Pi Alpha Phi

Websites

UCB Chapter: berkeleypaphi.com

Year Founded

UCB Chapter: 1929

Additional Information

Chapter Summary/Information: Pi Alpha Phi is Brotherhood. The Fraternity encourages mutual respect, trust and loyalty among its members. The Fraternity creates an extended family that nurtures life-long friendships through the bonds of tradition, shared values, and unity. | Pi Alpha Phi is committed to 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. | Pi Alpha Phi is devoted to Philanthropy. The Fraternity is committed to its responsibility to serve others and encourages participation in activities for the betterment of the community. | Pi Alpha Phi inspires Leaders. 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. | Pi Alpha Phi strives to promote 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. 1. 1st ever Asian-American Interest Fraternity 2. Newly-renovated house owned by our Chapter 3. Active On-Campus Leadership: ASUC Executive as the 2009-2010 school year’s Academic Affairs Vice President and 3 ASUC Senators in the past 5 years 4. Only fraternity to support the Jade Ribbon Campaign 5. Inexpensive dues and Academic scholarships given out to high-achieving brothers

Message from the President: On behalf of the Brothers of Pi Alpha Phi, I would like to welcome you to UC Berkeley and extend an invitation for an opportunity to become a brother of the first Asian-American based fraternity in the world. Pi Alpha Phi is an extraordinary fraternity that maintains strong brotherhood, social and academic balance, successful leaders and graduates, and continued philanthropy involvement through the Jade Ribbon Campaign. I would like to invite you to visit our newly-renovated house which is located at 2534 Warring Street, just across the street of the Clark Kerr dorms. Pi Alpha Phi provides an excellent balance of academics and social life. Brotherhood events and exchanges with sororities provide an exciting opportunity to meet new people and to develop lasting relationships. For over eightly years, alumni of Pi Alpha Phi have established successful careers in virtually every profession from investment bankers to doctors. Many of our alumni give back their time, money, and support to the active fraternity. They also provide career guidance, as well as assistance in getting jobs and internships. I encourage you to check out other fraternities, but I am confident that Pi Alpha Phi will provide the most complete balance of academic, social, and professional development. Our brotherhood is not limited to your time within college, it will remain with you for the rest of your life. We look forward to meeting you. Fraternally, Patrick Lam President, Spring 2009 UC Berkeley Pi Alpha Phi

Annual Events: “Rock the Jade” concert for SF Hep B Free 9/08 Helped with the Rock the Jade Fashion Show to further increase public awareness and raise funds for SF Hep B Free, a campaign to make San Francisco the first hepatitis free city in the nation, getting full support from the ASUC and Assemblywoman Fiona Ma. In total, over $2000 was raised for the cause. Jade Ribbon Campaign Outreach Once each semester (date varies) Increased awareness about hepatitis B and liver cancer on Upper Sproul by passing out brochures, surveys, selling Jade Ribbon pins and bracelets to raise money for the Jade Ribbon Campaign and get people to take a simple blood test for hepatitis B “B a Hero” concert, AADP/Project Michelle bone marrow drive, and Cal Hep B Free pledge registration 11/08 Registered and cheek swabbed 100 people for the bone marrow drive; pledged 200 people for Cal Hep B Free, a campaign to get all Cal students and faculty screened for hepatitis B Asian American Donor Program’s Cal Bone Marrow Drive and Project Michelle Once each semester (date varies) Helped organize a bone marrow drive to address the lack of minority bone marrow donors Chinese New Year Parade Weekend before Chinese New Year each year Organization of all Pi Alpha Phi chapters for participation in the San Francisco Chinese New Year’s Parade Interfraternity Council’s Trick or Greek 1 day before Halloween each year Our Warring Street house was transformed into a haunted house over 100 local elementary school children Eggster (Northern California’s largest Easter egg hunt) April around Easter Manned a coloring and origami-making booth for children; outreached to adults to increase education about hepatitis B

Chapter Philanthropy: The Jade Ribbon Campaign The greatest health disparity between Asian Americans and white Americans is the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection and the high incidence of liver cancer, 80% of which is caused by chronic hepatitis B infection. Approximately 1 in 10 Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Americans have chronic hepatitis B infection compared with 1 in 1,000 of white Americans. Liver cancer rates are 9 times higher in Vietnamese Americans, 4 times higher in Korean Americans, and 4 times higher in Chinese Americans than white Americans. In May 2001, the Asian Liver Center launched the Jade Ribbon Campaign in the San Francisco Bay Area to spread awareness about hepatitis B and liver cancer in the Asian community. Since then, the Jade Ribbon Campaign has spread across the country and the world, reaching Asian communities in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Arizona, New York, Hawaii, as well as China and the Philippines, uniting people from all walks of life in the fight against hepatitis B and liver cancer. Partners of the Jade Ribbon Campaign include over 400 groups of community organizations and federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Hepatitis B Task Force for Immunization, and the Health Resources and Services Administration and its affiliated agencies in the US Department of Health and Human Services. The objective of the Jade Ribbon Campaign is twofold: (1) to eradicate HBV worldwide; and (2) to reduce the incidence and mortality associated with liver cancer by increasing awareness and providing ethnic-sensitive health information to the API community and health professionals. This multimedia campaign includes television public service announcements, radio shows, bus ads, lectures in the community, and more. At the Chinese New Year Parade, 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. More information can be found at liver.stanford.edu.

Chapter History: During this era, traditional Greek fraternities legally discriminated against all men of color. Since they were banned from joining a traditional Greek fraternity, the Founding Fathers wanted to ensure that Asian Awareness would always be an important part of the fraternity. Pi Alpha Phi is the first Asian American interest fraternity. Since the founding of Pi Alpha Phi, our Fraternity has flourished with active chapters at campuses throughout the nation. Today, the basic premise of the Fraternity remains largely unchanged. With brotherhood as our immutable asset, the lifelong bonds that we develop extend far beyond the university setting. Although the Fraternity is open to individuals of all ethnic backgrounds, it still retains its Asian American character. The basic goals of brotherhood achieved through shared experience, friendship and academic excellence 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 1929.

Contact Information: President: Patrick Lam Email: patrick@teamhbv.org

Address: 2534 Warring St Berkeley, CA 94704

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