The growing fraternity decided to make an impact on the campus.
The consensus was that with the mandates bestowed by the mantles of organizational leadership that Brothers would wear, their voices would be better heard in national affairs. 1940-41 saw the Alphans moving to gain positions of formal leadership on the campus. The fraternity expanded its contacts and friendships with student leaders of the other units and organizations.
Through this effort, the Alphans - led by Bienvenido C. Ejercito as third Lord Chancellor - were able to rally and marshall the students who counted in other units into a university-wide political organization.

It was an uphill struggle all the way against older, more established, and better funded student aggrupations. The bruising effort was rewarding to the Alpha Phi Beta.

In Academic Year 1940-41, Angel Baking, then a student of the College of Engineering, became Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Collegian with the support of the fraternity.

Academic year 1941-42 saw: Antonio Azores elected President of the University Student Council; Delfin Garcia became Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Collegian; Adriano Garcia elected President of the University Senior Council and Chairman of the Philippinensian; Sergio Bautista elected President of the University Junior Council; and Bienvenido Ejercito elected President of the Law Student Council and ex-officio representative to the University Student Council.

The Alpha Phi Beta sponsored in 1941 the First Annual Debate of the College of Law. The issue was "Democracy vs. Dictatorship." Renato Constantino was Team Captain for the affirmative side, with Rafael Estrada and Antonio Azores as members. The negative side had Benedicto Balderama as Team Captain, with Adriano Garcia and Arturo Atienza as members. The event, which was at Villamor, now the Supreme Court Building, was won by the affirmative.

1941 saw the entry into the fraternity of two Brothers who would later lead it to new heights after the World War II years. Abraham F. Sarmiento, who became Justice in the Philippine Supreme Court, and Aguedo F. Agbayani, who would be a multi-term Congressman and Governor of Pangasinan.

By December 1941, the war in Europe had threatened to spread to the Pacific. The Brothers who were in the Philippine Army reserve were among the first to respond to the call to the colors. Japanese bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor, Clark Field, Sangley Point and Subic Naval Base. Manila was strafed. Newspaper Extras screamed the headline that war had been declared. All the units of the University were closed.

Brothers saw action in Bataan and Corregidor. They fought in the resistance movement after Bataan and Corregidor fell. The University was closed through the three years of Japanese occupation. The tides of war changed. American forces recaptured New Guinea, Palau and Saipan. Then they landed on Leyte, Nasugbu and Lingayen. Finally, the Battle for Manila was fought and won.

The College of Law was re-opened at what was left of the Cancer Institute and the College of Engineering buildings on the Manila campus.