What's New

The houses that Hispanics built
June 2, 2003

http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/
article/0,1641,CCCT_811_2005518,00.htm

Students founding more Greek groups
By Icess Fernandez Caller-Times

When Desiree Flores started looking for a sorority to join, she wanted something that other sororities couldn't offer her - a chance to bond with people of her own heritage.

She was looking for a tight-knit group that shared her Hispanic background. When she didn't find what she was looking for at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, she went outside the campus to find it.

"I had seen the other sororities on campus," Flores said.

No disrespect, she said, but some didn't value the same things and others seemed more focused on partying than community service. Flores said she was also concerned that the sororities she had looked into were local, not national. So, she decided to start a chapter of a national Hispanic sorority, Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc.

The potential chapter would be the first Hispanic sorority on campus. Flores isn't the only one starting something new. Hispanic fraternities and sororities are in the works for Texas A&M universities in Corpus Christi and Kingsville.

The process can seem arduous, filled with extensive paperwork and fundraising while at the same time providing community service and studying. Despite the long hours of hard work, these full-time Hispanic students say it will be worth it to have something of their own.

They strive to start their own legacy. Students decide to go Hispanic Greek for cultural reasons, said Jeff Vargas, vice chair for the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, the governing board for Hispanic Greek-lettered organizations.

Many Hispanics share common interests and goals, he said.

Flores came across Kappa Delta Chi after visiting her brother at Texas A&M University in College Station. The trip stirred her interest in Hispanic sororities, she said, because she admired the group's core principles of honesty, integrity and leadership. She also admired how close the sisters at other chapters were to one another.

"Why join a sorority if you don't feel comfortable?" Flores said. "I looked into this sorority and I really liked the values and I could see myself in it."

Continuing a legacy is one common goal among most Greeks. That legacy often is in the form of simple traditions such as a particular handshake.

There are similarities between traditional and ethnic Greek groups. Both involve a pledging process to become a sister or a brother. Most are community service-based organizations that encourage academic achievement.

But there are differences, Vargas said.

"We are more focused on our cultural heritage than traditional Greeks," Vargas said. "We have events that showcase our culture. For example, we'll have Sandra Cisneros talking about being a Latina writer and writing about Latina issues."

Cultural events
Sandra Cisneros is a popular Hispanic writer who won acclaim for her book "The House on Mango Street."

Cultural events sponsored by Hispanic Greeks have gained state and local attention. For the past five years, two of the Texas chapters of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity sponsored the Latina Appreciation Conference.

The statewide conference is a series of workshops dealing with Hispanic women's issues, which included Latinas in the law, dealing with machismo - a feeling of male superiority - and a special viewing of "Real Women Have Curves," a movie dealing with the Latina experience in the United States.

Nationally, the Florida chapters of Sigma Lambda Beta started one of the largest Hispanic outdoor festivals in the country. Festival Del Sol, or festival of the sun, attracts the biggest names in Latin American entertainment, including salsa legends Celia Cruz and Tito Puente.

Another difference between traditional Greeks and Hispanic Greeks are the organization's Greek letters.

While only confirmed members of Hispanic Greek organizations are allowed to wear their letters, pledges of traditional Greek houses are allowed to wear the letters before their membership is approved.

"No one else can wear their letters," said Tracy Figg, a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and the vice president of recruitment of the Panhellenic Council at A&M-Corpus Christi. "They go through so much more to get them than what we go through."

Although not a new concept nationally, Hispanic Greek groups are new to Coastal Bend area campuses. Being first often comes with obstacles, said Rosa Zuniga, former adviser to Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority.

Zuniga remembers when Hispanic sororities and fraternities were unheard of.

"I was raised in a time when sorority was a just a word." Zuniga said. "It was something that was out of reach."

One of the barriers was all the paperwork the women had to do, Zuniga said. Paperwork was often scrutinized to the point that it was returned without approval.

"Nobody (existing Greeks) was really excited about it," Zuniga said. "It's been a process and it's still a process."

Another barrier that Hispanic Greeks face is recruiting. Recruiting at A&M-Kingsville is difficult, said D.J. Flores, the advising brother of the Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc., colony. Just like their fellow Hispanic Greeks in Corpus Christi, the traditional Greek system didn't understand their way of doing things.

One example is the way the group recruits, he said. Omega Delta Phi, like other Hispanic Greeks, has rush events and doesn't run them at the same time other groups do. Also Hispanic Greek groups don't pool their rushees with other groups and then pick them out.

"We were told we couldn't do that," D.J. Flores said. "You have to do rush when everyone else does it or after everyone else does it."

Rush events often include a formal presentation, a meet and greet, a sport day and a service event. All rush events are alcohol free, he said.

Finding acceptance
Melissa Licona, a founder of her chapter of LTA, said that at the start of her sorority she had to deal with questions about everything from the meaning of her letters to why she wanted to start a new sorority instead of joining an existing organization.

The campus just wasn't ready for a Hispanic sorority, Licona said.

"A lot of people would ask, 'Why?' " Licona said. "It took a while for people to understand. It was frustrating for four founding sisters."

As for why, she said, "It gives Latino women an opportunity to join something they can relate to. Other sororities have a reputation of being party sororities and I didn't want to be a part of that. I wanted to do something different."

After becoming a chapter, the group finally gained understanding and acceptance.

"We just had Greek Week with them and they are easy to work with," Figg said. "We do work with them and make sure that we respect them."

Building a Hispanic Greek group requires more than determination. To form a group takes one to three years, depending on circumstances and the processes given to interest groups by the national office. There is always a chance that a group won't make it through the process.

Flores' interest group of Kappa Delta Chi has courted the organization for two and a half years.

"I live and die for this organization," said Flores. "This organization is my top priority. It's all worth it at the end. We want our legacy to succeed and not die out when we graduate."

Despite the difficulties, Flores thinks the challenge of forming the new sorority will be worth it.

"It's not something easy," said Flores. "You have to put 110 percent into this. The yearning is there and one day you'll get to the ceremony, they cross you and you earn those letters."

Contact Icess Fernandez at 886-3748 or fernandezi@caller.com