These fraternity brothers at the University of California-Berkeley wear Greek letters with a Sanskrit design, have no plans to share a house and say they won't serve alcohol at any of their gatherings.

Members of Alpha Epsilon Zeta, a new fraternity on campus, are a far cry from the slovenly, drunken frat boys of ``Animal House'' that for many is still the prevailing image of Greek life.

Sundeep Chanana pledged two fraternities, but each time he backed out. He doesn't drink and was one of the few Indo-American students going through the fall ritual known as ``rush.'' That led Chanana and a group of friends to form the first South Asian fraternity at UC-Berkeley, one of the first of its kind in the nation.

Their demeanor is pointedly professional -- the 12 current members are all business or computer science majors. Founding members introduce themselves with corporate titles, such as ``Marketing VP.'' In many ways, they treat the fraternity, which was recognized by the university in spring 2003, like a Silicon Valley start-up.

``It's been kind of hard to explain the concept to my parents, because we don't really have frats in India,'' said Chanana, who grew up in Fairfield. ``I just told them it's like a club. They'll learn about the Greek part of it eventually.''

Ethnic-specific Greek organizations -- from black fraternities to Latina sororities -- have expanded in recent years as the nation's college campuses become increasingly diverse. No umbrella organization tracks Asian-American fraternities and sororities, but California campuses often lead the way in pioneering new chapters. Kappa Delta Phi, an Asian-American sorority founded at Cal in the fall of 1989, now has 35 chapters at universities across the country.

AEZ appears to be the first Greek organization in the region that caters specifically to South Asians, students whose families are from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. Most of the current members are Indo-American, but students of any ethnicity are welcome to join.

It's not clear how many other South Asian fraternity chapters exist in the United States. Like other student groups, some are formed with enormous enthusiasm only to fold a few years later, when key students graduate. On the West Coast, the only other South Asian fraternity that Greek advisers are aware of is Beta Chi Theta, which began at UCLA in 1999. But there are certain to be others in the works: The University of Rochester in New York recognized Sigma Beta Rho, its first South Asian fraternity, this spring.

``We're going to see the continued proliferation of culturally based Greek organizations,'' said Monica Miranda, director of Greek Affairs at the University of Rochester and the vice chair of the National Association for Latino Fraternal Organizations. ``At the same time, predominantly white frats are also becoming more diverse.''

AEZ abhors hazing rituals, but it plans to be rigorous when selecting new members. Potential pledges will be asked to write a personal essay about what they would contribute to the fraternity, and freshmen who rush AEZ have to turn over a copy of their high school transcript. Honors courses and GPAs of 3.4 and above are considered baseline requirements, but students who are taking exceptionally challenging courses might be cut some slack.

``We're looking for quality individuals,'' said Mohit Jain, 19, a sophomore who went to Mission San Jose High School in Fremont. ``Our idea of a brother isn't someone who stays up partying. It's someone who stays up until 4 a.m. working on a project.''

Other South Asian student groups are excited at the idea of AEZ starting at Cal, where 44 percent of the freshmen are Asian-American.

``When I was a freshman, I was totally lost,'' said Vikash Mishra, 21, a senior and the president of Indus, a popular club with nearly 500 members. ``I joined all of these South Asian clubs, but it still took a long time to make friends. A fraternity is smaller, and it provides an instant niche.''

AEZ's founders think like Silicon Valley entrepreneurs during the region's heady start-up days. They want to expand and see AEZ chapters sprout up at other campuses, but they know they need to build a following at Cal first. Sonu Gill, 21, is the fraternity's vice president of marketing. Next week, Gill will give a formal presentation to potential pledges.

``We're going to show them the Power Point presentation,'' said Gill, who graduated from Wilcox High School in Santa Clara. ``We're going to be dressed nice, all suited up. We want to make sure that people understand that joining AEZ is a commitment.''

On Thursday, AEZ joined hundreds of other student organizations at ``Calapalooza,'' an enormous one-day event where groups of all sorts try to attract new members. The first day of classes is Monday, but freshmen began arriving this week.

At first, AEZ set up a table near other fraternities and sororities. It was slow going: Only a few people stopped by.

Then they moved to a section of the lawn where groups like the Sikh Student Association, Indus and the Hindu Students Council were located. Bhangra music blasted from a boom box, and in minutes freshmen approached the table. An hour later, 15 potential pledges had already signed up to learn more.

``I'm definitely considering it, but I'm worried about my course load,'' said sophomore Sanjeet Mitra, 19.