Lambda Sigma Upsilon was founded in 1979 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is an intercollegiate Latino oriented Greek-letter fraternity that is also a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) and a member of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC).
Twenty men formed it to fight for the rights of minority students. The group decided to form their own brotherhood- a Latino Social Fellowship to help students achieve their goals, support them, and provide a sense of family to those away from home.
Its mission, in a nutshell, states that the members of the Latino fraternity believe that achieving many individual and collective successes requires the efforts of culturally diverse men of college and university who are closely associated with each other and maintain honesty, trust, commitment and respect. It believes in promoting friendship and brotherhood, social justice, equal opportunities, development of individual character and excellence in education.
The goals of the fraternity are:
- To contribute and promote academic excellence
- Be role models to students and the community at large
- Promoting cultural awareness and diversity.
- Brotherhood
The brand tonalities are diversity, commitment, honesty, respect and trust. The official motto of the fraternity is “Latinos Siempre Unidos” (Latinos Always United). Its nicknames are LSU and The Upsilons. The colors of the fraternity are baby blue and white. The cultural identity symbol of Lambda Sigma Upsilon is the Taino Man. Its national philanthropy is HIV and AIDS Research.
The Latinos Siempre Unidos (LSU) Foundation is a non-profit educational foundation. The purpose of this charitable organization is to award scholarships and grants to high school and college students, including members of Lambda Sigma Upsilon, for their educational needs and developments, fundraisers for social and community awareness and HIV/AIDS research and awareness.
Requirements To Join
As stated in the constitution of Lambda Sigma Upsilon, no male is denied membership on the basis of color, creed, race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or HIV status. Following are the requirements to become a member:
- Cumulative and prior semester GPA of 2.5 or greater than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
- The individual must be enrolled in a full-time course in a 4-year fully accredited institution.
- Should have a minimum of 12 degree or college credits.
- The undergraduate male should not be a member of any other collegiate base 4-year college social fraternity.
- The individual should meet the requirements of higher standing between Fraternity and University.
- A member of Lambda Sigma Upsilon shall not join any other social fraternity.
- The person must have attended at least two “Rum and Salsa” Informational.
The brothers of Lambda Sigma Upsilon host an informational meeting which is called “Rum and Salsa”.
It is open for all community members to attend and gives them an opportunity to know local brothers and learn about the history, mission and goals of the fraternity and get answers to any questions they have about Lambda Sigma Upsilon.
How To Join
The persons interested in joining Lambda Sigma Upsilon should take the following steps:
- The person should locate a local chapter.
- The person should reach out to the representative of the chapter and express his interest in becoming a member.
- He should attend a “Rum and Salsa” Informational meeting.
- He should then get to know other members of the chapter and wait for further instructions.
How Much it Costs to Join
The fees for new members is $600- $800. It is a one-time non-refundable payment. The new member fee also includes free membership for up to six months.
This fee for new members also covers the costs of the certificate, paraphernalia, general liability insurance the organization is required to maintain per member and the general operational costs of Lambda Sigma Upsilon.