Members of UCLA’s first historically black fraternity
gathered with 30 other students Wednesday night to participate in a
tantric yoga workshop, one of several events being held this week
to celebrate the group’s eightieth anniversary.
Kappa Alpha Psi, founded on campus in 1923, boasts a proud list
of alumni including figures such as Arthur Ashe, Tom Bradley,
Johnnie Cochran and current UC Vice President Winston Doby.
The workshop, led by guest speaker Valerie Brooks, author of
“Tantric Awakening,” elicited much interest from
students clued in earlier by fraternity members who handed out
carnations.
“Tantra is a form of yoga that uses energies, specifically
sexual energies to gain a higher state of consciousness,” she
began.
Having captured everyone’s attention there, she proceeded
to lead the audience through three stages of yoga exercises.
Events earlier in the week included a safety forum focusing on
sexual awareness on Monday, and a sexual health forum on
Tuesday.
These events were carefully planned and themed to help publicize
and spread awareness of both the fraternity and these issues, in
light of recent assaults on campus.
“We had two intentions; first to get attention for our
fraternity and bring people out, and secondly to spread awareness,
especially with the recent events that have been going on lately,
so people will be safer,” said Rodney Diggs, a third-year
psychology and sociology student and member of KAP.
KAP is part of a small number of historically black
fraternities, with only eight others nationwide involved in the
National Panhellenic Council, only four of which are at UCLA.
Although the fraternity currently counts only five members on
campus, its proud tradition is also carried by its alumni,
including the resident director for Saxon Suites, Aaron Hart.
“I joined because of the ideals and achievements that were
set so highly on community,” he said. “It sets itself
apart from other frats, and focuses on upliftment of the self. It
tries to make each person better so that they can come back and
help the community.”
Despite current low membership figures, there were as many as 25
Kappas on campus in 1991.
But according to member Christian Duncan, a sixth-year
electrical engineering student, such figures have dwindled due to
the decrease in admittance rates of blacks after affirmative action
was struck down.
“I think it’s due to a lack of access to members, as
well as a lack of visibility,” he said.
UCLA-based members meet every other Tuesday with Kappas from Cal
State University Northridge and Cal State University Los Angeles,
who together make up the Upsilon Chapter of the fraternity.
One of KAP’s most important programs is GuideRight, a
mentorship plan dedicated to aiding high school males in making
life decisions such as how to prepare for college.
Members tutor, mentor and expose their mentees to college life
and open opportunities to take part in events that local chapters
host.
For the future, Polemarch (or President) Clarence Robinson, a
sixth-year African American studies and history student, hopes to
create an Upsilon Foundation.
“Through the Upsilon Foundation, we hope to create a
scholarship program, a housing endowment so that we can get a
house, and the maintenance of the chapter,” he said.
“We already started a black History month essay contest,
where we gave away $300 on each campus,” he added.
Kappa week continues tonight with a free barbeque at the Saxon
Suites and a chapter dinner Friday.
On Saturday, KAP members also plan to help out with a special
olympics basketball tournament to be held at Pauley Pavilion.