Sigma Lambda Beta
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| Sigma Lambda Beta | |
|---|---|
| ΣΛΒ | |
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| Founded | April 4, 1986 University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa  |
| Type | Social |
| Scope |  United StatesInternational Membership |
| Motto | Opportunity for Wisdom, Wisdom for Culture. |
| Colors | Royal Purple & Pure White |
| Symbol | White Stallion Mustang |
| Flower | Red Carnation |
| Publication | El Iluminador (Blog) & REGO Magazine |
| Chapters | 100 undergrad, 18 colonies, 18 Alumni Associations |
| Nickname | Betas or Lambda Betas |
| Nickname | Lambda Betas/ Betas |
| Headquarters | 900 West Penn Street North Liberty, Iowa USA |
| Website | sigmalambdabeta.com |
| Part of a series on |
| Hispanic and Latino Americans |
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Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc., (ΣΛΒ) is a Latino based social fraternity established on cultural understanding and wisdom. Founded on April 4, 1986 at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, the organization is committed to create and expand multicultural leadership, promote academic excellence, advance cultural awareness and service while influencing its mission amongst all dedicated collegiate men worldwide. With over 136 entities consisting of colonies, chapters, alumni associations across the country and in Puerto Rico, Sigma Lambda Beta is the largest historically Latino Fraternal Greek Lettered intercollegiate organization in America.
History
In the early spring semester of 1986 at the University of Iowa, Baltazar Mendoza-Madrigal a member of Phi Beta Sigma, wanted to further expand the possibility of a Latino based organization with multicultural membership that would grow just as notable. The purpose of creating such an organization came from the social and cultural dynamics at the time. Minorities on campus were under represented and lacked interaction amongst each other. Thus, Mendoza along with seventeen other men began to explore the idea of establishing a Latino-based fraternity in order to unify all under represented minorities and to promote cultural understanding along with academic excellence.
The men met officially on March 7, 1986 with some of the Latino students at the University of Iowa
On April 4, 1986, the members finalized the philosophy of the organization and the eighteen men who came to study in the US from Latin America, Africa & Asia became the eighteen Founding Fathers of Sigma Lambda Beta. They were inducted as brothers at the university's Danforth Chapel with the following principles in mind: brotherhood, scholarship, community service and cultural awareness.
The Founding Fathers were:
- Baltazar Mendoza-Madrigal
- Mario Buendia
- Enrique Carbajal
- Thomas Carrasquillo
- Manuel Chavarria
- Jose Fong
- Rudolfo Garza
- Luis Jimenez
- Luis Marquez
- Eric Montes
- Kuy Ou
- Olakunle Oyeyemi
- Jaime Ramirez
- Olivero Rivera
- Juan Jose Rojas Cardona
- Eugenio Soria
- Juan Valdez
- Ricardo Zamudio
Mission
The mission of all Beta men is to nurture and further a dynamic, value-based environment which utilizes its diverse multicultural membership as a catalyst:
- To create and expand multicultural leadership.
- To cultivate honorable friendships.
- To advance male success in college and beyond.
- To promote culture in a positive manner.
- To exhibit standards of excellence in morality, ethics and education.
- To better serve the needs and wants of all people by disseminating the diverse culture which we all share.
- To nurture values of fairness, opportunity, and the equality of all men regardless of their race, culture, or ethnicity in society.
- To help progress our country and the world by enhancing our understanding of one another.
Historical Facts
- In 1986, SLB was recognized as the only Latino based, multicultural fraternity to be established in the Midwest (Iowa, 1986).
- In 1991, SLB became the first Latino based Fraternity to be established at a Historically Black College at Prairie View A&M University.
- In 1992, following the Latino Greek lettered boom that started in 1975, SLB became the first Latino based fraternity to reach "Coast to Coast" with the expansion to SUNY-Stony Brook (Pi chapter) and California State University-Dominguez Hills (Tau Chapter).
- In 2004, SLB joined the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) as the only fraternity of its kind to focus its membership on an international scope, then becoming the only NALFO fraternity to establish a chapter in the Caribbean. However, SLB withdrew from NALFO in February of 2010. Before joining NALFO, SLB was one of the few members of the Concilio Nacional de Hermandades Latinas.
National Recognition
Sigma Lambda Beta is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), a confederation of 72 men's college fraternities with over 5,300 chapters on more than 800 campuses throughout Canada and the United States. The NIC represents over 350,000 collegiate members and four and one half million alumni. Its volunteer leaders and professional staff serve fraternity leaders in university, government, and media relations. The promotion of scholarship, leadership, service, and friendship among fraternity members is the NIC's purpose.
Chapters
National Philanthropies
Since 1986 Sigma Lambda Beta has made an impact in communities all over the US through service that the fraternity prides itself in. The fraternity concentrates its ability to help underprivileged communities through its local chapter philanthropies. Service at the local level varies accordingly and may consist a wide range from tutoring, mentoring programs, motivational speaking, voter registration drives to fund raising for a cause. On a national level, SLB acknowledges two philanthropies that all chapters participate in.
V. Correa CPR Awareness Day
Health Education & The Community
The Victor Correa CPR Awareness Day was created in honor of Brother Victor "Ziggy" Correa Ortiz. Correa was born and raised in Puerto Rico and came to the United States to earn his degree in engineering at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. As a freshman and newly inducted brother, Correra went back to Puerto Rico to visit his parents. Unfortunately, during that winter Correa drowned while wading off the shores of Puerto Rico. Bystanders were not informed on how to administer CPR at the time to save his life. Today, brothers of SLB are encouraged to become CPR certified and also provide an opportunity for members of their communities to be certified through the Victor Correa CPR Awareness Day (November).
