Lambda Alpha Upsilon

Latino America Unida, Lambda Alpha Upsilon
ΛΑΥ
File:LAUCrest.jpg
Founded	December 10, 1985 State University of New York at Buffalo
Type	Social
Scope	National
Motto	¡Venceremos porque Nacimos para Triunfar! – We will Overcome because we were Born to Triumph!
Colors	Red, Yellow, White and Black
Chapters	14
Fraternal Guardian	Andean Condor
Headquarters	1162 St. Georges Avenue Suite #258 Avenel, New Jersey 07001 USA
Website	www.lambdas.com

Latino America Unida, Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc. (ΛΑΥ or "LAU" also known as the Lambdas and Condors) is a Latino oriented Greek letter intercollegiate fraternity founded on December 10, 1985 at the State University of New York at Buffalo when sixteen men formed a support group to provide a social and cultural outlet for students of Latin American descent. The university's Greek system lacked an organization dedicated to the needs of the Latino community. To meet those needs, the group chose to pursue recognition as the first Latino-oriented Greek-letter organization on campus. The founding fathers represented various ethnic backgrounds, demonstrating the diversity of the Latin American community. The unity realized by these men became the foundation upon which the fraternity was established.

The interest group searched for a reputable organization with which to affiliate, however, did not find one to suit its needs. They then decided to create a unique fraternity, with its own principles and philosophies. The founding fathers knew that strength of character, and a common purpose are the foundation of successful institutions. This lead them to create a fraternity based upon the principles of brotherhood, scholarship and service to the community.

The founding fathers developed a set of goals, known as the Metas, based upon said principles. The Metas were meant to be guidelines to direct how the fraternity serves its community, and how Hermanos are to conduct themselves. The Rituals were designed to instill upon candidates the values, principles, and purpose of the brotherhood. Symbols were chosen to represent the strength and character of the fraternity. Moreover, the founding fathers were laying the foundation for the future of the fraternity, as it expanded to other Colleges and Universities.

As Lambda Alpha Upsilon continues to develop, it has maintained its principles and purpose, for these are what distinguish the brotherhood and guide its members through their personal and professional endeavors. All these things can be combined to express one common belief. No matter what obstacles or difficulties stand in our way; "¡Venceremos Porque Nacimos Para Triunfar!" (We will overcome because we were born to triumph!) We are all given the opportunity to live a significant life and as such, it is our responsibility to leave our mark on society.

Founding Fathers

The founding Fathers represented various ethnic backgrounds demonstrating the diversity of the Latin American community. In the fall of 1984 at the University at Buffalo sixteen young men decided to form a support group that would provide a social and cultural outlet for students of Latin American descent. The university's Greek system lacked an organization dedicated to the needs of the Latino community. To meet those needs, the group chose to pursue recognition as the first Latino-oriented Greek-letter organization on campus. The founding fathers represented various ethnic backgrounds, demonstrating the diversity of the Latin American community.

The interest group searched for a reputable organization with which to affiliate, among them a number of Latino Fraternal Organizations. They observed and took many different ideas, practices, and rituals from these organizations, however, did not find one to suit its particular needs. They then decided to create a somewhat unique fraternity, with its own modified principles and philosophies. The founding fathers knew that strength of character, and a common purpose are the foundation of successful institutions. This lead them to create a fraternity based upon the principles of brotherhood, scholarship and service to the community.

The founding fathers developed a set of goals, known as the Metas, based upon said principles. The Metas were meant to be guidelines to direct how the fraternity serves its community, and how Hermanos are to conduct themselves. The Rituals were designed to instill upon candidates the values, principles, and purpose of the brotherhood. Symbols were chosen to represent the strength and character of the fraternity. Moreover, the founding fathers were laying the foundation for the future of the fraternity, as it expanded to other Colleges and Universities.

The unity realized by these men became the foundation upon which the fraternity was established.

• Antonio Adorno
• José Betances
• Miguel Buitrago
• Manuel Cáceres
• José Chiu
• Ronald Ellín
• Daniel Figueroa III
• Victor Gutiérrez
• Justo León
• Julio Martínez Jr.
• José Núñez
• Antonio Rodríguez
• Daryl Salas
• Manny Sánchez
• José Soto
• Simón Vélez

Metas(Goals)

Lambda Alpha Upsilon was founded upon the principles of brotherhood, scholarship and community Service. These principles are the guidelines by which the fraternity supports their mission within the community. These are expressed in the fraternity's Metas or goals, which are the following:

1. To unite the Latino community
2. To provide a strong and solid base for Latino culture
3. To support each other personally and academically
4. To establish a network of professionals
5. To expand our brotherhood to an international level
6. To insure that the numbers of Latinos in education is ever increasing
7. To enrich our environment with Latino pride and spirit

Lambda Alpha Upsilon believes that high standards, strength of character and a common vision promote the success of the brotherhood. That belief must be carried out through each member's personal and professional lives in constant pursuit of the realization of the Metas. It is the Metas that provide the path to success as the fraternity and its members continues to excel in every field of human endeavor.

Undergraduate Chapters

The Lambda chapter is skipped in the sequence since Lambda Alpha Upsilon has reserved that letter designation for deceased Hermanos.

Chapter	School	Established	website	Nickname
Alpha	University at Buffalo	1985	-	Almighty Alphas
Beta	Rochester Institute of Technology	1993	http://www.beta.lambdas.com	Bloody Betas
Gamma	St. John's University	1994	http://sjulambdas.org/sju/	Renegade Gamma Escuadron
Delta	SUNY @ Oswego	1996	-	Diabolical Deltas
Epsilon	New York City Technical College	1996	-	Elite Epsilon Empire
Zeta	SUNY DELHI	1997	-	Zion Zeta
Eta	SUNY @ Old Westbury	1998	-	Excruciating Eta
Theta	Southern Connecticut State University	1999	http://www.geocities.com/LAU_Theta/	Torturous Theta
Iota	University of Florida	2001	http://www.iota.Lambdas.com	Incendiary Iota
Kappa	University of New Haven	2004	http://www.lambdas.com/chapters/kappa/	-
Mu	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater	2005	http://www.orgs.uww.edu/lau/	-
Nu	West Chester University of Pennsylvannia	2007	-	-
UC Colony	University of Connecticut	2008	-	-
CCSU Colony	Central Connecticut State University	2009	-	-
WPI Colony	Worchester Poly-Technical Institute	2009	-	-

Alumni Chapters

The alumni chapters of Lambda Alpha Upsilon consist of professional individuals, whom were inducted in undergraduate members and are established in the working force or continuing their education while deciding to remain active within the fraternity. Lamdbda Alpha Upsilon officially recognizes the following Alumni Chapters:

Chapter	Region	Established	website	Nickname
Lambda Alpha	Connecticut	2005	-	-
Lambda Beta	New York City Metro	2005	-	-
Lambda Gamma	Washington, DC Metro	2010	-	-

Affiliations

The fraternity is a fouding member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO).