraternity". Stanford Lambda Phi Epsilon. 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-31. [dead link]
- ^ Crist, Carolyn (2008-01-15). "Fraternity Pirates Host Marrow Drive". The Red and Black Publishing Company Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Gunaratna, Shanika (2008-01-21). "Groups Dress in Top, Local Fashion to Help". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ "Master Strategist Yul Kwon Wins Survivor". People Magazine. 2006. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ "Survivor Winner Yul Kwon Joins FCC". The Washington Post. 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
External links
- Lambda Phi Epsilon National Fraternity, Inc
- Asian American Donor Program
- Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches
- Cammy Lee Leukemia Foundation
- Parker, Pearman (2007-01-31). "Blood Drive Keeps Georgia Stayin' Alive". The Red and Black Publishing Company Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-20. UGA Chapter
- Tadena, Nathalie (2009-02-13). "Former members of Lambda Phi Epsilon work with others to start group and spread awareness". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved 2009-02-24.