ZETA CHAPTER HISTORY

Our founders were a select group of men who were intent on creating a chapter of Lambda Upsilon Lambda at Brown University for the same reasons that brought our founding fathers together; to provide a stronger voice for Latinos on their college campus and to address the growing attrition rate of Latino students. The Zeta Chapter founding Hermanos embraced the idea of bringing a Latino fraternity to Brown because they felt that there was a need for a Latino organization which would be stronger and more effective than any club or college student group. At Brown the Latino community was suffering from numerous problems:

Latino organizations were falling apart due to personal conflicts among individual members Latino organizations were becoming less of a supportive resource for Latino students on campus Latino organizations were becoming more and more isolated from the Latino communities in Providence.

Latino students at Brown comprised a much smaller population than other minority groups. As a result many Latinos felt that there were very few venues or social events which catered to them or represented their views, and that in order to "fit in" at Brown they had to make their niche in the African-American or White communities. Our founders felt "that even if (at Brown) we are the minority of the minorities, in spirit we can be a much stronger force than any other group." They sought to create that force through the Hermandad of Lambda Upsilon Lambda. They felt a Latino fraternity would be the perfect medium by which to "show the rest of the community that the Latino students here exist and are a force to be reckoned with."

Their decision to found a chapter of a Latino fraternity, however, was not met with great optimism by some members of the Latino community, further demonstrating the inherent rifts and differences in the Latino community. For some members of the Latino community, the idea of bringing an all-male organization to campus was seen as something which would be detrimental to the cohesion of the Latino community. People feared that a fraternity inherently carried with it machismo, sexism, and misogny, or that at the very least, it would promote such negative activities. Despite this opposition and lack of support, the founding Hermanos of the Zeta Chapter began their mission on September 16, 1989, certain of the fact that their actions and activities would not negatively impact the Latino community at Brown.

Proving their initial critics wrong, the Founding Hermanos performed a Community Service Project during October 1989, to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Hugo. They helped the National Guard send clothes and other aid to the victims of the devastating hurricane which struck Puerto Rico that Fall, severely damaging over 80% of the island. The first official Zeta Chapter event was a party co-sponsored with FEP (La Federaci—n de Estudiantes Puertorrique–os) in celebration of Puerto Rican Cultural Week. It took place on November 17, 1989, and was titled "Sweat Your Stress Off Jam '89".

The Zeta Chapter Hermanos made history on November 5, 1989, by founding the first chapter of a Latino Greek-letter organization in New England. Since the founding of the Zeta Chapter, La Fraternidad has added other key New England schools to its roster, including URI, Yale, Harvard, Wesleyan, M.I.T., Tufts, Providence College, Dartmouth College, UMASS Amherst, Johnson & Wales, and Rhode Island College. The Zeta Chapter has been to proud to have participated in, and been an integral part of, the founding of almost every one of those chapters. The Zeta Chapter has had an active hand in increasing the number of prestigious schools and active chapters in the fraternity roster, and it is with great pride that the Zeta Chapter maintains close relations which each of the New England Regional Chapters, and an active part in the fraternity National Council and Board of Trustees. In the past, several Zeta alumni have participated in guiding the development and growth of the fraternity through our National Council and Board of Trustees, while the Zeta Chapter remains a key chapter in the New England Region.

Currently with a roster of four undergraduate Hermanos at Brown, one undergraduate at Providence College, one undergraduate at Johnson & Wales, and two undergraduates at Rhode Island College, and with the resources and support of the Mu and Gamma Delta Chapters, the Hermanos of the Zeta Chapter seek nothing more than to bring a greater awareness of Latino issues and concerns to the Brown, Providence College, Johnson & Wales, and Rhode Island College communities, and to foster a cohesive and supportive environment for Latinos at Brown, Providence College, Johnson & Wales, and Rhode Island College.

UPHOLDING THE LEGACY