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"A Decade of Pride, a Future of Promise," is the creed of the Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority based on the University of Rhode Island and Brown University campuses as it celebrates Raices week, a part of National Latino History Month, and the 10-year anniversary of its national sisterhood. The sorority chapter, which was established at Brown University 1991, and later expanded to include the University of Rhode Island in 1993, is hosting a series of activities for the week. On Tuesday, the sorority presented a poster session in the Memorial Union for URI Diversity Week. One side of the poster, titled, "A Decade of Pride," featured successful Latina women, and the other side, entitled, "A Future of Promise," highlighted successful high school students, and members of the sorority. "The poster session went very well. We received a lot of positive comments," said sorority member Lillian Vasquez. The sorority focuses on community service, and highlighting the achievements of women and Latino culture. "It's two-fold, uniting women and the community," said member Melba Depeña. Depeña and Vasquez also pointed out that the sorority does not hold a typical "rush" process. Instead, they hold an Informal Tea and then a Formal Tea to explain what is expected of new pledges. The sorority does not expect a large number of pledges, but rather seeks out a smaller, more select group to fulfill the responsibilities of being a member of Sigma Lambda Upsilon. The sorority strives for academic excellence and performs community service on and off-campus, according to Vasquez. Although this is not for all students, the sorority feels it has earned a good reputation with university administrators through the hard work its members put in. "The sorority is well received because of our hard work and dedication. We are all respected by the administration," said Depeña. "Some people wonder about us when they see us walking in line and in uniforms because they don't understand," she added of the sorority's pledges, known as Damas. On Wednesday night, the sorority hosted "La Esquina Latina: Exclusivo Para Mujeres," a discussion exclusively for women, in the lounge of Dorr Residence Hall. Women who attended the discussion will be invited back for future monthly discussions. Other Raices week activities include: "A Step Toward Your Future," an informal session for high school students about college at the Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE) headquarters in Providence. On Friday the sorority will take part in "Unity Day," at the Third World Center at Brown. This weekend the sorority will take on more community service projects with the "Community Plunge," at URI on Saturday, and the Breast Cancer Walk at India Point Park on Sunday. The Señoritas Latinas Unidas are just one example of several unique and positive groups working for the betterment of the community at URI. As they celebrate an important week in their history, they are doing more than just introducing themselves to the community, they are also working to make it better. |
