Sigma Lambda Beta

Infobox Fraternity
letters = ΣΛΒ
name = Sigma Lambda Beta
motto = "Opportunity for Wisdom, Wisdom for Culture."
crest =
founded = birth date and age|1986|4|4
type = Social
scope = International
PRI
USA
International Membership | address = 900 West Penn Street
city = North Liberty
state = Iowa
country = USA
chapters = 86 undergrad, 20 colonies, 17 Alumni Associations | colors = & Pure White
homepage = [http://www.sigmalambdabeta.com/ sigmalambdabeta.com ]
birthplace = University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa flagicon|USA|size=25px
flower = Red Carnation
publication= El Iluminador & [http://www.regomag.com REGO Magazine]
symbol = White Stallion Mustang
free_label = Nickname
free = Betas

Sigma Lambda Beta (ΣΛΒ) is a Latino based social fraternity with multicultural membership based 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 world-wide. With over 125 entities consisting of colonies, chapters, alumni associations across the country and in Puerto Rico, Sigma Lambda Beta is one of the largest Latino Greek Lettered intercollegiate organizations in America.

History

During 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.

After months of intensive research, the men finally began the creation of a new Latino-based fraternity. Mendoza-Madrigal called a special meeting on Monday, March 7, 1986 with some of the Latino students at the University of Iowa's [http://imu.uiowa.edu/osl/culture_diversity/cultural_centers/lnacc.php Latino Native American Cultural Center] to discuss the need and feasibility of creating a new social fraternity with an emphasis on the Latino culture

On Friday, 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 [http://itsnt166.iowa.uiowa.edu/bandaids/campus_maps/building_details.cfm?abbr=dc Danforth Chapel] with the following principles in mind: [http://sigmalambdabeta.com/index2.html Brotherhood] [http://sigmalambdabeta.com/index2.html Scholarship] [http://sigmalambdabeta.com/index2.html Cultural Awareness] and [http://sigmalambdabeta.com/index2.html Community Service] .

Founding Fathers
*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
*Olivera 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 better serve the needs and wants of all people.
* To promote Latino culture/heritage in a positive manner
* To promote standards of excellence in morality, ethics and education.
* To promote values of fairness, opportunity, and the equality of all men regardless of their race, culture, or ethnicity in society.

Evolution of Excellence

Sigma Lambda Beta, La Unica Fraternidad Internacional Incorparada

Sigma Lambda Beta has made its mark as a premier fraternity recognized by national greek councils in the US. Most notably, SLB is not the oldest nor was it the first organization to be established in the country but rather it strives to revolutionize the greek community as a leader in innovation. To highlight some achievements as one of the youngest fraternities of its kind, SLB has been the first organization to be established at HBCUs, the first organization to reach all four geographical corners of the US, the first to establish its own educational foundation, and the only US Latino based fraternity in the Caribbean. Furthermore, the fraternity has become known as the only organization of its kind to have international membership, ideals and goals since its beginning.

Historical Legacy

* 1986: Recognized as the only Latino based, multicultural fraternity to be established in the Midwest.

* 1987: Became the only Latino fraternity in the US to establish an entity in the Caribbean (Delta Chapter, [http://www.pucpr.edu/ Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Puerto Rico] ).

* 1991: Founded the first entity of any Latino-based collegiate Greek-lettered organization at a Historically Black College (Epsilon Gamma Chapter, Prairie View University, founded in 1991).

* 1992: 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). Sigma Lambda Beta now has a presence in every region of the United States.

* 1992: One of the first and few Latino based fraternities to be recognized by the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), strengthening its Latino Fraternal Caucus.

* 1997: The fraternity was granted 501(c)(7) status by the IRS.

* 2000: The longest concurrent chapter of a Latino-based Greek-lettered organization at a Historically Black College (Delta Gamma Chapter, Florida A&M University, founded November 19, 2000).

* 2001: Sigma Lambda Beta Educational Foundation established to provide funding for educational and leadership development programs.

* 2004: Created its own official publication called [http://www.regomag.com REGO Magazine] which is published quarterly and is distributed at Universities all over the US. The magazine is the only one of its kind on the market and covers politcs, news, college life & fashion.

* 2004: Became the only international member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO). Before joining NALFO, SLB was one of the few members of the Concilio Nacional de Hermandades Latinas.

* 2007: Created its own intranet for members to collaborate, keep in close contact with their national board and receive assistance nation wide from various entities. The site operates like facebook and myspace does where members create their own profiles.

National Recognition

Sigma Lambda Beta is a proud member of the following national greek councils:

* North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC): is 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.

* National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO): is an umbrella council for Latino Greek Letter Organizations. Established in 1998, NALFO has 23 member organizations from across the United States. The purpose of NALFO is to promote and foster positive interfraternal relations, communication, and development of all Latino Fraternal organizations through mutual respect, leadership, honesty, professionalism and education.

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 fundraising for a cause. On a national level, SLB acknowledges two philanthropies that all chapters participate in.

