Lambda Pi Upsilon
ΛΠΥ
FoundedNovember 6, 1992; 31 years ago (1992-11-06)
SUNY Geneseo
TypeSocial
AffiliationNALFO
EmphasisLatina
ScopeNational (United States)
MottoCon Amor, Dignidad, y Orgullo (With Love, Dignity and Pride)
PillarsFamily, Advancement, Education, Motivation, Learning, and Exposure
Colors Red   White   Gold   Black 
FlowerFire and Ice Rose
JewelEmerald
MascotSpotted Jaguar
PhilanthropyChildren and Asthma Awareness
Chapters20
Colonies4
NicknameLambda Divas
LPiU
HeadquartersNew York City, New York
United States
WebsiteOfficial website

Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc (ΛΠΥ, LPiU), is a Latina oriented national sorority founded in 1992 at the State University of New York at Geneseo.[1][2][3] Its founders believed that the problems of womanhood, particularly those of Latinas, needed to be addressed and resolved on campus by seeking unity and cultural identity.[4][5]

The sorority is a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO).[6]

History

Lambda Pi Upsilon began with six women at the State University of New York at Geneseo who sought to fight and address increasing social issues involving women in their community, particularly Latina women.[4][5] Located on a predominantly caucasian campus, these six women were driven to find a sense of unity and commonality by approaching the ideas of cultural identity and growth of mind.[7][5] They created Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority Inc. on November 6, 1992.[7][5] Referred to as the Six Pillars of Strength or the Founding Mothers, these women were:[7][5]

Lambda Pi Upsilon seeks to "empower initiates to educate others about the fallacy of the negative stereotypes that surround Latinos, to act as a role model, to work for the advancement of women, and to emphasize the importance of higher education."[9]

The sorority is a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO).[6] It is overseen by a national board of directors based in New York City.[10][11] Leaders meet at the Empowerment Conference which is a convention held each January.[12]

Symbols and traditions

The sorority's colors are red, white, gold, and black.[13][14][8] Its mascot is the spotted jaguar and its gemstone is the emerald.[13][14][8] Its flower is the "Fire and Ice" rose, a white rose with red tips.[13][14][8] Members are referred to as Lambda Divas and experience a sisterhood or Hermandad.[5][8]

The motto of Lambda Pi Upsilon is "Con Amor, Dignidad, y Orgullo" or "With Love, Dignity and Pride".[13][14][8][15] The sorority's six founding principles or pillars of strength are family, advancement, education, motivation, learning, and exposure or the acronym F.E.M.A.L.E.[7][5]

Membership

Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc. welcomes women who are interested in a young and developing organization who also want to become leaders within their communities. Although the sorority is Latina-based, membership is not exclusive to Latina women.

Activities

Members of Lambda Pi Upsilon host numerous annual events for members and other people to attend. The Sisterhood Retreat is a legacy that was started by the founding mothers to help members of the sorority to bond with each other over a weekend of workshops and storytelling each August.[12] The first Sisterhood Retreat was held on August 4–6, 1995 in SUNY Geneseo.

The Emerald Gala is an event hosted in New York City every five years to celebrate the growth and accomplishments of the organization.[12]

Chapters also help with campus celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month.[16][17]

THe sorority also has a national step team, PODER.[10][2][11]

Philanthropy

As an organization, Lambda Pi Upsilon adopted children as its national philanthropy.[14][18] However, with the death of one of their members from asthma, Lambda Pi Upsilon has also focused its attention on asthma awareness as part of their philanthropic work and also partner with the American Lung Association for various awarenss activities.[14][18]

At a local level, chapters and members of Lambda Pi Upsilon also participate in other events and support other charities, including the AIDS Walk, autism awareness, Breast Cancer Walk, and the March of Dimes.[18]

Chapters

Collegiate chapters

Following is a list of Lambda Pi Upsilon collegiate chapters.[1][10][11] Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics.

