Pi Alpha Phi

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Pi Alpha Phi
ΠΑΦ
Founded	February 1, 1929; 92 years ago (1929-02-01) UC Berkeley
Type	Social,    Cultural interest
Affiliation	NAPA
Emphasis	Asian American
Scope	National
Motto	"A Tradition of Excellence Since 1929"
Colors	Berkeley Blue, California Gold
Symbol	Brotherhood Links
Mascot	Phoenix
Philanthropy	Jade Ribbon Campaign
Chapters	20 active chapters 7 colonies[1]
Nickname	P-A-Phi's, Pineapples
Headquarters	Berkeley, CA United States
Website	www.pialphaphi.com

Pi Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc. (ΠΑΦ, also Pi Alpha Phi or PAPhi) is an American university-level fraternity. It was founded in 1929 at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the oldest active Asian-American interest fraternity in the nation. As of 2019, the fraternity has 20 active chapters and 7 colonies nationwide.^[1] Pi Alpha Phi Fraternity is a member of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association.

History[]

In 1928, three enterprising members of the class of 1930 conceived the idea to form a fraternity to serve the several hundred students of Chinese descent at the University of California, Berkeley. Wing C. Chan, from the Central California town of Oroville; Dong Wing Tom, from San Francisco; and Elmer Leong from Berkeley, did much of the preliminary work towards the formation of the Fraternity. In the fall of 1928, the three approached Tim Jang, a freshman starting his first year at the university to join.

On February 1, 1929, the six founding fathers signed the fraternity's constitution in both Chinese and English and officially established Pi Alpha Phi at the University of California, Berkeley. The six founders were D. Wing Tom, Wing Chan, Elmer Leong, Chack Chan, Tim Jang, and George Lee.

Founders[]

The founding fathers of Pi Alpha Phi hailed primarily from the state of California. Elmer Leong, George Lee, and D. Wing Tom were from the San Francisco Bay area. Tim Jang, Wing Chan, and his younger brother Chack Chan came from the Central Valley region of California. All were born in America with the exception of Wing Chan, who came from China at an early age.

The men studied science and engineering, which was considered a better path to employment after graduation since discrimination prevented most Asians from entering into law, medicine or other graduate disciplines.

Their challenges grew as they found out that student lodging was often not rented to those of Asian heritage. It was especially difficult for Tim, Wing and Chack from the Central Valley for whom commuting was not an option. The problem was solved by the goodwill of a sympathetic German woman known as Mother Tusch, who also had been a victim of racism. The seeds of brotherhood were planted in the cabin she rented to Wing, Elmer and D. Wing Tom behind her house near Sather Gate.

The six men proceeded with their college careers, engaging in academic and social events, as well as athletics. Elmer Leong even joined the university track team. They found great comfort and camaraderie in their small group but felt compelled to turn their group into more than a circle of friends, more than a club, more than a social gathering. They decided to form a formal fraternity of brothers that would bind them forever; a fraternity that would break the status quo and seek recognition by the university system.

Following graduation in the early 1930s, the founding fathers found life difficult. The country was in the midst of the Great Depression and discrimination against those of Asian heritage for jobs was even more prevalent. Four of the six—Wing Chan, Chack Chan, D. Wing Tom and George Lee—went to southern China to find employment and new lives. Tim and Elmer decided to stay in America to continue their education and start a career despite the difficult circumstances. The four in China prospered, with Wing teaching chemistry at a university in Canton, Chack Chan working in the local aircraft industry, George Lee pursuing a medical degree; and all four became married and started their families.

In 1937, with the advent of war in China, all returned home to America with the exception of Wing, who returned after World War II. During wartime, each of the founding fathers made contributions to their country. For example, Tim enlisted in the U.S. Navy Seabees. He served as a construction corpsman for the 132nd Naval Construction Battalion in the Pacific. Chack put his engineering skills to use as a draftsman at the famed Henry J. Kaiser naval shipyard in Richmond, California, where many of the country's great war ships were built.

Mission statement[]

Pi Alpha Phi focuses itself on several core values, which are written into its constitution. The five pillars of the fraternity are: academic excellence, Asian awareness, brotherhood, leadership, and philanthropy.^[2]

Academic excellence[]

The fraternity creates a studious environment and encourages each of its members to achieve his greatest academic potential. The fraternity supports all educational endeavors and recognizes exceptional academic achievement.

Asian-American Awareness[]

The fraternity believes in learning Asian-American culture, heritage and history. The fraternity encourages its members to pass on this knowledge to others.

