Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. (ΚΦΛ also known as Kappas and KPL) is a nonprofit, Asian-interest sorority that was founded in 1995 at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. The sorority is represented at 34 schools with over 4,000 members nationally. It is a member of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA).[1]

Kappa Phi Lambda
ΚΦΛ
FoundedMarch 9, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-03-09)
Binghamton University Binghamton, New York
TypeCultural
AffiliationNAPA
ScopeNational
PillarsSisterhood, Service, and Cultural Diversity
Colors  Red
  White
  Heather Grey
FlowerOrchid
JewelDiamond
MascotPhoenix
PhilanthropyCARE
Chapters25
Colonies9
Members4,000+ lifetime
NicknamesKappas, KPL
Headquarters34 3rd Avenue # 147
New York City, New York 10003
United States
Websitekplsorority.org

History edit

Seven women came together to establish Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. at Binghamton University on March 9, 1995. The seven founders were Elizabeth Choi, Karen Eng, Rei Hirasawa, Hee Cho Moon, Chae Yoo Park, Samantha Somchanhmavong, and Connie Yang.

The sorority was conceived through the notion of an organization that would provide a culturally sound and educationally inspiring grounding for Asian-American women.[2][3] These women saw there was a need for an organization of this kind that would give inspiration and education to their community.[4]

This sorority is open to women of all nationalities and backgrounds who want to learn about, actively speak for, and represent Pan-Asian culture.[4]

Philanthropy edit

Kappa Phi Lambda has selected CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, as its national philanthropy.[5]

Chapters edit

There are currently 25 active chapters and nine associate chapters of Kappa Phi Lambda.[2][6] Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are indicated in italic.

Chapter Founding/Range Campus Location Status Reference
Alpha March 9, 1995 Binghamton University Binghamton, New York Active
Beta February 22, 1997–20xx ? University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York Dormant
Gamma November 16, 1997 Syracuse University Syracuse, New York Active
Delta February 28, 1998 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York Active
Epsilon associate chapter March 7, 1998–xxxx ?; May 1, 2016 New York University New York, New York Active [a]
Zeta January 10, 1998 St. John's University Queens, New York Active
Eta November 7, 1999 Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey Active
Theta August 20, 1999–20xx ? Baruch College New York, New York Dormant
Iota May 19, 2000 Cornell University Ithaca, New York Active
Lambda July 8, 2001–20xx ? University of Maryland, Balitmore Baltimore, MD Dormant
Mu May 12, 2001 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, Massachusetts Active
Nu November 23, 2002 Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois Active
Xi June 15, 2002 Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts Active
Omicron May 31, 2003 Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio Active
Pi associate chapter November 3, 2002–20xx ?; November 17, 2018 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Active [b]
Rho April 3, 2004 University of Florida Gainesville, Florida Active
Sigma April 10, 2004 University of Connecticut Storrs Mansfield, Connecticut Active
Tau December 6, 2003 Columbia University New York, New York Active
Upsilon November 14, 2004 University at Albany Albany, New York Active
Phi April 13, 2003 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, Michigan Active
Chi November 14, 2004 University of Maryland, College Park College Park, Maryland Active
Psi November 12, 2006 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois Active
Alpha Alpha November 13, 2004 George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia Active
Alpha Beta May 10, 2008 George Washington University Washington, D.C. Active
Alpha Gamma November 21, 2009 University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas Active
Alpha Delta February 21, 2004 Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois Active
Alpha Epsilon November 10, 2012 North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina Active
Alpha Zeta November 14, 2015 University of South Florida Tampa, Florida Active
Alpha Eta November 23, 2013 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina Active
Alpha Theta May 2, 2015 University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada Active
Associate chapter April 22, 2006–20xx ? Miami University Oxford, Ohio Dormant [7]
Associate chapter April 3, 2010–200xx ? Duke University Durham, North Carolina Dormant [7]
Associate chapter April 20, 2013–20xx ? University of Denver Denver, Colorado Dormant [7]
Associate chapter November 11, 2017 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina Active [8]
Associate chapter April 14, 2018–20xx ? American University Washington, D.C. Dormant [7]
Associate chapter March 9, 2019 Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Active [8]
Associate chapter April 13, 2019 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina Active [8]
Associate chapter March 28, 2020 University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Active [8]
Associate chapter March 7, 2021 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Minneapolis, Minnesota Active [8]
Associate chapter April 1, 2022 Wright State University Dayton, Ohio Active [8]
Associate chapter November 12, 2022 Elon University Elon, North Carolina Active
Associate chapter October 21, 2023 Creighton University Omaha, Nebraska Active

Notes edit

  1. ^ Re-established as an associate chapter in 2016
  2. ^ Re-established as an associate chapter in 2018.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "About - National APIDA Panhellenic Association". National APIDA Panhellenic Association. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  2. ^ a b William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive), section showing Kappa Phi Lambda chapters". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 1 January 2022. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  3. ^ "About Us – Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc". kappaphilambda.org. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  4. ^ a b "National History – Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc". kappaphilambda.org. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  5. ^ "National Philanthropy – CARE – Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc". Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  6. ^ "Schools – Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc". kappaphilambda.org. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  7. ^ a b c d "Inactive School". Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Active Associate Chapters". Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. Retrieved 2023-01-27.