Lambda Phi Epsilon at UIUC
The Asian Fraternity Organization (AFO) was founded here at the University of Illinois
before Lambda Phi Epsilon ever set foot on campus. Started by David Lee, AFO strived to
meet the needs of Asian American males here on the campus of the largest Greek-system in
the world. Soon thereafter, AFO applied for the chance to charter Lambda Phi Epsilon here
on the UIUC campus. On May 10th, 1997, the Charter Class of UIUC crossed, establishing
themselves as the newest colony chapter. Since then, large efforts were made to gain full
active status, and with that, many privileges including the right to be named Chi Chapter.
One of the strongest chapters nationwide, the brothers at Chi Chapter still work daily to
make themselves better in every way.
Lambda Phi Epsilon Nationwide
Lambda Phi Epsilon was founded on February 25, 1981, by principal founder Mr. Craig Ishigo
and a group of eighteen other dedicated men on the campus of the University of California of
Los Angeles. By forming Lambda Phi Epsilon as a new Asian American fraternity, the founders
hoped to set new and higher standards of excellence for all Asian-interest organizations to
follow. The goal of the founders was to transcend the limitations to which traditional Asian
American organizations were subject. They sought to draw the membership equally from the many
diverse segments of the Asian American community. Their vision was that the members would
eventually become the leaders of their respective communities and bridge the gaps fragmenting
the Asian American community through the affiliation with a common organization. Unknowingly,
their efforts had set the stage for the emergence of the largest organization of its kind.
Philanthropy
In 1997, one of our brothers was diagnosed with leukemia. All of our chapters came together
to help find him a match, by coordinating bone marrow drives on each of our campuses. Today,
Lambda Phi Epsilon's national philanthropy is the Asian American Donor Program (AADP). AADP is
a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the number of potential bone marrow and stem
cell donors to save the lives of patients with leukemia and other blood-related diseases. Each
chapter holds annual bone marrow/stem cell drives on campus, working hard to recruit the student
body onto the National Bone Marrow Registry. This year, Lambda Phi Epsilon recruited over 2,000
new and potential bone marrow/stem cell donors onto the registry! Because of our efforts, Asian
patients with leukemia will have a greater chance of finding a match- potentially saving many lives.