Chapter Chartered Institution Location Status References
Alpha November 6, 1992 State University of New York at Geneseo Geneseo, New York Inactive [5]
Beta 1994 Buffalo Region (University of Buffalo and Buffalo State College) Buffalo, New York Active [19]
Gamma 199x ?–200x ? Rochester Region Rochester, New York Colony [10]
Delta 1996 Columbia University New York City, New York Active
Epsilon 1997 St. John’s University New York City, New York Active [20]
Eta 1999 Westchester Region Westchester County, New York Active
Theta 2000 University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut Active
Iota 2003 New York University New York City, New York Active
Kappa January 2, 2005 – 2007 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, Illinois Inactive [21]
Lambda 2005 Syracuse Region Syracuse, New York Active
Mu 2007 New York City Metropolitan Region New York City, New York Active
Nu 2008 Boston Region (Newbury College, Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern University) Boston, Massachusetts Active
Xi 2009 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, Connecticut Active
Omicron April 2010 State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, New York Active [22]
Pi Perpetual Memorial [10]
Rho 2011 Fairleigh Dickinson University Metropolitan Campus New Jersey Active
Sigma 2013 University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, Connecticut Active
Tau 2014 New Jersey City University Jersey City, New Jersey Active
Upsilon 2015 University of New Haven West Haven, Connecticut Active
Phi 2017 State University of New York at Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, New York Active
Chi 2019 Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas Active [14][15]
Psi Binghamton University Binghamton, New York Colony
Omega Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, Kansas Colony [9][a]
Alpha Alpha Trinity College Hartford, Connecticut Colony

Notes

  1. ^ Colony was established in 2019.

Graduate chapters

Following is a list of Lambda Pi Upsilon alumnae chapters.

Chapter Chartered Region Location Status References
Zeta Alpha New York City Region New York City, New York [10]
Zeta Beta New York Upstate Region Rochester, New York [10]
Zeta Gamma South Florida Region Florida [10]
Zeta Delta Connecticut Region Connecticut
Zeta Epsilon Service Members Division
Zeta Zeta Illinois Region Illinois
Zeta Eta Massachusetts Region Massachusetts
Zeta Theta New Jersey Region New Jersey

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (December 3, 2022) "Lamba Pi Upsilon". Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed October 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Fine, Elizabeth Calvert (2003). Soulstepping: African American Step Shows. University of Illinois Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-252-02475-7 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Torbenson, Craig LaRon; Parks, Gregory (2009). Brothers and Sisters: Diversity in College Fraternities and Sororities. Associated University Presse. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-8386-4194-1 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b "History". Kataclysmic Kappa Chapter Lamba Pi Upsilon Sorority University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "About Us". Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Member Organizations – National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations". nalfo.org. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  7. ^ a b c d "Six Pillars of Strength". Outrageous Omicron Divas of Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Facts". Kataclysmic Kappa Chapter Lamba Pi Upsilon Sorority University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Younker, Emily (2019-12-07). "As Hispanic enrollment grows, universities explore strategies to help them succeed". Joplin Globe. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Entities". Kataclysmic Kappa Chapter Lamba Pi Upsilon Sorority University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "Membership". Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c "Programs and initiatives". Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d "About Us - Insignia". Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g "WSU Welcomes New Sorority Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc" (PDF). Wichita State University. Student Involvement. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Robinson, Drake (September 25, 2018). "Wichita State welcomes new Latina-oriented sorority". The Sunflower. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  16. ^ Gerdelmann, Marybeth. "Lambda Pi Upsilon and L.A.S.O. team up to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month". The Torch. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  17. ^ Montner, Marshall (September 23, 2021). "John Quiñones Kicks Off Latine Heritage Month at Trinity College". Trinity College. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  18. ^ a b c "Philanthropy". Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  19. ^ Cady, Ben; Lewis, Jeff; Burns, Adam (2005). SUNY Buffalo: Off the Record. College Prowler, Inc. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-59658-168-5.
  20. ^ McDonald, Mark (2011-03-15). St. John's University 2012. College Prowler. ISBN 978-1-4274-9750-5 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ "Chapter History". Kataclysmic Kappa Chapter Lamba Pi Upsilon Sorority University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  22. ^ "Home". Outrageous Omicron Divas of Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority. Retrieved 2023-10-14.

External links

Fraternities and sororities
National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
Categories