Associate members of Alpha Psi Lambda in the quad. Photo courtesy of Alpha Psi Lamdbda’s Instagram.
By Klarke Stricklen
Junior Editor
This past March, Dean Marichal Gentry announced through the Spring Break Edition of Inside the Gates, a newsletter provided by the Division of Student Life, that Alpha Psi Lambda would become Sewanee’s newest fraternity. Alpha Psi Lambda is a national fraternity that was founded in 1985 and serves as a coeducational organization.
The fraternity is widely known for its mission of aiding Latino and Hispanic students across 33 college campuses as well as providing learning spaces for those of other ethnicities. The organization holds itself as a membership that advocates for “Familia, Culture, Academics, Service and Leadership.”
The newest chapter has a total of six associate members along with their advisor, Dr. Manuel A. Chinchilla. The Purple had a chance to speak with a few members on the importance of the organization while they advertised for a raffle to support their upcoming “La Fiesta” on April 26.
“We don’t have any coeducational fraternities here or any Latinx-based ones. I think it’s important to bring Alpha Psi Lambda here,” said Marc Monteil (C’22). “It’s an opportunity to not only allow others to have a safe space within their own culture but to also foster safe spaces for others to learn about it as well.”
“A lot of students come to Sewanee and are disappointed to find out that there are not many P.O.C. Greek organizations,” said Edgar Huerta (C’21). “However, we want to change that for the future of non-white students who come on the Mountain.”
The new associate members hope to create a variety of events that not only cater to student organizations but also to other Greek organizations.
“We want to do collaborations with other Greek organizations so that we create a sense of inclusivity to everyone,” said Huerta. “A lot of our events and activities will revolve around the Hispanic culture, so everyone should be prepared to learn and experience something new.”
The chapter hopes to not only foster strong relationships within the surrounding community, but to also participate in relationships on a national scale. The fraternity is the first coeducational and Latinx-based fraternity in Sewanee’s history. They hope to bring a twist to Sewanee’s Greek system and provide more options for incoming students.