AsianAvenue.com presented an article about Asian interest sororities, featuring alpha Kappa Delta Phi. Great and interesting read.

By G. Bello The small number of Asian American-based sororities is making a big impact. A far cry from the party girls and debutantes you might expect, the young women in these established groups dedicate themselves to sisterhood, focusing on Asian-American culture, serving the Asian American community, and confronting issues specific to Asians. These Greek organizations exist all across the country. Although a concentration of groups bases themselves in California, they also appear at seemingly unlikely spots such as Texas where the South Asian studentry created Delta Kappa Delta (Texas A & M University, founded 1999), Delta Phi Omega (University of Houston, founded 1998), and Kappa Phi Gamma (University of Texas at Austin, founded 1998). More established Asian-American sororities include alpha Kappa Delta Phi, which has over 30 chapters coast to coast, and Sigma Omicron Pi, which was founded in 1930 by ten Asian American women at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Oddly, the sorority alumna I spoke with first had no intention of joining a Greek organization at all. "I was dragged to a meeting by my friends," recounts Meda Higa, former president of alpha Kappa Delta Phi`s University of California at Santa Cruz chapter. "I didn`t anticipate joining, but it was an organization that I thought did more than party all the time. It was a chance to meet other Asian Americans and help out in the community." Lecille Gomez, a founding sister of the SFSU chapter of the Filipino-based Kappa Psi Epsilon, also needed some prodding to join a Greek organization. "I never thought I would be the type of person who would join a sorority," she confesses, "but a bunch of my friends came up to me with the idea of forming aFilipino sorority. We had the common goal of learning about Filipino culture, and we could have our mission statement be what we wanted it to be." For many prospective sisters, joining this type of sorority is a significant step towards understanding the issues that face Asian-American women. Meda grew up in a predominantly white town and says, "Up until college, it was a completely different scene. My [non-Asian] friends couldn`t relate to what I was experiencing at the time." Similarly, Lecille relates how "My mom raised me with American culture. I didn`t even learn Tagalog. I joined [Kappa Psi Epsilon] because I felt I didn`t learn enough about [Filipino] culture." Lecille adds that the sisters would discuss cultural issues in their lives, such as the strictness of Filipino parents: "You couldn`t have a boyfriend – the majority of our parents were like that – and the sisters would talk about that." These groups applied their interest in the community by raising awareness about causes on campus and beyond. Alpha Kappa Delta Phi`s UCSC chapter led an initiative to educate its community on domestic violence, as well as the need for Asian Americans to donate bone marrow. "We held a drive every year and advertised it," says Meda.< Kappa Psi Epsilon`s SFSU chapter focused on spending time with local Filipino war veterans, most of whom lack financial resources and all of whom to this day are denied veterans` benefits by the U.S. government. "We rented a tour bus and drove [the veterans from Sacramento] to San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge because most of them had never seen that before. The Golden Gate is a symbol of freedom and America, so we thought they would want to see that," says Lecille. Of course, sorority girls also know that social events are the foundation of sisterhood. At the University of Houston chapter of alpha Kappa Delta Phi, the Kappas occasionally ham it up with stage productions and festival performances. Last year, they teamed up with the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha to produce a Broadway-style musical. According to Kimberly So, a college senior and National Board Southwest Governor, alpha Kappa Delta Phi was one of only two Asian sororities involved in the project. In addition, the Kappas hold a festival called ASIA (Asian Students Initiating Awareness). Kimberly says, "We rented out the whole parking lot [of the Hong Kong City Mall], got different sponsors, raised $2,000 to fund the event, and people are donating tents." Performances by the sisters include the traditional dances of Vietnam, the Philippines, and China as well as modern dance and a fashion show. Similarly, the University of Michigan chapter of alpha Kappa Delta Phi often joins other ethnic Greek organizations for social events. National Board Midwest Governor Shana Fu says, "We`ve done mixers with Greek organizations like [going out for] bubble tea, potlucks, bowling." They also come together to participate in events such as casino night and formal dances. Participating in sororities brought these women closer to like-minded Asian Americans as well as the greater Asian American community and the older generation of immigrants. So forget what you`ve heard about brutal hazings and scandalous parties. Although the sisters definitely enjoy themselves, it`s helping out the community that brings a smile to these girls` faces.