| Pi Alpha Phi | |
| Letters: | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΠΑΦ |
| Crest: | PAPHIcrest1929.jpg |
| Birthplace: | UC Berkeley |
| Affiliation: | Independent |
| Former Affiliation: | NAPA |
| Status: | Defunct |
| Emphasis: | Asian American |
| Scope: | National |
| Motto: | "A Tradition of Excellence Since 1929" |
| Chapters: | 28 |
| Mascot: | Phoenix |
| Philanthropy: | Jade Ribbon Campaign |
| Nickname: | P-A-Phi's, Pineapples |
| Symbol: | Brotherhood Links |
| Pillars: | Academic excellence, Asian awareness, brotherhood, leadership, and philanthropy |
| State: | Indiana |
| Zip Code: | 46230 |
| Country: | United States |
Pi Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc. (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΠΑΦ, also Pi Alpha Phi or PAPhi) was an American university-level fraternity. It was founded in 1929 at the University of California, Berkeley. On August 1, 2023, Pi Alpha Phi Fraternity announced that it was closing all of its chapters. At the time, it was the oldest active Asian-American interest fraternity in the United States. It was a founding member of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association.
When Pi Alpha Phi was founded in the 1920s, traditional Greek letter fraternities along with the rest of the nation, legally discriminated against men of color.[1] In 1928, Wing C. Chan, Dong Wing Tom, and Elmer Leong, members of the class of 1930 at the University of California, Berkeley, had the idea to start a fraternity for the several hundred students of Chinese descent.[2] Six students signed the fraternity's charter in both Chinese and English, officially establishing Pi Alpha Phi on February 1, 1929.[3]
The six founders of Pi Alpha Phi were D. Wing Tom, Wing Chan, Elmer Leong, Chack Chan, Tim Jang, and George Lee. All were born in America except Wing Chan, who came from China at an early age. Wing Chan became the fraternity's first president.
Because they were banned from joining traditional Greek letter fraternities, Pi Alpha Phi's founding fathers wanted to ensure that Asian-American awareness would be an important part of the fraternity. The fraternity encouraged its members to learn Asian-American culture, heritage, and history and to share this knowledge with others. In its later years, the basic premise of the fraternity remained largely unchanged. The fraternity was open to people of all ethnic backgrounds but retained its Asian-American character.
The local fraternity became national with the addition of its Beta chapter at the Stony Brook University in 1990. This was followed by Gamma chapter at University of California, Davis that same year. More chapters followed in California and Michigan through 2000. The fraternity's first annual convention was hosted by the Epsilon chapter in Arcadia, California in 2000.
The fraternity continued to charter chapters, expanding into Arizona, North Carolina, and Washington. Pi Alpha Phi was a founding member of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association in 2005.[4] [5] In 2014, Pi Alpha Phi had active ten chapters, one associate chapter, and six colonies. It was headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.[6]
In July 2020, the National Board of Directors placed a national moratorium on chapter activities in response to "multiple reports of sexual misconduct nationwide."[7] [8] The moratorium was lifted but, a pledge, Phat Nguyen, died and three others were hospitalized after a hazing incident at Michigan State University on November 19, 2021.[9] [10] [11] [12] Nine fraternity members were charged in connection with the death. In June 2023, the family of the deceased student filed a wrongful death suit against the fraternity.[13]
On August 1, 2023, Pi Alpha Phi Fraternity announced the closure of all of its collegiate chapters.[14] The fraternity said that its chapters were unsustainable because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, declining university enrollment, and financial pressures. Not all chapters agreed with this decision. Some chapters attempted to stay open or tried to start a new organization; although, the former was prohibited by the national fraternity. At the time of its closure, Pi Alpha Phi was the oldest active Asian-American interest fraternity in the United States.
