• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

Valerie Brooks leads tantric yoga workshop as part of Kappa Alpha Psi's celebration of the frater

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.