About
alpha Kappa Delta Phi (aKDPhi) is the first and only international Asian-interest sorority with 60 chapters located at colleges and universities across the United States and in Canada. We have over 9,000 undergraduate and alumnae sisters supporting the rapidly growing network of strong and successful women in the organization. alpha Kappa Delta Phi is part of the National APIA Panhellenic Association (NAPA), which it helped charter in 2006. Our national philanthropy is breast cancer awareness.
At the University of Chicago, our chapter was founded by a group of 17 dedicated undergraduate women over a course of 3 years. In the Fall of 2010, we proudly and officially chartered at this university under the mentorship of the aKDPhi national board and a community of aKDPhi alumnae who attended different universities across the nation, including NYU, UC Irvine, Stanford, USF, UIUC, UIC, Purdue, UVA, and OU.
Mission
Our mission is to provide sisterhood among women, scholarship, leadership and Asian awareness in the University and community. Further, to provide a support group for those in their times of need and to encourage the making of successful women. To accomplish our mission, we will:
• Maintain the highest levels of quality and integrity;
• Create a climate that encourages teamwork, creativity, and innovation; and above all,
• Give our unmoving and absolute support and encouragement to those we hold dear to our hearts - our sisters.
We will measure our success in how well we are regarded by our peers, represented by our community, and supported by our sisters.
History
In Winter 2009, Junhee Doh and Jennifer Hsiao established an interest group for alpha Kappa Delta Phi known as IRIS-- Irreplaceable Relationships, Inspiring Sisterhood-- at the University of Chicago. They sought not only to create sisterhood, but also to promote leadership, scholarship, community service, and cultural awareness.
Although they fell short of their vision in Fall 2009, the ladies strengthened their desire to bring the first Asian American interest sorority to the campus. They solidified a new group of seventeen women-- Diana Chen, Jina Choi, Junhee Doh, Mallory Hee, Jennifer Hsiao, Emily Hu, Aidan Kim, Danbee Kim, Mari Murakami, Lucy Peterson, Hane Ryu, Denise Salinas, Emely Vallee, Joy Wu, Tian Yang, Catherine Ye, and Emily Yuan-- to continue pursuing their shared vision of eternal sisterhood.
To garner national support, they met with sisters from chapters across the country. To create a campus presence, they collaborated with the Panhellenic fraternities and sororities and co-founded the first Multicultural Greek Council. They promoted breast cancer awareness by raising money and informing the University of their cause. Through their active participation in the community, they also inspired others to learn more about Asian American culture. Most importantly, the ladies built strong bonds that would last a lifetime.
On September 26, 2010, the National Board of alpha Kappa Delta Phi extended a bid to the ladies of IRIS, granting them the opportunity to begin their journey to eternal sisterhood. On November 20, 2010 the ladies officially crossed into the sisterhood and formed the 48th chapter of alpha Kappa Delta Phi. Five years later, the ladies at the University of Chicago chapter continued to uphold the pillars of alpha Kappa Delta Phi by recruiting 55 sisters, growing the chapter both internally and externally, and most importantly, supporting each other. As a result, the University of Chicago Colony Chapter was granted Associate Chapter status by the National Board of alpha Kappa Delta Phi at Convention 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. To this date, the girls proudly uphold the values and traditions of their sisters, passing on a legacy for future generations to live, learn, and love.
Policies
ZERO HAZING POLICY
In accordance with aKDPhi’s Risk Management Policy, hazing in any form or degree will not be tolerated in our organization. No chapter, colony, student, or alumnae shall be a part of, encourage, conduct or condone any hazing activities at any time. It is the responsibility of every member to see that the anti-hazing standards are not violated.
Any act of hazing contradicts the integrity and purpose of alpha Kappa Delta Phi’s New Member Program. It is the responsibility of every member to educate new members in a constructive and harmless way. Each new member and sister, newly joined or otherwise, is to be treated with respect and dignity.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
While aKDPhi is an Asian-Interest sorority advocating for Asian-Awareness, alpha Kappa Delta Phi does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion. We will always welcome those who share our vision and mission, and sense of community.
TRANSGENDER INCLUSION POLICY
aKDPhi believes in encouraging the growth of our members through the expression of individuality, and with this measure, how a sister chooses to identify will not impact their membership in the sorority. Our Transgender Inclusion Policy allows those who identify as a womxn, including those who may not have been assigned that gender at birth, to be eligible for membership.