Cross-cultural acceptance[]

When Pi Alpha Phi was founded in the 1920s, traditional Greek fraternities along with the rest of the nation, legally discriminated against men of color. Since they were banned from joining a traditional Greek fraternity, Pi Alpha Phi's founding fathers wanted to ensure that Asian-American awareness would forever be an important part of the fraternity.

Today, the basic premise of the fraternity remains largely unchanged. Although the fraternity is open to people of all ethnic backgrounds it still retains its Asian-American character. With emphasis on brotherhood, the fraternity works to create lifelong bonds that extend far beyond the university setting. The basic goals of brotherhood attained through shared experience, friendship and academics remain unaltered. Although the organization evolves from generation to generation, the underlying vision and heart of the fraternity is as solid today as it was for six young Berkeley men in 1926.

Chinese Historical Society of Southern California[]

Established in 1975, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together people with a common interest in the history of Chinese and Chinese Americans in Southern California. The Society conducts research, collects materials and artifacts, and disseminates information. Pi Alpha Phi Alumnus are mentioned quite a few times in this book. Refer to Notable Alumni section.

San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade[]

From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, Pi Alpha Phi was a mainstay in the parade, operating what had affectionately become known as the “Pi Alpha Phi Dragon”. It was an event that truly exemplified the close bonds of brotherhood among the chapters of the fraternity: an opportunity for fraternity members all over to come together, have fun, and celebrate a cultural tradition.

Since 2002, due to several factors including the retiring of our dragon as well as criteria changes for participating organizations, the fraternity has not participated in the parade.

Their efforts were rewarded when the parade committee graciously extended a parade invitation to Pi Alpha Phi and its partner the Jade Ribbon Campaign to operate a Jade Ribbon Dragon.

Jade Ribbon Campaign[]

The Jade Ribbon Campaign spreads awareness of the greatest health disparity between Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans: liver cancer, 80% of which is caused by chronic hepatitis B infection.

The dragon the fraternity purchased was thought to have a capacity of only 20 people, but when it was put together, it was much longer. Although the dragon may not have been the most elaborate of the parade, it was definitely the longest, as the crowd surely recognized as the dragon snaked through the downtown parade route.

The fraternity members took advantage of the opportunity by having a great turnout: almost 100 fraternity members showed up to participate and share in the bonds of brotherhood. Running a dragon at the parade had always been a great opportunity for the fraternity's members to work together, build the bonds of brotherhood, and celebrate cultural traditions.

Brotherhood[]

The fraternity encourages mutual trust, respect, and loyalty among its members. The fraternity creates an extended family that nurtures lifelong "friendships" through the shared bonds of tradition, shared values, and unity.

National Convention[]

• First Annual - Arcadia, CA (Embassy Suites) - hosted by Epsilon chapter, UC Riverside CA
• 2001 - San Francisco, CA - hosted by Alpha chapter, UC Berkeley, CA
• 2002 - Los Angeles, CA (Bonaventure Hotel) hosted by Epsilon chapter, UC Riverside, CA
• 2003 - Irvine, CA - hosted by Eta chapter, UC Irvine, CA
• 2004 - San Francisco, CA - hosted by Alpha chapter, UC Berkeley, CA
• 2005 - Koreatown, CA - hosted by Theta chapter, UC San Diego, CA
• 2006 - Las Vegas, NV - hosted by Kappa chapter, U of Arizona
• 2007 - Orange County, CA - hosted by Eta chapter, UC Irvine, CA
• 2008 - Berkeley, CA hosted by Alpha chapter, UC Berkeley, CA
• 2009 - San Diego, CA - hosted by Theta chapter, UC San Diego, CA
• 2010 - San Francisco, CA - hosted by National Fraternity
• 2011 - Berkeley, CA - hosted by National Fraternity
• 2014 - Raleigh, NC - hosted by Colony chapter, North Carolina State, NC
• 2015 - Evanston, IL - hosted by Colony chapter, Northwestern, IL
• 2016 - Las Vegas, NV - hosted by National Fraternity
• 2017 - Santa Barbara, CA - hosted by Omicron chapter, UC Santa Barbara, CA
• 2018 - Chicago, IL - hosted by National Fraternity
• 2019 - Chinatown, Oakland, CA - hosted by National Fraternity

Joint Conventions[]

• 2002 - Joint Convention with Alpha Phi Gamma sorority
• 2003 - Joint Convention with alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority
• 2008 - Joint Convention & Leadership Workshop with Sigma Omicron Pi sorority
• 2020 - Joint Convention

Leadership[]

The fraternity provides opportunities to fulfill important duties within the organization and helps members develop leadership skills in preparation for their future careers and endeavors.

