Nu Alpha Kappa

Nu Alpha Kappa (ΝΑΚ) is an American collegiate Latino-based fraternity.^[1] Nu Alpha Kappa was founded on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in 1988.^[2] Nu Alpha Kappa was a charter member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO).^[3] It is now a member of the North American Interfraternity Conference.^[4]

Nu Alpha Kappa
ΝΑΚ
Founded	February 26, 1988; 36 years ago (1988-02-26) California Polytechnic State University
Type	Social
Affiliation	NIC
Former Affiliation	NALFO
Status	Active
Emphasis	Latino
Scope	National
Motto	"Men of Mind, Men of Culture, Men of Pride"
Colors	Red,   White, and   Bronze
Mascot	XiNAKo
Chapters	28
Nickname	NAKs, Nakos, Xinakos
Headquarters	P.O. Box 1287 Roseville, California 95678 United States
Website	www.naknet.org

History

The fraternity began with fifteen friends at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California who wanted to create a club for Hispanic students at the predominantly Anglo campus.^[5][2] Initially, the group called itself "Naco", after Spanish slang for a person who gets along well with everyone.^[5] This became Nu Alpha Kappa on February 26, 1988.^[4] The fraternity was established based on a commitment to "Carnalismo" or brotherhood, the search for knowledge, and the retention and pride of culture.^[2]

Eleven of the original organizing friends became the fraternity's founders, including:^[3]

• Antonio Arreola
• Marin Arreola
• Nicolas Arreola
• Ernesto Garcia
• Moises Herrera
• Jesse Martinez
• Hector Mendoza
• Joel Romero
• Alberto Salazar
• Antonio Valenzuela
• Ramiro Ramos

Symbols

The name ΝΑΚ was selected to represent the "nac" sound in Xinaco.^[3] Xinaco (CHI-Na-Kos), a Nahuatl word used by the Olmecs, describes "an educated, amiable individual whose personality and charisma transcends and enlightens all cultures and social".^[3]

The fraternity's colors are red, white, and bronze.^[3][6] Its mascot is XiNAKo.^[3] Its motto is "Men of Mind, Men of Culture, Men of Pride."^[3][6]

National philanthropy

Nu Alpha Kappa supports the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and its Hispanic/Latino Stem Cell and Marrow Initiative in California, Colorado, and Nevada.^[5][6] Its other charity is the NAKLand Children's Carnival.^[6]

Alumni Association

The ΝΑΚ National Alumni Association was officially established in 2014.^[7]

Chapters

Collegiate chapters

Nu Alpha Kappa has established collegiate chapters in California, Nevada, and Colorado.^[1][8] Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters and institutions are in italics.

Chapter	Founding Date	Institution	City, State	Status	References
Founding	February 26, 1988	California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo, California	Active	[9]
Alpha	February 16, 1989	San Jose State University	San Jose, California	Active
Beta	February 10, 1990	San Diego State University	San Diego, California	Active
Gamma	June 20, 1992	Sonoma State University	Rohnert Park, California	Active
Delta	November 22, 1992	California State University, Stanislaus	Turlock, California	Active
Epsilon	November 22, 1992	California State University, Fresno	Fresno, California	Active
Zeta	November 22, 1992 – 201x ?	University of California, Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara, California	Inactive	[10][lower-alpha 1]
Eta	September 18, 1993	Santa Clara University	Santa Clara, California	Active
Theta	September 5, 1995	California State University, Chico	Chico, California	Active
Iota	July 26, 1996	California State University, Sacramento	Sacramento, California	Active
Kappa	November 30, 1997	University of California, Davis	Davis, California	Active	[5]
Lambda	December 21, 1997	University of California, San Diego	La Jolla, California	Active
Mu	April 10, 1999	Colorado State University	Fort Collins, Colorado	Active	[11]
Nu	November 12, 2000	University of California, Riverside	Riverside, California	Active
Xi	February 28, 2004	California State University, Monterey Bay	Seaside, California	Active
Omicron	April 17, 2004	University of Nevada, Reno	Reno, Nevada	Active
Pi	April 2, 2005	California State University, Northridge	Northridge, California	Active
Rho	April 30, 2005	University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles, California	Active
Sigma	April 21, 2007	University of Northern Colorado	Greeley, Colorado	Active	[6]
Tau	May 18, 2008 – 20xx ?	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Pomona, California	Inactive
Upsilon	May 23, 2009 – 20xx ?	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	Paradise, Nevada	Active
Phi	November 12, 2011 – 2015	National Hispanic University	San Jose, California	Inactive	[lower-alpha 2]
Chi	May 26, 2012	California State University, San Marcos	San Marcos, California	Active
Psi	August 17, 2012	University of California, Irvine	Irvine, California	Active
Omega				Memorial	[12]
Alpha Alpha	December 6, 2014 – 20xx ?	University of California, Berkeley	Berkeley, California	Inactive
Alpha Beta	December 14, 2014	San Francisco State University	San Francisco, California	Active
Alpha Gamma	May 6, 2017	Metropolitan State University of Denver	Denver, Colorado	Active
Alpha Delta	October 20, 2018 – 202x ?	University of San Diego	San Diego, California	Active

1. The university closed the chapter for “risk management violations in conjunction with sexual harassment/sexual assault.”
2. The chapter went inactive when the university closed in August 2015.

Alumni chapters

Following is a list of the Nu Alpha Kappa alumni chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics.

Chapter	Institution	Status	References
Fresno State Alumni Association	California State University, Fresno	Active	[13]
UCSD ΝΑΚ Alumni Association	University of California, San Diego	Active	[13]
NAK Riverside Alumni Association	University of California, Riverside	Active	[13]
Iota Chapter	California State University, Sacramento	Active	[13]
Kappa Chapter	University of California, Davis	Active	[13]
Beta Chapter – ALAS	San Diego State University	Active	[13]
Tau Chapter Alumni Association	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Active	[13]
San Jose State Alpha Alumni Association	San Jose State University	Active	[13]
Delta Chapter Alumni Association	California State University, Stanislaus	Active	[13]
Gamma Chapter	Sonoma State University	Active	[13]

See also

• List of social fraternities and sororities
• Cultural interest fraternities and sororities

References

1. Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (January 18, 2021) "Nu Alpha Kappa". Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed August 27, 2023.
2. "History". NAK San Jose State University. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
3. "History". Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
4. Shelton, Todd (2019-01-21). "Member Fraternities". NIC | North American Interfraternity Conference. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
5. "Nu Alpha Kappa". Davis Wiki. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
6. "Nu Alpha Kappa | Fraternity and Sorority Life". University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
7. López, Juan Valentín. "About The NAA". Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
8. "National Chapters". Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
9. "Nu Alpha Kappa | Chicanx Latinx Faculty Staff Association". California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
10. "UCSB Greek Life Works To Mend Relationship with Administration and Students Alike After Series of Shutdowns". The Daily Nexus. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
11. "Recognized Chapters: Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc". Fraternity and Sorority Life | Colorado State University. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
12. "Omega Chapter". Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
13. López, Juan Valentín. "Alumni Chapters". Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved 2023-08-27.

External links

• Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity – National website