| Lambda Pi Upsilon | |
|---|---|
| ΛΠΥ | |
 | |
| Founded | November 6, 1992; 33 years ago (November 6, 1992) SUNY Geneseo |
| Type | Social |
| Affiliation | NALFO |
| Status | Active |
| Emphasis | Latina |
| Scope | National |
| Motto | Con Amor, Dignidad, y Orgullo "With Love, Dignity and Pride" |
| Pillars | Family, Advancement, Education, Motivation, Learning, and Exposure |
| Colors | Red, White, Gold, and Black |
| Flower | Fire and IceRose |
| Jewel | Emerald |
| Mascot | SpottedJaguar |
| Philanthropy | Children and Asthma Awareness |
| Chapters | 24 Collegiate, 8 Graduate |
| Nickname | Lambda Divas, LPiU |
| Headquarters | New York City,New York United States |
| Website | www |
Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc (ΛΠΥ, LPiU), is aLatina oriented nationalsorority founded in 1992 at theState University of New York at Geneseo.[1][2][3] Its founders believed that the problems of womanhood, particularly those of Latinas, needed to be addressed and resolved on campus by seeking unity and cultural identity.[4][5]
The sorority is a member of theNational Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO).[6]
Lambda Pi Upsilon began with six women at the State University of New York at Geneseo who sought to fight and address increasing social issues involving women in their community, particularly Latina women.[4][5] Located on a predominantly caucasian campus, these six women were driven to find a sense of unity and commonality by approaching the ideas of cultural identity and growth of mind.[7][5] They created Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority Inc. on November 6, 1992.[7][5] Referred to as the Six Pillars of Strength or the Founding Mothers, these women were:[7][5]
Lambda Pi Upsilon seeks to "empower initiates to educate others about the fallacy of the negative stereotypes that surround Latinos, to act as a role model, to work for the advancement of women, and to emphasize the importance of higher education."[9]
The sorority is a member of theNational Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO).[6] It is overseen by a national board of directors based in New York City.[10][11] Leaders meet at the Empowerment Conference which is a convention held each January.[12]
The sorority's colors are red, white, gold, and black.[13][14][8] Its mascot is the spotted jaguar and its gemstone is the emerald.[13][14][8] Its flower is the "Fire and Ice" rose, a white rose with red tips.[13][14][8] Members are referred to as Lambda Divas and experience a sisterhood orHermandad.[5][8]
The motto of Lambda Pi Upsilon isCon Amor, Dignidad, y Orgullo or "With Love, Dignity and Pride".[13][14][8][15] The sorority's six founding principles or pillars of strength are family, advancement, education, motivation, learning, and exposure or the acronym F.E.M.A.L.E.[7][5]
Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc. welcomes women who are interested in a young and developing organization who also want to become leaders within their communities. Although the sorority is Latina-based, membership is not exclusive to Latina women.
Members of Lambda Pi Upsilon host numerous annual events for members and other people to attend. The Sisterhood Retreat is a legacy that was started by the founding mothers to help members of the sorority to bond with each other over a weekend of workshops and storytelling each August.[12] The first Sisterhood Retreat was held on August 4–6, 1995 inSUNY Geneseo.
