Lambda Theta Nu

Lambda Theta Nu is a Latina-based Greek letter intercollegiate sorority founded in 1986 at California State University, Chico.

WWW lambdathetanu.org

History

Formation

Eighteen Latina students at California State University, Chico banded together during what they termed "a time of social struggles for Latinos, particularly those seeking higher education", forming a new sorority on which they named Lambda Theta Nu.
The sorority explains that the Founders surpassed the status quo for Latinas of the day by attending college; finding strength in numbers they realized that by coming together they could create a support system of helpful, friendly faces and hone a united voice to be heard, respected and recognized on its merits.

Founding Mothers

Early advocacy for the advancement of Latino and other minority communities remains a central part of the motivation of the sorority.

Purpose

The purpose of Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc. was set forth at its founding. ''" shall be to open doors of opportunity to the Latinas in our community. The primary focus is academic excellence and meeting the needs of Latina women in higher education. Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc. also promotes the advancement of Latinas through various campus activities and community services, and provides an environment for personal growth within a unit of sisterhood. Lambda Theta Nu Sorority Inc.'s priorities, however, will be placed on academic excellence and community service."''

Ongoing growth

Lambda Theta Nu has established 44 chapters since it began. Members are chosen on the basis of academic achievement Along with academics, philanthropy and service are woven into its programming.
Lambda Theta Nu members regularly perform step dances with machetes. "Strolling" or "Party Walking" is another widely enjoyed event, performed in unison to rhythmic beats; the sorority competes for the best step and stroll performances in competitions nationally. The sorority claims it was first introduced to step dancing by Delta Sigma Theta, an historically African-American sorority, in 1987.
The sorority maintains a national alumnae association, the National Association of Lambda Alumnae.
In 1998 the sorority was a founding member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.

Symbols

The sorority's colors are silver, burgundy, and white. Its symbol is the rose.

Philanthropy

The sorority's Tijeras National Community Service Program has been a focus of philanthropy since Lambda Theta Nu was formed. Tijeras addresses the Latino communities educational needs by focusing in the areas of Latino leadership and Latino literacy. The National community service program has two components, academic excellence and community service represented by Latina Youth Leadership Conference and Latino Literacy Fund.

Lambda Scholarship

One of the main goals of Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc. is to encourage and assist Latinas in the advancement of higher education, dedication to community service, and to provide an environment for personal growth within a unit of sisterhood. The organization does not only focus on its active members, but in the overall Latino community. In order to further their interest in helping out the Latino community, as a national organization Lambda Theta Nu Sorority Inc., has established a National Latina Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is designed with the goal of assisting young high school women pursue their own educational goals. Annually, every chapter awards a scholarship to applicants in their respective community.
In 2020 the sorority announced it was offering $40,000 in scholarship grants to support ten Latina applicants, regardless of membership status in the sorority.

Chapters

Following is a list of Lambda Theta Nu chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive or dormant chapters are in italics.

Chapter	Charter date and range	Institution	Location	Status
Alpha		California State University, Chico	Chico, California	Active
Beta		Colorado State University	Fort Collins, Colorado	Active
Gamma		California State University, Fresno	Fresno, California	Active
Delta		University of California, Berkeley	Berkeley, California	Active
Epsilon		University of California, Davis	Davis, California	Active
Zeta		California State University, Sacramento	Sacramento, California	Active
Eta		Metropolitan State University of Denver	Denver, Colorado	Active
Theta		California State University, Northridge	Los Angeles, California,	Active
Iota		University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles, California	Active
Kappa		University of Northern Colorado	Greeley, Colorado	Active
Lambda		Reserved		Memorial
Mu		University of California, Riverside	Riverside, California	Active
Nu		University of California, Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara, California	Active
Xi		University of California, San Diego	San Diego, California	Active
Omicron		University of Nebraska Omaha	Omaha, Nebraska	Active
Pi		California State University, Los Angeles	Los Angeles, California	Active
Rho		Our Lady of the Lake University	San Antonio, Texas	Dormant
Sigma		University of California, Irvine	Irvine, California	Active
Tau		University of Southern California	Los Angeles, California	Active
Upsilon		Sonoma State University	Rohnert Park, California	Active
Phi		University of Texas at El Paso	El Paso, Texas	Active
Chi		Stanford University	Stanford, California	Active
Psi		Creighton University	Omaha, Nebraska	Active
Omega		California State University, Monterey Bay	Monterey County, California	Active
Alpha Beta		University of Nebraska at Kearney	Kearney, Nebraska	Active
Alpha Gamma		University of Nebraska–Lincoln	Lincoln, Nebraska	Active
Alpha Delta		Loyola Marymount University	Los Angeles, California	Active
Alpha Epsilon		Iowa State University	Ames, Iowa	Active
Alpha Zeta		University of San Francisco	San Francisco, California	Active
Alpha Eta		San Francisco State University	San Francisco, California	Active
Alpha Theta		San Jose State University	San Jose, California	Active
Alpha Iota		University of Nevada, Las Vegas	Paradise, Nevada	Active
Alpha Kappa		California State University, San Bernardino	San Bernardino, California	Active
Alpha Lambda		Arizona State University	Tempe, Arizona	Active
Alpha Mu		Western Illinois University	Macomb, Illinois	Active
Alpha Nu		St. John's University	Queens, New York City, New York	Active
Alpha Xi		Kansas State University	Manhattan, Kansas	Active
Alpha Omicron		Colorado State University Pueblo	Pueblo, Colorado	Active
Alpha Pi		University of California, Merced	Merced, California	Active
Alpha Rho		California State University, Dominguez Hills	Carson, California	Active
Alpha Sigma		University of Colorado Boulder	Boulder, Colorado	Active
Alpha Tau		California State University, East Bay	Hayward, California	Active
Alpha Upsilon		University of Iowa	Iowa City, Iowa	Active
Alpha Phi		California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo, California	Active
Alpha Chi		Kent State University	Kent, Ohio	Active
Alpha Psi		Pepperdine University	Malibu, California	Active