The National APIDA Panhellenic Association removed Pi Alpha Phi from its membership roles on October 13, 2023. NAPA said, "Pi Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc. has contributed to the vibrant Greek life on campuses nationwide and served as a chartering organization of NAPA in 2005. Their dedication to fostering academic excellence, Asian American awareness, brotherhood, leadership, and philanthropy has left a lasting mark on our fraternity and sorority community." Some of the fraternity's materials are archived at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The name Pi Alpha Phi was derived from the initials of the Greek phrase meaning "To advance through brotherly ties; the thirst for learning." The colors of Pi Alpha Phi were Berkeley Blue and California Gold.[15] Its mascot was the phoenix. Its symbol was the Brotherhood Links.[16] The five pillars of the fraternity were academic excellence, Asian awareness, brotherhood, leadership, and philanthropy.[17] [18] Its motto is "A tradition of excellence since 1929".[19] The group's nicknames were PAPhi and Pineapples.[20]
From the mid-1980s to 2002, Pi Alpha Phi participated in the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, operating the “Pi Alpha Phi Dragon”.
The fraternity awarded the annual Herbert Gee Scholarship, named in honor of an Alpha chapter founder.[21] The scholarship was funded by alumni and was award to an active member of the fraternity.[22]
The fraternity's national philanthropy was the Jade Ribbon Campaign which promoted hepatitis awareness and discussed the health disparity between Asian Americans and white Americans.[23] Chapters also supported charities in their local, such Habitat for Humanity and Christmas charities for children.
Following is a list of the former Pi Alpha Phi collegiate chapters.[24] [25] [26]
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | City | State | Status | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | – April 25, 2005; 200x ? – 2013 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley | California | Inactive | [27] [28] [29] | |
| Beta | –1992 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook | New York | Inactive | ||
| Gamma | – August 2012 | University of California, Davis | Davis | California | Inactive | [30] | |
| Delta | – January 23, 2003 | San Jose State University | San Jose | California | Inactive | [31] [32] | |
| Epsilon | –2012 | University of California, Riverside | Riverside | California | Inactive | ||
| Zeta | – 2021 | University of California, Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | California | Inactive | [33] | |
| Eta | – 2011; 2016–2022 | University of California, Irvine | Irvine | California | Inactive | [34] | |
| Theta | – August 1, 2023 | University of California, San Diego | La Jolla | California | Inactive | [35] | |
| Iota | –2023 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | Michigan | Inactive | [36] | |
| Kappa | – August 1, 2023 | University of Arizona | Tucson | Arizona | Inactive | [37] | |
| Lambda | Inactive | ||||||
| Mu | – December 5, 2021 | Michigan State University | East Lansing | Michigan | Inactive | [38] | |
| Nu | –before August 2022 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | North Carolina | Inactive | ||
| Xi | – August 1, 2023 | University of Washington | Seattle | Washington | Inactive | ||
| Omicron | – March 22, 2023 | University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | California | Inactive | [39] | |
| Pi | – August 1, 2023 | University of Iowa | Iowa City | Iowa | Inactive | ||
| Rho | – before August 2022 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | North Carolina | Inactive | [40] [41] | |
| Sigma | – October 29, 2018 | Northwestern University | Evanston | Illinois | Inactive | [42] | |
| Tau | –before August 2022 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh | North Carolina | Inactive | [43] [44] | |
| Upsilon | – August 1, 2023 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | California | Inactive | ||
| Phi | –before August 2022 | Drexel University | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Inactive | ||
| Chi | – August 1, 2023 | Clemson University | Clemson | South Carolina | Inactive | [45] | |
| Psi | – August 1, 2023 | Iowa State University | Ames | Iowa | Inactive | [46] | |
| Alpha Alpha | –20xx ?; March 2018 – August 1, 2023 | University of Buffalo | Buffalo | New York | Inactive | [47] | |
| 20xx ?– before August 2022 | University Nevada, Las Vegas | Paradise | Nevada | Inactive | [48] | ||
| 20xx ?– before August 2022 | University of Delaware | Newark | New Jersey | Inactive | [49] | ||
| 20xx ?– before August 2022 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park | Maryland | Inactive | |||
| Colony | Arizona State University | Tempe | Arizona | Inactive | |||
| Colony | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | North Carolina | Inactive | [50] | ||
| Colony | University of South Carolina | Columbia | South Carolina | Inactive | [51] |
The fraternity had alumni clubs in the United States and Asia.[52]