The need to celebrate and share the variety of cultural experiences led to the initial development of ethnic fraternities. Founded as Rho Psi at Cornell in 1916, it is currently an alumni club with chapters in New York, Hawaii, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Hong Kong. Although the idea of unity and brotherhood is not new, our commitment to advancing it is. The arrival of a new dynasty: our story...

Conventional Asian campus groups were frequently divided based on national origin. Due to the irregularity of membership in those groups, student associations at best offered a network of friends that spanned the years of undergraduate study, and at worst, a collection of well-known strangers met at sporadic social gatherings. Since each new officer core set its own agenda, it was very challenging to pursue any long-term projects due to the annual turnover of most organizations' officers. The adoption of a fraternal social structure was one way to resolve this conundrum.

On February 25, 1981, principal founder Mr. Craig Ishigo and a group of eighteen other committed men founded Lambda Phi Epsilon because they were dissatisfied with the only Asian fraternity on the University of California, Los Angeles campus.  The founders wanted to break free from the restriction that Asian fraternities and sororities on UC campuses were only service organizations because of their Asian-only memberships, which excluded other ethnic groups. The founders felt compelled to provide a fraternity that would be accepted by the IFC and the Greek system, and they aimed to establish new and higher standards of excellence for all Asian-interest organizations to adhere to. People from all ethnic backgrounds were welcome to join and support Lambda Phi Epsilon, despite the original charter's emphasis on the Asian-Pacific region. They believed that by joining a common organization, the members would eventually rise to the position of leadership in their communities and close the gaps that separated the Asian American community. In their respective capacities as president and vice president, Mr. Craig Ishigo and Darryl L. Mu signed the charter.

Among its members, Lambda Phi Epsilon still fosters and maintains brotherhood and camaraderie. One way we embody that Brotherhood is through our motto, "To be Leaders Among Men." Not only do we aim to unite a diverse group of men who have similar interests, worries, histories, and cultures, but we also think that the power of unity is forged from the strength of many.

Our Present Division, which is founded on the values of courage, honor, and wisdom, keeps teaching young men the importance of moral character and leadership. After that, our Alumni Division offers a platform for brothers to put these ideals into practice and develop into real social leaders. "The Lambdas" are the most prestigious group of their kind because of their unwavering dedication to leadership in all facets of life.

All six chapters convened for what became known as the first National Convention on the UC Irvine campus on May 28, 1990. A national governing body was created at this Convention to oversee the activities of the various chapters. Establishing Memorial Day weekend as the official date for Lambda Phi Epsilon National's annual convention was the first item on the agenda. The first National President at this time was Mr. Robert Mimaki of Beta Chapter. Doug Nishida was named Northern Governor, and Eric Naritomi was named Southern Governor. The creation of a national policy, an expansion policy, and a consensus to standardize pledge programs were among the other achievements.

Lambda Phi Epsilon was admitted to the National Inter-fraternity Conference (NIC) on September 8, 1990, making it the first and only Asian-American interest fraternity in the United States to receive national recognition.

 Lambda Phi Epsilon National had expanded significantly over the following few years.  Lambda Phi Epsilon expanded to more than twenty chapters between 1990 and 1995.  We changed our name to Lambda Phi Epsilon National Fraternity, Inc. in 1995 after becoming a non-profit corporation in California.  The first Asian-interest fraternity to do so once more.

An essential component of Lambda Phi Epsilon is philanthropy. We make an effort to give back to the community. The annual registration drive for the Asian American Donor Program (AADP) is Lambda Phi Epsilon's signature charitable event. This raises awareness of leukemia and other blood diseases that need bone marrow transplants for their patients. Their Asian community members represent their best chance of finding matched donors. Finding a match for those in need is more likely the more people who sign up.

In addition to AADP, Lambda Phi Epsilon collaborates with other groups, such as the Cammy Lee Leukemia Foundation and Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, to register possible donors nationwide. The fraternity's national philanthropy involves registering potential donors, but it also participates in a wide range of other charitable endeavors, such as yearly AIDS Walks, beach clean-ups, and cultural events that promote diversity and Asian awareness.



Through the promotion of Asian American interest activities, we, the members of Lambda Phi Epsilon National Fraternity, aim to raise awareness of Asian Americans in our local communities. These kinds of gatherings support charitable causes, community education, and the preservation of Asian American culture. 

Since our founding, Lambda Phi Epsilon has worked to uphold the highest standards of academic achievement, social experience, community service, and—above all—brotherhood among its members.

Six chapters were established by 1990 at the University of Texas at Austin, Davis, Santa Barbara, Berkeley, Irvine, and the University of California at Los Angeles.  The brothers of Lambda Phi Epsilon realized that rapid expansion was imminent because the majority of these chapters were established in the late 1980s.  These six chapters united to create the Lambda Phi Epsilon National Fraternity in order to support this expansion process and pursue national standardization.

The fraternity's founders gathered in Davis to request recognition from the National Inter-fraternity Conference (NIC). All chapters' representatives gathered and talked about what needed to be done. It only needed to draft a national constitution after meeting the minimal requirements of five chapters and five years of existence. The foundation for the first National Convention was also established by the brothers at this meeting.

Doug Nishida of Delta Chapter claims that this is how it occurred:

"During the second year of my chapter (1989), a phone call revealed that Lambda Phi Epsilon's reputation was rapidly expanding. A Buffalo, New York-based interest group had asked about the fraternity and potential affiliation. Unfortunately, due to our lack of resources and distance, we were ill-equipped to help the group. Consequently, nothing materialized. So when I found out a few years later that the group was still interested in joining Lambda Phi Epsilon, I was very happy. After reaching out to Craig Ishigo on their own, the Texas chapter obtained their charter. After some of their founders made friends with a group of Stanford brothers on the notorious Love Boat, Michigan quickly followed.