V. Correa CPR Awareness Day

The Victor Correa CPR Awareness Day was created in honor of [http://sigmalambdabeta.com/index2.html 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

Brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta train and serve through the [http://www.ushli.org/about_ushli/ United States Hispanic Leadership Institute] in theseven-week [http://www.ushli.org/leadership/cldp.html 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.

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.

* [http://www.sigmalambdabeta.com/founders 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 develpoment 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. (August)
*Homecoming: An annual social and reunion held for the South West region in Tucson, Arizona at the University of Arizona (November) .
*Spanish Fly: An annual social held in Tallahassee, Florida during MLK weekend. (January)

District & Regional

* District Summits: A business and personal development conference organized by [http://www.sigmalambdabeta.com/index2.html "SLB Districts"] all over the nation annually. Each district host their own summit which are usually held after an academic year to follow up on the progress and development of the specific district. Brothers are also recognized with in their specific district for their contributions. ( [http://www.sigmalambdabeta.com/index2.html "VIew of SLB National Districts"] ).
* Regional Formals: A social held to recognize brothers with in specific SLB regions for their contributions and academic success. Formals are held individually by different regions and serves as an end of the year group dinner just before the academic year comes to an end.
*Regional Retreats: A personal development, business, social event where brothers take part in various workshops in leadership, planning, organizing, networking and bonding amongst chapters in a specific region. Individual chapters also host their own retreats which are hosted accordingly to each chapter and regional scheduling.

Educational Foundation

"Fueling the Light" since 2001, the [http://www.slbfoundation.com/ 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.

Board of Trustees

* Founding Father Ricardo Zamudio, "SLBEF Chair"
* Brother James L. Hayes, "Scholarship/Programming"
* Brother Ian Bautista, "District Representatives"
* Brother Memo Macalpin, "Finances"
* Brother Murali Balaji, "Communications"
* Brother Mary Peterson, "Ex-Officio"
* Brother Alejandro Builes, "Ex-Officio"

cholarships

The [http://slbfoundation.com/OpportunityforWisdomFund.asp 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.

The following brothers are founding members of this fund: Joel Arias,Rudy Calderon,Founding Father Enrique Carbajal,Sam Centellas & Family,Benjamin Feller,Phillip Guerrero,James Hayes,Guillermo Macalpin,Cirilo Martinez,Ricardo Melgoza,Founding Father Baltazar Mendoza,Ammar Mufleh,Mary Peterson,Joel Rhea,Joe Romagnano,Roy Salcedo,Jason Smolka,Anthony Ybarra,Andrew Velasquez,& Founding Father Ricardo Zamudio

Membership

It is the mission of Sigma Lambda Beta to initiate quality prospective members who are confident and not afraid to express or share their personal thoughts. One must be ready to grow not only as a person, but also as a brother of the fraternity and a member of their community. As members, Brothers learn to ìopenî their eyes and see the endless opportunities that are available to all people. Furthermore, they share thoughts and ideas, and learn to recognize the potential that we, as a united whole, can and will exhibit in order to keep our shared values alive and working. Membership in the fraternity is open to all qualified collegiate men at accredited universities world-wide and can be attained only by election, followed by initiation in accordance with the prescribed Ritual of the fraternity. With in the fraternity, collegiate men of various ethnic backgrounds take on the journey of becoming Lambda Beta Men to uphold the founding principles of: brotherhood, scholarship, community service and cultural awareness, while promoting the fraternity's philosophy world-wide.

alon 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 [http://sigmalambdabeta.com/index2.html 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 follows:

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 Julio E. Perez- "University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"
* Brother Norvis Huezo- "Stony Brook University"

July 2004

* Brother Anthony Ochoa- "University of Arizona"

Alumni

With many young men of diverse ethnic backgrounds at universities across the nation taking initiative to propel Sigma Lambda Beta into the next millennium, our alumni associations are growing to contain the most elite professionals in America's workforce. Many alumni are professionals including doctors, lawyers, architects, police, and law enforcement who pursue higher education beyond their undergraduate degree. Currently, there are 17 Alumni Associations of Sigma Lambda Beta, as well as 3 alumni interest groups who are seeking to establish permanent alumni associations in their respective area.

Notable Alumni

With many more accomplishments and contributions to come in the next millennium by brothers and future associates, Sigma Lambda Beta will continue to serve the needs and wants of our people to uphold itself as a pillar in American society in fields as followed:

Civic/Academics

* Brother Ian Bautista- Non-Profit Executive with United Neighborhoods of America in Wisconsin. Earned a BA in Spanish, BA in political science & a Masters in Regional/ Community Planning from Kansas State University. Followed by an E.M.B.A from Rockhurst University. Bautista has been inducted into the SLB Salon de Hermandad.
* Brother Guillermo Macalpin- Founder of Prime Time Kids Camp and SLBEF Opportunity for Wisdom Fund.
* Brother Murali Balaji - Journalist and author of "The Professor and the Pupil: The Politics and Friendship of W.E.B. Du Bois and Paul Robeson" (Nation Books).
* Brother Michael Benitez Jr. is a scholar, activist, public speaker, and spoken word artist and co-editor of "Crash Course: Reflections on the Film Crash for Critical Dialogues About Race, Power and Privilege".

