Greek Profile: Powerful women uniting

At a time when some sororities at CSUS are stressing over the possibility of their chapter dying out due to a lack of membership alpha Kappa Delta Phi just keeps getting bigger, according to Rush Chair coordinator Allia Cavero.

KDPhi was established in UC Berkeley in 1989, to give Asian-American women the opportunity to participate in the Greek system. The chapter became one of two Asian-American interest sororities at CSUS in 1995.

Pledge educator and founding sister Auzon Acena said it is amazing to see how quickly her sorority has grown in just three years.

"When I was working to get KDPhi started at CSUS, I never dreamed it would turn out this way. It succeeded all of my expectations," she said.

With more than 20 chapters and 700 members, the sorority has expanded nationally to universities such as Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Michigan University. It currently reigns as the largest Asian-American sorority in the nation.

"It gives me shivers to think of the original founders," said Cavero. "They took action and gave Asian-American women a voice at a time when they weren't really heard from, especially at the Greek level."

By carefully balancing service and social activities, with the hopes of promoting Asian-American awareness, the academically-focused sisterhood at CSUS can only get stronger, according to Cavero.

"In this society, the words minority and women are a double strike," said Cavero. "Gathering women together, as KDPhi does so well, creates a big voice that otherwise might not be there. KDPhi makes the words minority and women incredibly strong when they stand together."

She pointed out that KDPhi is not a sorority solely for Asian-American women, as is often assumed by students. The nationalities of current members, ranging from Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino and Turkish, make the personalities of the sisters very diverse and approachable, she said.

"We focus on Asian American awareness," Cavero said. "Any woman from any background is welcome to join who wants to learn more about Asian-Americans."

According to Jennie Quan, KDPhi's athletic chair, Asian-American awareness is her sorority's biggest contribution to CSUS. Asian-Americans are making their presence known on campus, as well as with other sororities and fraternities.

Quan said KDPhi encourages individualism and participation in the college experience through sisterhood, scholarship and leadership.

According to Acena, KDPhi has created a very positive and memorable college experience for her.

"Through KDPhi, I have created a life that will go on after college, through my memories and my sisters," she said.

As part of the complete college experience, KDPhi includes community service.

The sisters of KDPhi motivate each other to further Asian-American awareness through projects, such as the AIDS Walk-a-thon and volunteering time at the Sacramento Food Bank and the Asian-American Youth Center.

The sorority's national philanthropy is breast cancer awareness. They will sponsor a speaker on the subject in November, according to Cavero.

"From the original founders example, it is our duty to affect our community and give the younger generations something to strive for," she said.

Part of being well-rounded is having a social life. According to Cavero, the KDPhi sisters have this side of college life mastered.

Attending the sorority's national convention every May gives the sisters of KDPhi the opportunity to interact and network with people from all over the nation.

"It is an amazing experience to look around the room at the convention and realize that you share a common bond with each of them, and they are all your sisters," said Cavero.

For information on alpha Kappa Delta Phi contact their information line at 506-4853 or visit their Web site at www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Quad/6773.