The Emerald Gala is an event hosted in New York City every five years to celebrate the growth and accomplishments of the organization.[12]
Chapters also help with campus celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month.[16][17]
The sorority also has a national performance team, Divalución.[10][2][11]
As an organization, Lambda Pi Upsilon adopted children as its national philanthropy.[14][18] However, with the death of one of their members from asthma, Lambda Pi Upsilon has also focused its attention onasthma awareness as part of their philanthropic work and also partner with theAmerican Lung Association for various awareness activities.[14][18]
At a local level, chapters and members of Lambda Pi Upsilon also participate in other events and support other charities, including theAIDS Walk, autism awareness, Breast Cancer Walk, and theMarch of Dimes.[18]
The undergraduate chapters of Lambda Pi Upsilon:[19]
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | City | State or province | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almighty Alpha (Α) | November 6, 1992 | State University of New York at Geneseo | Geneseo | New York | Active | |
| Beautiful Beta (Β) | November 19, 1994 | Buffalo Region (University of Buffalo andBuffalo State College) | Buffalo | New York | Active | |
| Gorgeous Gamma (Γ) | April 30, 1995 | Rochester Region | Rochester | New York | Active | |
| Divine Delta (Δ) | May 26, 1996 | Columbia University | New York | New York | Active | |
| Elegant Epsilon (Ε) | April 26, 1997 | St. John's University | Queens | New York | Active | |
| Glorious Graduate Zeta (Ζ) | Letter reserved for Graduate/Professional Chapter | N/A | ||||
| Exquisite Eta (Η) | December 27, 1999 | Westchester Region | Westchester | New York | Active | |
| Thunderous Theta (Θ) | May 6, 2000 | University of Connecticut | Storrs | Connecticut | Active | |
| Irresistible Iota (Ι) | April 27, 2003 | New York University | New York | New York | Active | |
| Kataclysmic Kappa (Κ) | January 2, 2005 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | Illinois | Active | |
| Luscious Lambda (Λ) | April 17, 2005 | Syracuse Region | Syracuse | New York | Active | |
| Mesmerizing Mu (Μ) | April 14, 2007 | New York City Metropolitan Region | New York | New York | Active | |
| Neumatic Nu (Ν) | February 27, 2008 | Boston Region (Newbury College,Boston College,Boston University andNortheastern University) | Boston | Massachusetts | Active | |
| Xhilarating Xi (Ξ) | April 4, 2009 | Southern Connecticut State University | New Haven | Connecticut | Active | |
| Outrageous Omicron (Ο) | April 10, 2010 | State University of New York at New Paltz | New Paltz | New York | Active | |
| Perpetual Pi (Π) | Memorial | |||||
| Relentless Rho (Ρ) | May 8, 2011 | Fairleigh Dickinson University Metropolitan Campus | Teaneck | New Jersey | Active | |
| Sensational Sigma (Σ) | May 5, 2013 | University of Bridgeport | Bridgeport | Connecticut | Active | |
| Tremendous Tau (Τ) | December 14, 2013 | New Jersey City University | Jersey City | New Jersey | Active | |
| Unbreakable Upsilon (Υ) | October 31, 2015 | University of New Haven | New Haven | Connecticut | Active | |
| Phenomenal Phi (Φ) | March 31, 2018 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | Plattsburgh | New York | Active | |
| Courageous Chi (Χ) | September 23, 2018 | Wichita State University | Wichita | Kansas | Active | |
| Synergetic Psi (Ψ) | March 16, 2019 | Binghamton University | Binghamton | New York | Active | |
| Omnipotent Omega (Ω) | November 3, 2019 | Pittsburg State University | Pittsburgh | Kansas | Active | |
| Alluring & Ambitious Alpha Alpha (ΑΑ) | March 24, 2019 | Trinity College | Hartford | Connecticut | Active | |
| Audacious & Boundless Alpha Beta (ΑΒ) | November 23, 2025 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst | Massachusetts | Active |
Zeta Regional Graduate Regions[19]
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Area | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeta Alpha (ΖΑ) | December 27, 1999 | New York City Region | Active | |
| Zeta Beta (ΖΒΒ) | December 7, 2002 | New York Upstate Region | Active | |
| Zeta Gamma (ΖΓ) | October 15, 2008 | Florida Region | Inactive | |
| Zeta Delta (ΖΔ) | October 18, 2009 | Connecticut Region | Active | |
| Zeta Epsilon (ΖΕ) | October 18, 2009 | Service Members Division | Inactive | |
| Zeta Zeta (ΖΖ) | November 19, 2010 | Illinois Region | Inactive | |
| Zeta Eta (ΖΗ) | November 19, 2010 | Massachusetts Region | Inactive | |
| Zeta Theta (ΖΘ) | November 19, 2010 | New Jersey Region | Inactive |