Asian American frat celebrates heritage

Lambda Phi Epsilon -- the only national Asian American fraternity -- held its third annual East Coast Brotherhood Rally last weekend to "promote the spirit of fellowship and brotherhood," according to Lance Aiumopas, national president of the fraternity. The conference gathered Lambda's nine East Coast chapters -- including Penn, Johns Hopkins University and the universities of Michigan and Chicago -- for a weekend of social interaction and workshops stressing the importance of Asian American issues on their own campuses. "It's a social outlet as well as a chance to hear about everybody else's accomplishments," noted Aiumopas, who flew in from San Francisco for the event. Almar Cambronero, Eastern governor of the fraternity and a student at the State University of New York at Buffalo, directed the event's rally Saturday morning in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. "I am overwhelmed," Cambronero said as he stood before the Lambda brothers. "We must keep it tight with ourselves ? the most important thing we have is our brotherhood." In an update on each chapter's activities last semester, the brothers reported accomplishments such as increased pledge classes, successful rushes and community service activities -- including the fraternity's participation in the Asian American Bone Marrow Donor Registry. "Despite the distance between the brothers, we go to great lengths," Aiumopas said. "We rely on the strength of the closest chapters ? and that [strength] is a quality that is rare these days." Close to 200 Lambda brothers attended the weekend's events, which included a formal dinner with the Asian American sorority alpha Kappa Delta Phi, an afternoon of football and basketball and the fourth annual "Fusion Jam" party. "We should use this time to get acquainted with each other? and to improve ourselves as a whole and within our region," Cambronero told the brothers. Saturday night's events also included awarding the first annual Asian American scholarship to College freshman Michael Chan. Dedicated to Haing Ngor -- a murdered Cambodian doctor and actor -- the $250 scholarship is awarded to the male writing the best essay on "Asian American ideals and issues." The University's Lambda chapter -- in addition to establishing the scholarship -- is co-sponsoring a lecture April 1 by Dath Prin, the Cambodian revolutionary who was played by Ngor in the Oscar-nominated film The Killing Fields. Tommy Chang, a College senior and Lambda president, called the rally a "test of how young men from different backgrounds and different heritages can unite." And Samuel Jin, a College senior and one of the founding members of Lambda, called the weekend an "incredible feat" and a "culmination of years of hard work and dedication."

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