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University grants FOA for new Asian sorority

The University approved the Fraternal Organization Agreement yesterday for the Fraternity-Sorority Council's second sorority, alpha Kappa Delta Phi.

All fraternal organizations must sign an FOA to be officially affiliated with the University.

FOAs outline both the rights and responsibilities of the organization in their relationship with University.

Fourth-year College student Michelle Le will serve as the president of alpha Kappa Delta Phi, which was formerly a Contracted Independent Organization called Young Asian Women's Alliance.

Le, along with Eksupar Tongri, alpha Kappa Delta Phi vice president for external affairs, started YAWA last year with the intention of bringing an Asian-oriented sorority to the University community.

The new sorority has "a lot of the same goals as YAWA, but now we're stronger," Le said.

The group now has 12 members, five of which compose the executive board.

But membership is not limited to Asian or Asian-American women, she said.

The sorority was created in part to "promote strong Asian women," she added. "But we're not limited to doing community service only for the Asian community."

Asst. Dean of Students Glenna C. Chang said she is looking forward to the contributions alpha Kappa Delta Phi will make to the University.

"They have set the standard of excellence really high," Chang said. "I think they have already done a great deal in contributing to the community, specifically for Asian-Americans and women."

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the sorority plans to raise money for the Susan G. Kommen Breast Cancer Foundation, Le said.

"We are very community service oriented, and we have many close bonds," she said.

The organization falls under the jurisdiction of the FSC, which was created last month in an effort to accommodate fraternal organizations that did not fit into either the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Inter-Sorority Council or the Black Fraternal Council.

Alpha Kappa Delta Phi is better suited in the FSC rather than the ISC because all ISC sororities are members of the National Panhellenic Council, Asst. Dean of Students Aaron Laushway said.

The new sorority is not in the NPC and does not follow their rules and regulations, Laushway said.

But he said the sorority will positively impact the University.

"It's another expression of our universal diversity," he added.

There also are two interest groups of men investigating bringing two fraternities to the University, Laushway said.

The groups, Brotherhood of United Young Asians and Los Hermanos Solidos, are probationary members in the FSC, he said.

This year's sudden outgrowth of cultural fraternal organization is not a coincidence, Chang said.

"I think the climate is right" this year, she said. "Exploration of these types of organizations is supported well."

The establishment of the FSC encourages students to pursue the creation of interest groups, she added.

"The more our students of color are expressing themselves in different ways, the more we are able to see the richness of the diversity in the student body," Chang said.

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