Alpha Kappa Psi suspended

USD’s professional co-ed business fraternity suspended for the next six years

Joshua Strange / Asst. News Editor / The USD Vista

The University of San Diego’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, otherwise known as AKPsi, was temporarily disbanded earlier this year. The business fraternity was shut down and suspended until 2024 due to an incident that occurred last spring. The chapter had previously been put on probation and was suspended for not implementing a new pledge education program. The group was suspended shortly before the initiation of the Spring 2018 pledge class. At USD, the fraternity accepted all undergraduate students regardless of declared major and was trying to instill professional development and confidence in its members, as well as create a long-term network.

Alpha Kappa Psi has developed deep roots in the United States since its founding in New York in 1904 and later expanded to several parts of the world such as Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. AKPsi has over 250,000 members worldwide. Among its objectives is to further develop individual welfare of its members as well as promote scientific research in fields related to commerce and finance. 

Ryan Ramos, a double major in finance and accounting, was a member of the fraternity since he was a first-year student. At the time of the suspension he was part of the executive team and held the role of pledge educator, and he genuinely believed the fraternity was creating quality individuals.

“Every semester we had brothers from AKPsi that worked for Big Four accounting firms, that went off to start their own business or held successful finance positions going forward,” Ramos said. “The type of people that composed AKPsi were like-minded and goal-oriented and it’s very unfortunate that we are in the position we are now. It was a great kind of nest for a bunch of similar minds to use college as a real platform to not only increase USD’s name and reputation through their success but to also achieve their own personal goals.”

Ramos did not mention the fraternity’s decision to disregard the new pledging process.

Notable alumni of the fraternity include former U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and the editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine. The fraternity’s history of notable figures encouraged Ramos to join. 

“I rushed as a freshman and I was the new guy on campus and AKPsi set up good role models, people that held respectable positions in the fraternity at the time and really set the standard for me,” Ramos said. “These were people who are now working for Big Four firms, one is a financial analyst for the Navy so they’ve done really well for themselves and I believe that AKPsi was a positive influence on this campus for students, administration, and beyond; they were a group of kids who truly wanted to make a difference and, if I’m honest, I feel bitter that we were kicked off campus.”

Josephine Tsai is a marketing and finance double major and a junior at USD. She was with the fraternity for two years and was gunning for an executive board position when it was dissolved. 

“Rushing AKPsi was the best decision of my college career,” Tsai said. ”I learned all these skills like time management and how to deal with stressors and in the end I came out as a very confident person. I would like our suspension to be minimized  because six years is a really long time, it’s a whole generation gone. We’ve had people reach out to us on social media asking when rush would be this semester and we’ve had to tell them we don’t exist anymore. That’s truly depressing and this college really lost something important.”

AKPsi has had the same pledge education program since 2007. At a congressional chapter convention in 2015, it was decided that the pledge education program should be reworked. 

After two years of research and legislation, 40 chapters were chosen to test a new pilot program known as LEAD and amongst them was the USD chapter. However, the executive team on campus, which included Ramos, felt that the pilot program didn’t prepare pledges for the rigors and adversity they’d face. 

“In the end if you look at this from a business perspective a pledge class is like a new hire, an entry level job, and if you’re the boss or you’re in management and your new hire that you vetted fails, it’s your fault,” Ramos said. “As the executive team we decided, along with many others, that we wanted to maintain the traditions of old to ensure our brothers were academically prepared. A couple of months down the road we decided that we weren’t going to abide by the new program which, in retrospect, was a mistake. The national chapter found out and as a result we were punished and that punishment is a six year suspension.” 

The chapter was suspended due to their disregard of the national chapter’s change in policy. Due to the suspension, the newest pledge class never got inducted, but if it had AKPsi would have included about 100 members. The fraternity also had a lot of local ties with alumni and brother chapters like San Diego State. AKPsi offered insights into entrepreneurship, scholarships, and guest lecturers as well as access to real world networking and business opportunities. A major concern for the future of the fraternity on campus is that in 2024 it will have to be built from the ground up. 

Carter Bradsky is a double major in computer science and finance at USD. He was in charge of risk management for AKPsi and also expressed interest in joining the national executive board. He was training to become the president of the USD chapter when the axe finally fell. 

“The overall environment and accountability and standards we were held to is something that I would never have given up,” Bradsky said. “I wouldn’t be nearly as involved today on campus or in any of the clubs I’m a part of without the influence of AKPsi. AKPsi gave me a lot more purpose and drive to succeed and want to make a difference. Success is relative and it’s what you put into it and I’m going to expand my base by pushing myself and those around me and in the end hopefully I’ll have made a big impact at USD and beyond because that’s really what we’re here for. We want to make a difference in the world and that’s what we’re learning and it’s those very roots AKPsi instilled in us as well. For me, the future is bright.”

The future of the fraternity is unclear but the alumni who were once part of its proud heritage are out in the world, aiming to make an impact.