Beta Delta Alpha

Beta Delta Alpha (ΒΔΑ, also BDA) is the first Arab interest fraternity in the United States and North America.[1] It was founded in 2014 at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) on April 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The fraternity had written its constitution and established its founding fathers on October 11, 2013, which was about six months before the fraternity was approved for induction into UCLA’s Multi-Interest Greek Council, in which founding father Jodutt Basrawi presented the fraternity's principles to the council.[2] The fraternity currently consists of one active chapter at UCLA. Beta Delta Alpha’s sister sorority is Epsilon Alpha Sigma (ΕΑΣ, also EAS), the first Arab interest sorority in the United States and North America.[3]

Beta Delta Alpha
ΒΔΑ
FoundedApril 23, 2014 (2014-04-23)
University of California - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
TypeCultural
ScopeArab and International
Mission statementThe purpose of Beta Delta Alpha is to unite its members in a brotherhood based upon the bonds of sincere and lasting friendship, to stimulate one another in the pursuit of knowledge and success, to promote the moral and social culture of its members, and to develop plans for guidance and unity in action.
MottoFirst as one, first in many
Colors     Gold      Black      Red      Green
PublicationBeta Delta Alpha
Chapters1
MembersUnknown collegiate
Unknown lifetime
NicknameBDA
HeadquartersUnknown
Los Angeles, California
United States
Websitewww.betadeltaalpha.org

History

Upon the induction of Epsilon Alpha Sigma, the United States' first Arab interest sorority, the founding fathers of Beta Delta Alpha accelerated their plans in establishing the United States' first Arab interest fraternity. As products of the Arab Diaspora, Arab-American education, and American-driven aspirations, the founding fathers of Beta Delta Alpha sought to establish a fraternity that would cultivate the brotherhood of all Arab and Arab-oriented gentlemen at UCLA and beyond. Anyone of any kind, be him Arab or non-Arab, is welcome to participate with Beta Delta Alpha.[4]

The fraternity's constitution, code of conduct, and social contract were completed by September 1, 2013 and signed off by the fraternity's first secretary, Jodutt Basrawi. The authors of the fundamental paperwork were Jodutt Basrawi, Husam Shadid, Laith Mukdad, and Mukhtar Kaissi. Upon the beginning of UCLA's 2013-2014 school year, Basrawi, Shadid, Mukdad, and Kaissi recruited ten other men to help build the foundations of the fraternity.

The founding fathers included:

  • Jodutt Basrawi (responsible for the fraternity's induction into UCLA's Greek Council)
  • Husam Shadid
  • Laith Mukdad
  • Mukhtar Kaissi (designed the fraternity's logo)
  • Yazan Eliyan
  • Kinan Bachour
  • John Dibbini
  • John Moufarrej
  • Akbar Khan

Values

Service and philanthropy

Deemed as Beta Delta Alpha's most important value, the value of service and philanthropy is practiced by the fraternity through means of various school and city-wide service/philanthropy projects. Beta Delta Alpha has aimed to provide benefits to its community in order to remain consistent with its mission statement. Beta Delta Alpha has had two blood drives, a Diddy Riese cookie fundraiser for Typhoon Haiyan victims, and volunteered with The Network of Arab American Professionals (NAAP).[5]

Cultural enrichment, awareness, and skill building

There are many facets to Arab culture and customs. Beta Delta Alpha aims to serve its brothers and its immediate community with cultural enrichment experiences. Arab dances, Arab festivities, and Arab cultural education events are some of many ways that the fraternity has diffused cultural enrichment to its surroundings. By endorsing cultural enrichment, all Beta Delta Alpha brothers are expected to make good impressions and contributions to the people they interact with through their intuition and well-versed knowledge on Arab culture and customs. Intuition and knowledge are reflected by talks, dance, song, cuisine, and conventional Arab recreational activities (i.e. backgammon, dabke, gatherings, dealing with different Arab age groups, cooking Arab dishes, celebrating festivities with unique customs, etc.).

In addition to cultural enrichment, all brothers of Beta Delta Alpha must demonstrate awareness surrounding their own culture (for non-Arabs, one must still express desire to become aware of Arab culture). Brothers become more aware of Arab culture through social events, educational meetings (pledge meetings, fraternity discussion, etc.), co-programming with other cultural groups, and by means of cultural enrichment. Beta Delta Alpha participated with UCLA's World In-Sight Fair, a fair that presented the many cultures present at UCLA, and taught fair participants about interesting aspects of Arab culture.

With cultural enrichment and awareness comes cultural skills. Beta Delta Alpha brothers are encouraged to learn skills that will enhance their respective cultural statuses. Dances like dabke and hosat, alongside talent in instruments used across the Arab world (oud, bozuk, violin, tabla, and accordion) are present among brothers of Beta Delta Alpha.

Social engagement

Through a variety of socials, dinners, banquets, retreats, inter-fraternity and sorority activities, and participation with the university community, all brothers of Beta Delta Alpha ineluctably engage with diverse people. This aims to satisfy a component of Beta Delta Alpha's mission statement (promote the moral and social culture of its members).

Brotherhood

Given the fraternity principles of Beta Delta Alpha, one priority of the fraternity is to cultivate brotherhood among all its brothers, alumni, and nearby appropriate community. As the first Arab fraternity in North America, Beta Delta Alpha is the only fraternity within the United States to seek brotherhood of all involved men under an Arab interest banner.[6]

References
  1. “About Us.” Beta Delta Alpha. Accessed June 18, 2014. http://www.betadeltaalpha.org/about-us/%5B%5D.
  2. “UCLA Fraternity and Social Relations Chapter Directory.” University of California - Los Angeles Student Affairs, April 23, 2014. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-08-03. Retrieved 2014-07-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).
  3. Epsilon Alpha Sigma Sorority, Inc. - The Empowered Arab Sisterhood. Accessed June 18, 2014. http://www.epsilonalphasigma.org/.
  4. “Beta Delta Alpha at UCLA.” Facebook. Accessed June 18, 2014. https://www.facebook.com/bdaucla.
  5. “BDA Portfolio.” Beta Delta Alpha. Accessed June 19, 2014. http://www.betadeltaalpha.org/about-us/bda-portfolio/%5B%5D.
  6. “BDA Mission Statement.” Beta Delta Alpha. Accessed June 19, 2014. http://www.betadeltaalpha.org/about-us.html.
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