Type Social | Flower Red Carnation | |
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Founded April 4, 1986; 30 years ago (1986-04-04)
University of Iowa Mission statement To nurture and further a dynamic, value-based environment which utilizes our historically Latino based fraternity as a catalyst to better serve the needs and wants of all people. Motto Opportunity for Wisdom,
Wisdom for Culture. Colors Royal Purple
Pure White | ||
'Sigma Lambda Beta (ΣΛB) (known as Lambda Betas) is the largest historically Latino based fraternity in the nation, established with multicultural membership. Founded in 1986 at the University of Iowa, the primary purpose of Sigma Lambda Beta is to promote Latino culture as well as standards of excellence in morality, ethics, and education. The four key principles that serve as pillars to this purpose are Brotherhood, Scholarship, Community Service, and Cultural Awareness.
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History
Sigma Lambda Beta was founded April 4, 1986 at the University of Iowa by 18 men who saw a need for a Latino fraternity at the predominately Caucasian university. Spearheaded by founder Baltazar Mendoza Madrigal, a member of Phi Beta Sigma, the fraternity established that it will honor the principles of brotherhood, scholarship, community service and cultural awareness.
The fraternity saw a rapid growth in its early years, according to Founding Father Ricardo Zamudio,
"There was a lot of travelling involved in going to other campuses to talk with men who were potentially interested, and having them come to our campus to learn more about our organization. From there it slowly became easier to expand to other campuses, as our network of members available to talk to groups at different campuses continued to expand."Víctor Correa CPR Awareness Day
The Victor Correa CPR Awareness Day was created in honor of Sigma Lambda Beta brother Victor "Ziggy" Correa Ortiz who died during a drowning accident where none of the bystanders knew how to administer CPR. The fraternity encourages its members to host CPR training and awareness events.
BetaCon
Held every other year, entities of Sigma Lambda Beta send delegates to BetaCon to elect the Executive Board of Directors and to vote on proposals to the constitution of the fraternity.
Leadership Institute
Held every other year (alternating with BetaCon), Leadership Institute is a 3-day leadership conference where collegiate brothers are guided through a tailored curriculum with the objective to enhance their leadership and organizational skills to better meet the mission of the fraternity.
Education Foundation
In 2001, brothers of the fraternity formed the Sigma Lambda Beta Educational Foundation as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. The money raised by the Sigma Lambda Beta Education Foundation is used mainly for the purpose of funding educational and leadership development programs for Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity, as well as for scholarships that are made available to undergraduate and graduate student members.