Collegiate Leadership Development
Latinos, Politics & Policy
Brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta train and serve through the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute in the seven-week Collegiate Leadership Development Program. The program is an interactive, bilateral, policy-oriented training program for Latino student leaders, university staff, faculty, and administrators. The program is designed to focus on how to formulate, exercise, and influence policy. Given the setting, this policy analysis program focuses on university policies pertaining to the outreach, recruitment and retention of Latino students; the recruitment and retention of Latino staff, faculty and administrators; beginning or expanding a Latino studies curriculum; financial aid; involvement in student government; support for Latino student organizations; and financial literacy. Sigma Lambda Beta also has the Sigma Lambda Beta Educational Foundation established to provide funding for educational and leadership development programs.
National Events
Sigma Lambda Beta organizes various social, business, professional and personal development events for its members annually. Most of them are held in different states from year to year.
- Founders: An annual social event that is hosted to celebrate the founding and existence of the fraternity. Brothers are also recognized across the nation for their contributions to the fraternity. The weekend of events take place during the beginning of April, near the founding date of the organization, as chapters nation wide alternate its location.
- Convention: A business convention where delegates from every chapter vote on bylaws of the fraternity and discuss various business topics of interest for the development of the organization. Convention takes place every other summer.
- Retreat: A personal development event where brothers take part in various workshops, bonding exercises, and networking events with other chapters around the nation. Retreat takes place every other summer, in years between Convention.
- Festival Del Sol: An annual social held in Tampa, Florida on Labor Day weekend. (September)
- Homecoming: An annual social held in Tucson, Arizona at the University of Arizona (November) .
- Spanish Fly: An annual social held in Tallahassee, Florida during MLK weekend. (January)
Educational Foundation
"Fueling the Light" since 2001, the Sigma Lambda Beta Educational Foundation is a charitable and educational 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, separate and independent from Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity. The Education Foundation is supported by tax-deductible charitable gifts from loyal members and friends of Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity. It receives, manages and distributes endowment gifts, deferred gifts, annual gifts, and special gifts for the purpose of funding educational and leadership development programs for Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity, as well as direct financial assistance for undergraduate and graduate student members. The Education Foundation is governed by a board of trustees composed primarily of alumni of Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity.
Scholarships
The Opportunity for Wisdom Fund is the first endowed fund established by the Sigma Lambda Beta Educational Foundation. The interest earned from the principal of this fund provided scholarships to the brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta.
"Opportunity for Wisdom,
Wisdom for Culture."
Sigma Lambda Beta Motto
Salon De Hermandad
Sigma Lambda Beta considers all brothers at any stage of life, active and life long brothers. as such, many brothers are still involved with the fraternity even years after graduating. Thus, SLB created the Salon de Hermandad (Hall of Brotherhood: Chicago, Illinois 2000) to recognize brothers that have made a significant impact and have contributed to the growth and development of the organization over many years. Inductees to the Salon de Hermandad are recognized with the highest award a brother of Sigma Lambda Beta can receive and are recognized as the following:
July 2000
- Founding Father Baltazar Mendoza Madrigal- University of Iowa
- Founding Father Juan Valdez- University of Iowa
- Founding Father Ricardo Zamudio- University of Iowa
- Brother Mary Peterson- University of Iowa
- Brother Ian Bautista- Kansas State University
July 2002
- Brother Juan Rodriguez- Western Illinois University
- Brother Norvis Huezo- Stony Brook University
July 2004
- Brother Anthony Ochoa- University of Arizona
August 2008
- Brother Roy Salcedo- Iowa State University
Distinguished Alumni
Business/Entertainment
- Brother Henry Guerrero - Emmy award winner and executive producer for La Vida, ABC WFAA-TV Dallas/Fort Worth
- Brother Danny Zepeda- 2005 World Ballroom Champion.
- Brother Alex Perez - Emmy-nominated and award-winning television reporter for NBC WMAQ-TV Chicago. Graduate of University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
- Brother Robert J. Vilchez - Producer of the Run's House series on MTV Networks.
Government/Law
- Brother Miguel Ayala- Served as Communications Director for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in Washington, DC.
- Brother Edward Casso - Colorado State Representative, House District 32
- Brother John Jacob Rodriguez, Ph.D. - Earned his doctorate in 2007 from Prairie View A&M Univ. / Department of Juvenile Justice & Psychology. Dr. Rodriguez is the first Latino in the country to receive a Ph.D. in Juvenile Justice.
- Brother Andrew Velázquez III - Current director of the State of Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), former director, Office of Emergency Management & Communications Chicago, Illinois
Sports
- Brother Francisco Arreola - Professional boxer (29-3-2, 8 KO)
- Brother Mark Slessinger - Northwestern State Assistant Basketball coach
- Brother Marcelino Menchaca - MMA Fighter (1-1-0, 1 KO)
Military
- Brother Gary Vasquez-A member of the United States Army's Elite 7th Special Forces Group (Green Berets), killed in Iraq.
External links
- North-American Interfraternity Conference
- Fraternity Leadership Association
- Fraternities and sororities in the United States
- Puerto Rican fraternities and sororities
- Fraternities and sororities
- Student societies in the United States
- International student societies
- Latino organizations
- Organizations established in 1986
- 1986 establishments
- Sigma Lambda Beta