When Chenee Lewis decided to research sororities on the Internet last year, she noticed something different about Latina-interest organization Lambda Theta Alpha.
It was racially diverse.
“It just struck me, seeing so many different races on the Web site,” said Lewis, the Northwestern chapter’s vice president and a Weinberg junior. “It was a little weird trying to enter a historically cultural sorority that was not based in my culture, but I thought I would benefit by learning about Latino culture.”
Many often associate Greek organizations with homogeneity — from socioeconomic backgrounds to interests to race. But Lewis said “the Lambdas” defy that stereotype. Almost one-third of the organization’s 15 members are not Latina.
Four Latina students started the NU chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha in Spring 2001, hoping to form a sense of cohesion among Latina women on campus, said Vanessa Figueroa, who co-founded the chapter. Figueroa said the group had no overt intention to become a “multicultural” organization, but said she thinks the group’s diversity has enriched the chapter.
“It’s changed as it progressed,” said Figueroa, Weinberg ’03. “And it’s more than racially diverse, it’s diverse in socioeconomic backgrounds and majors. Everyone’s background brings different ideas, and with all these ideas coming together, it’s great.”
Ronnie Rios, a Weinberg senior and Lambda member, said Latinos in general comprise many ethnic backgrounds and appeal “to many groups.”
Despite its ethnic diversity, the sorority still struggles to be recognized as an inclusive entity on campus, said Jacqueline Azpeitia, the chapter’s president. Many people still ask Azpeitia if the group encourages members who are not Latina to participate in its activities, she said.
“We always tell people that we’re Latina by tradition, not definition,” said Azpeitia, a Weinberg junior. “We make sure that through all our publicity that people know it’s open to everyone.”
As a result Azpeitia said the sorority advertises over several listservs to show NU that the group’s goals of attaining empowerment for women and opportunities for the underprivileged are ideals to which everyone — Latino or not — can relate.
Broad advertising might help Lambda Theta Alpha attract other races, but that plan has not been very fruitful for historically black Greek organizations, said George Spencer, president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the coordinating body for historically black fraternities and sororities.
“We are in no way discriminatory,” said Spencer, a Communication senior. “It just seems on this campus that it’s a lot more difficult to recruit different types of people because it’s intimidating to join an organization that’s all black.”
Although NU’s traditional social fraternities fight with the idea that they’re a “white boy’s club,” many fraternities also enjoy diverse houses, said Chris Bruss, vice president for recruitment for the Interfraternity Council, the governing body for the 16 non-culturally based fraternities.
Because the focus of Greek houses in IFC is brotherhood and is not rooted in a cultural focus, Bruss said IFC does not keep diversity statistics for Greek organizations.
“It’s not really something we think about,” said Bruss, a Communication junior. “If you meet a cool guy and he’s a cool guy, that’s all that’s important.”
