Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Incorporated is a historically Latino based fraternity in the United States, established with a multicultural membership. Founded in 1986 at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa the primary purpose of Sigma Lambda Beta is to promote Latino culture based upon the values of fairness, opportunity, and equality. The four key principles that serve as pillars to this purpose are Brotherhood, Scholarship, Community Service, and Cultural Awareness.
History
Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc. was founded on April 4, 1986, at the University of Iowa by 18 men who saw a need for a Latino fraternity at the predominately non-Hispanic white university. Spearheaded by founder Baltazar Mendoza Madrigal, a member of Phi Beta Sigma, the fraternity established that it will honor the principles of brotherhood, scholarship, community service, and cultural awareness. The fraternity saw a rapid growth in its early years, according to Founding Father Ricardo Zamudio:
The Victor Correa CPR Awareness Day was created in honor of Sigma Lambda Beta brother Victor "Ziggy" Correa Ortiz who died during a drowning accident where none of the bystanders knew how to administer CPR. The fraternity encourages its members to host CPR training and awareness events.
National events
BetaCon
Betacon is a biannual convention held by Sigma Lambda Beta. Past locations for the conference:
Held every other year, Leadership Institute is a 3-day leadership conference where collegiate brothers are guided through a tailored curriculum with the objective to enhance their leadership and organizational skills to better meet the mission of the fraternity.
Education Foundation
In 2001, brothers of the fraternity formed the Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc.’s Educational Foundation as a 5013 tax-exempt organization. The money raised by the Sigma Lambda Beta Education Foundation is used mainly for the purpose of funding educational and leadership development programs for Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc., as well as for scholarships that are made available to undergraduate and graduate student members.