Philanthropy[]

The fraternity is committed to its responsibility to serve others and encourages participation in activities for the betterment of not only the Asian-American community, but the community as a whole. One of its national events is the Jade Ribbon Campaign.

Jade Ribbon Campaign[]

The Jade Ribbon Campaign spreads awareness of the greatest health disparity between Asian Americans and white Americans: liver cancer, 80% of which is caused by chronic hepatitis B infection.

The dragon the fraternity purchased was thought to have a capacity of only 20 people, but when it was put together, it was much longer. Although the dragon may not have been the most elaborate of the parade, it was definitely the longest, as the crowd surely recognized as the dragon snaked through the downtown parade route.

The fraternity members took advantage of our opportunity by having a great turnout: almost 100 fraternity members showed up to participate and share in the bonds of Brotherhood. Running a dragon at the parade has always been a great opportunity for the fraternity's members to work together, build the bonds of Brotherhood, and celebrate cultural traditions. This year, they were also able to support a great philanthropic cause: the Jade Ribbon Campaign.

Chapters[]

Active chapters listed in bold. Inactive chapters listed in italic.

Greek Designation	Collegiate Institution	Charter Date	Status	City	U.S. State
Alpha	University of California, Berkeley	February 1, 1929	Inactive	Berkeley	California
Beta	Stony Brook University	1990	Disbanded	Stony Brook	New York
Gamma	University of California, Davis	May 1, 1990	Inactive	Davis	California
Delta	San Jose State University	Fall 1991/ Fall 2012	Inactive	San Jose	California
Epsilon	University of California, Riverside	Spring 1993	Inactive	Riverside	California
Zeta	University of California, Santa Cruz	March 5, 1995	Inactive	Santa Cruz	California
Eta	University of California, Irvine	September 16, 1998/ Fall 2016	Active	Irvine	California
Theta	University of California, San Diego	August 20, 2000	Active	La Jolla	California
Iota	University of Michigan	Fall 2000	Active	Ann Arbor	Michigan
Kappa	University of Arizona	Fall 2002	Active	Tucson	Arizona
Mu	Michigan State University	Summer 2003	Active	East Lansing	Michigan
Nu	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Spring 2003	Inactive	Chapel Hill	North Carolina
Xi	University of Washington	Spring 2004	Active	Seattle	Washington
Omicron	University of California, Santa Barbara	Spring 2006	Active	Santa Barbara	California
Pi	University of Iowa	Fall 2011	Active	Iowa City	Iowa
Rho	University of North Carolina, Charlotte	Fall 2012	Inactive	Charlotte	North Carolina
Sigma	Northwestern University	Spring 2013	Inactive	Evanston	Illinois
Tau	North Carolina State University	Fall 2011	Active	Raleigh	North Carolina
Upsilon	San Francisco State University	Fall 2012	Inactive	San Francisco	California
Phi	Drexel University	Fall 2014	Inactive	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Chi	Clemson University	Spring 2017	Active	Clemson	South Carolina
Psi	Iowa State University	Fall 2014	Active	Ames	Iowa
Buffalo Colony	State University of New York, Buffalo	Fall 2007/ Fall 2017	Active	Buffalo	New York
UNLV Colony	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	Fall 2013	Inactive	Las Vegas	Nevada
Delaware Colony	University of Delaware	Spring 2014	Inactive	Newark	Delaware
ASU Colony	Arizona State University	Fall 2014	Active	Tempe	Arizona
Maryland Colony	University of Maryland, College Park	Fall 2018	Inactive	College Park	Maryland
UNC Greensboro Colony	University of North Carolina at Greensboro	Spring 2019	Active	Greensboro	North Carolina

Notable alumni[]

• Delbert Wong — Retired Superior Court judge, World War II veteran. First person of Chinese descent to be appointed to the judiciary in the continental United States. Appointed as the special master in the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
• Evan Jackson Leong — filmmaker, director of Linsanity.

References[]

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/obituary.aspx?n=ralph-fong&pid=144335993&fhid=5486

External links[]

Websites[]

• Official Online Home of Pi Alpha Phi
• Chinese Historical Society of Southern California

News Articles[]

• Asian-Nation, September 29, 2005
• Arizona Daily Wildcat, February 17, 2006