During the turbulent times of the early 90s, many minorities faced discrimination as well as ridicule for practicing their culture and essentially being different. South Asians specifically were often tormented by typical stereotypes that misrepresented their customs, culture, and their values. It was during this time that a group of eight dedicated men came together on the campus of Binghamton Un
iversity in Binghamton, New York to start a movement. Their goal was to end the ignorant views upon the South Asians everywhere form an organization that brought South Asian men together. The idea of ethnic fraternities first came about as a need to share and educate the community of the rich and diverse cultures that exist among us. These eight men came together with a vision to preserve and promote the rich and diverse heritage of the South Asian culture. They noticed however, that traditional on-campus student organizations were split among the lines of national origins, and at most provided a group of friends during college. The yearly election of new officers in these student organizations made it difficult to pursue any type of extended project – as each new executive board set its own agenda. Their solution to this problem was the creation of the first ever South Asian American interest fraternity. Driven by a fire within each of them, on Monday, February 7th, 1994, these eight men became the National Founding Fathers of Iota Nu Delta National Fraternity Incorporated and founded the FIRST South Asian Interest Fraternity in the world. By forming this organization, their goal was to bridge the gaps between people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures – all while promoting South Asian cultural awareness. Over time the Brothers deemed it necessary to have a central governing body with a solid infrastrucure which would take the Brotherhood to new heights. This ultimately lead to the formation of our first National Board. The efforts of all these men to date have paved the way for an upcoming of one of the most prestigious organizations of its kind.