Business/Entertainment

* Founding Father Ricardo Zamudio- One of the original 18 Founding Fathers of SLB (1986). BBA in finance and a minor in computer science (University of Iowa`89). Manager within the systems department of State Farm Insurance (Bloomington, Illinois) Established the Sigma Lambda Beta Educational Foundation (2001) 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. Zamudio has been inducted into the SLB Salon de Hermandad.
* Brother Avian Carrasquillo - Newspaper reporter for The Daily Herald (third largest newspaper in Illinois)
* Brother [http://www.fox11az.com/about/bios/ Delane Cleveland] - Fox 11 Reporter in Tucson, Arizona. Delane is a 2004 graduate of the University of Minnesota's School of Journalism, and decided to pursue a career in news after covering a story in college that earned him an award from the Northwest Broadcast News Association.
* Bother Bobby De Leon- Chicago Banker and Real Estate Broker. Bobby is co-founder of First City Financial Group. Bobby is regarded as one of the best in Chicago Real Estate market, and has helped thousands of clients. Bobby is a garduate of Western Michigan University and a pround native of Holland Michigan.
* Brother Henry Guerrero - Emmy award winner and executive producer for La Vida, ABC WFAA-TV Dallas/Fort Worth
* Brother Peter Mellado- Editor & Chief of [http://www.regomag.com/media08.pdf REGO Magazine] /Mellcom Inc. Contributed to the redesign of the fraternities mascot (2008).
* Brother [http://www.rogerpayano.com/ Roger Payano] - Actor, Model & Personality. Founding brother of the Delta Gamma Chapter at FAMU (2000). Received a Bachelors of Science in mechanical engineering & Masters of Science in industrial engineering (2002). Before acting he worked as an engineer for an un-named government funded defense contracting firm.
* Brother [http://www.nbc5.com/meetthenewsteam/4536283/detail.html Alex Perez] - Award-winning television reporter for NBC WMAQ-TV Chicago Graduate of University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
* Brother Danny Zepeda- 2005 World Ballroom Champion.

Government/Law

* Fouding Father Baltazar Mendoza-Madrigal - Earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Iowa & a J.D from the John Marshall School of Law. Mendoza is an attorney and runs his own firm, Baltazar Mendoza & Associates. Mendoza has been inducted into the SLB Salon de Hermandad.
* Brother Miguel Ayala- Currently the Communications Director for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in Washington, DC. Before working with the Caucus he served with the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee as a Legislative Aide. Ayala received his Bachelors degree in Political Science from DePaul University (2002) & and is working on a Masters degree in educational leadership from George Washington University (2008).
* Brother Edward Casso - Colorado State Representative, House District 32
* Brother Andrew Velázquez III - Current director of the State of Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), former director, Office of Emergency Management & Communications Chicago, Illinois
* 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. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington where he teaches criminology and criminal justice. His research includes Disproportianate Minority Confinement, Gangs, Transnational & International Crimes. He has also published numerous book chapters, journal articles, and book reviews.
* Brother [http://www.cirilomartinez.com/index.html Cirilo Martinez] — A graduate of The University of Michigan and Loyola Chicago School of Law. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council, Farm Worker Legal Service, New Latino Vision, the Imagine Fund and chairs the University of Michigan Hispanic Alumni Council. He is currently a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Latin American Bar Activities Section of the Michigan Bar and the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. His practice includes family law, immigration law and criminal law.

cience

* Brother Anthony Ochoa- Engineer for the Boeing Company. Earned a BS in systems engineering from the University of Arizona, a BS in engineering management from Washington State University and an MBA from Seattle University. Ochoa is one of the Founding Brothers for the Kappa Alpha Chapter at the University of Arizona and maintains/created the [http://www.sigmalambdabeta.com SLB National Website] . He has also served on the National executive board and is an inducted member of the Salon de Hermandad.
* Brother Louis Valente, Ph.D. - Earned his doctorate in 2003 from the Rutgers Univ. / UMDNJ Joint Molecular BioSciences Ph.D. program. Today, Dr. Valente, is a post-doctoral scientist with the Gene Expression & Regulation Program at the Wistar Institute (Univ. of Pennsylvania). His research includes proteins that bind RNA for the regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and he has been published in many international scientific journals.

ports

* Brother Francisco "El Tigre" Arreola - Professional boxer (29-3-2, 8 KO)
* Brother Luis Hernandez Jr. - Director of Public Relations, Chicago White Sox. Marquette University (1996-2000).
* Brother Mark Slessinger - Northwestern State Assistant Basketball coach
* Brother Peter Reo - University of Michigan. Picture is showcased in the video game, NCAA Football 2009 main menu.

Military

* Brother EJ Smith, Captain - U.S Marines
* Brother Carlos Frevert, E6 Tech Sgt. IT Manager - U.S. Air Force
* Brother Gary Vasquez, Sgt. 1st Class. Green Beret, 7th Special Forces Group. KIA, Yakhchal, Afghanistan (2008). - U.S Army

External links

* [http://www.sigmalambdabeta.com Sigma Lambda Beta National Website]
* [http://www.slbfoundation.com Sigma Lambda Beta Educational Foundation]