LEGENDARY BEGINNINGS

Ethnic fraternities first developed as a result of the need to share and celebrate diversity of cultural experiences. In 1916, the first Asian fraternity was founded at Cornell as Rho Psi, which now exists as an alumni club with chapters in New York, Hawaii, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Hong Kong. While the concept of brotherhood and unity isn't new, our dedication and commitment towards promoting it is. A new dynasty has arrived- here's our story...

Traditional Asian campus organizations were often split along lines of national origins. The lack of continuity among the memberships in those organizations meant that at best, student associations provided a circle of friends spanning the years of undergraduate study and at worst, a group of familiar strangers encountered during periodic social functions. The yearly turnover of most organizations' officers made it extremely difficult to pursue any extended project as each new officer core set its own agenda. A solution to this dilemma was the adoption of a fraternal social structure.

Not satisfied with the single Asian fraternity on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles, Lambda Phi Epsilon was founded on February 25, 1981, by principal founder Mr. Craig Ishigo and a group of eighteen other dedicated men. Noticing that Asian fraternities and sororities at the UC campuses were recognized as only service organizations due to their memberships focused on Asians 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-Pacifics, 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 the affiliation with a common organization. Mr. Craig Ishigo and Darryl L. Mu signed the charter as president and vice-president, respectively.

THE FOUNDERS OF LAMBDA PHI EPSILON
Mr. Craig Ishigo
Mr. Hunter Chang
Mr. Neil Miyazaki
Mr. Randy Fujimoto
Mr. Darryl L. Mu
Mr. John Hanvey
Mr. Kelvin Sakai
Mr. Jeff Kaku
Mr. Kevin Shida
Mr. Bobby Kawai
Mr. Albert Sun
Mr. Dean Kumagawa
Mr. Weyton Tam
Mr. Jim Lee
Mr. Jamie Watanabe
Mr. Bruce Mau
Mr. Bennett Wong
Mr. Ted Mihara
Mr. Fred Wong

Unknowingly, their efforts had set the stage for the emergence of the largest organization of its kind. Lambda Phi Epsilon now stands as the only internationally recognized Asian American Interest Fraternity in the world with 49 chapters and more than 7,000 brothers.

CHAPTER HISTORY

In the Fall of 2000, 4 young men, Ronald Chon, Jimmy Nguyen, Pinang Nguyen, and Viet Nguyen, went on a quest in search of Asian unity, and the true meaning of eternal brotherhood at the University of Georgia. The existing organizations at UGA were not able to establish a strong presence among the student body. In addition to the lack of diversity across campus, there were major divisions within the members of those same clubs and organizations. The four wanted all ethnic groups to be able to unite and form an everlasting bond amongst one another. The principle founders wanted the Asian culture to be recognized not only by other students attending the University of Georgia, but also by others across the nation. They wanted to help out the community as well as make a name for themselves while attending UGA. An organization open to all nationalities was necessary to develop eternal bonds as well as to provide innovative and inspiring social activities.

While researching a wide range of different fraternities, the four were introduced to Lambda Phi Epsilon, an Asian American interest fraternity, by a transfer brother from SUNY Binghampton named Jason Li. Working together under the guidance of Jason Li, the four formed Asians United, an organization created in hopes of achieving their objectives while creating an atmosphere that did not discriminate against different ethnic groups. They then recruited three other potential members, Jin Bae, Khanh Bui, and Joseph Pak, who shared the same common interests.

Asians United became actively involved in the community with various social, service, and fundraising activities. Realizing that Lambda Phi Epsilon shared similar views, Asians United began correspondence with representatives from the national governing body of Lambda Phi Epsilon in order to obtain the Charter to start at the University of Georgia. Demonstrating their ability to collaborate and successfully run an organization, Lambda Phi Epsilon granted Asians United an opportunity to become a part of the fraternity. The Zeta Chapter of Lambda Phi Epsilon, University of Texas at Austin, became the host chapter for the interest group, providing them with the knowledge to successfully accomplish what the fraternity had based its principles upon.

The UGA Colony Chapter of Lambda Phi Epsilon was founded on June 10, 2001.

THE CHARTERS OF THE UGA COLONY CHAPTER OF LAMBDA PHI EPSILON
Mr. Jin Bae
Mr. Khanh Bui
Mr. Ronald Chon
Mr. Jimmy Nguyen
Mr. Pinang Nguyen
Mr. Viet Nguyen
Mr. Joseph Pak

WHY LAMBDAS?

Lambda Phi Epsilon is the largest international Asian-interest fraternity on the University of Georgia Campus. With over 7,000 Brothers spanning 49 chapters world wide, Lambda Phi Epsilon offers an experience second to none.

So what exactly do we offer?

  1. Networking -- Lambdas attract members of different backgrounds and academic disciplines. Building up relationships with a diverse group of people can be beneficial to your studies at UGA and might help you land a job in the field you want right out of college.

  2. Personal Growth -- Lambdas offers all members the opportunity to hold positions that essentially runs the business of the fraternity. Each position offers you the chance to gain more interpersonal and organizational skills, and the experience you gain from all the responsibilities of each position teaches you life long skills that will benefit you in your future.

  3. Leadership -- Like our motto, "Leaders among men", we strive to develop every member's leadership skills and give them the opportunity to exercise these skills. We design our pledging program and structure our organization to help each member manifest their abilities and develop them into leaders.

  4. Brotherhood -- I may be slightly bias, but Lambdas offer the best brotherhood. It is self-evident in everything we do. The bond between every member is eternal and last way beyond the limits of college. It is truly an "all for one and one for all" feeling within this fraternity. I have many friends outside of this fraternity, but few I can truly call my brothers. However, within Lambdas, I can depend on every member as bros.

  5. Helping Community -- Whether it be on campus or off, Lambdas are known to be active volunteers to the community. From our national philanthropy, the Asian American Donor Program, to cleaning up the streets of the international district (adobt-a-street) Lambdas do what they can to give back to become assets to the community.

  6. The Experience -- Joining a social fraternity like Lambda Phi Epsilon is no doubt the best way to experience college. We mix with various sororities on campus, host multiple large venue parties, and a lot more. If you believe in balancing studies with fun, then joining Lambda Phi Epsilon might be the choice for you.

WHAT IS RUSH?

Rush is a brief time when we are recruiting new members for our organization. During this time you will learn about all aspects of Lambda Phi Epsilon Nationals and the UGA Chapter. In addition, you will meet brothers of the UGA Chapter and other interested students like yourself.

As we enter our 8th year on the University of Georgia campus, we continue to seek new members that want to enrich their college experience and make a difference in their community. We encourage all interested gentlemen with a passion for success, leadership, and excellence to come to our Rush events at the start of every semester.

For more info, please visit FAQs

"To Be Leaders Among Men."