Although Latina/o college student enrollment has increased in recent years, many institutions have struggled to increase the retention of Latina/o students. It is imperative for Student Affairs professionals to understand the issues facing this population and develop innovative programs that facilitate the academic success and retention of Latina/o college students. This session will highlight the role of Latina/o Greek Lettered Organizations (LGLOs) contribute to the retention, well-being, and academic success of Latina/o students

1. Latina/o
Students
&
Involvement
Institute
ACPA Las Vegas
Annual Convention
March 5, 2013

2. SESSION #2 - LATINA/O GREEK-
LETTERED ORGANIZATIONS
• Coordinating Presenter
• Dr. Ricardo Montelongo, Director for Student Success,
University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

3. PRESENTERS
Daniel Hernandez, Assistant Director of Fraternity &
Sorority Life, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX
Estee Hernandez, Doctoral Student, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, FL
Joe Palencia, Graduate Student, Loyola University
Chicago, Chicago, IL
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

4. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Gain an understanding of the history and purpose of
Latino/a Greek-Letter Organizations (LGLOs)
• Highlight Latino/a student involvement in LGLOs:
reasons for joining, benefits, and challenges
• Discuss strategies to better support Latino/a Greeks
to improve well-being and retention
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

5. WHY FOCUS ON LGLOS?
• By the year 2050, it is projected that Latinos will number 98 million and thus will constitute one-fourth of the
nation’s total population (Zurita, 2007)
• Ortiz and Hernandez (2011) found that, “the general public’s lack of understanding of Latino culture, in concert
with periodic episodes of political anti immigration sentiment, may also lead to readily accepting stereotypes
of Latinos/Latinas as [undocumented] immigrants and undereducated manual laborers” (p. 93).
• Longerbeam, Sedlacek, and Alatorre (2004) found that, “a welcoming campus environment that provides
opportunities to incorporate Latino culture is an important institutional contribution to lowering Latino student
stress” (p. 541).
• Abrego (2008) stated, “if the campus has not evolved to meet the needs of students of diverse backgrounds,
the student will feel isolated, unwanted, and eventually withdraw from the campus” (p. 87).
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

6. HISTORY OF LATINO/A GREEK MOVEMENT
LGLOs NALFO
• Began with the influx of Latinos in • Began as the Concilio Nacional de
higher education in the 1960s and Hermandades Latinas (CNHL) in the
1970s early 1990s
• Phi Iota Alpha – first significant • National Association of Latino Fraternal
Latino Greek founding Organizations (NALFO) began in 1998
• Was not until the 1970s when the to unite the geographically-spread
movement began to really take organizations
hold • Officially merged in 2001
o Lambda Theta Phi and Lambda o Sole Latin@ Greek Letter Organization
Theta Alpha (Kimbrough, 2003) council by 2003
o Consists of 6 fraternities, 13 sororities,
and 1 co-ed fraternity
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

7. WHY DO STUDENTS JOIN LGLOS?
According to Guardia (2008), “although
many Latino/a college students sought
membership in historically white
fraternities and sororities, they found that
they did not fit the mold of the traditional,
already-established, nationally
recognized fraternities and sororities” (p.
165).
• Legitimacy
• Political issues/change
• Activism
• Hermandad (brotherhood/sisterhood)
• Academic and social support
• Cultural/ethnic empowerment
• Community service
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

8. BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP IN LGLOS
• Provides a family structure on campus (Guardia & Evans,
2008; Miranda & Martin de Figueroa, 2000)
• Serves as a cultural tempering ground (Arminio et al.,
2000)
• Increases satisfaction of college experience (Gilroy,
2008)
• Affirms and supports ethnic identity formation (Guardia,
2007)
• Foster sense of belonging (Hurtado & Carter, 1997)
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

9. CHALLENGES FACING LGLOS
• Smaller chapters in comparison to IFC/NPC
• Values congruence
• Equal support from other Greek-letter organizations
• Lack of alumni support/mentors
• Developing a trusting relationship with LGLO
leadership
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

10. ADVISOR COMPETENCIES
• Know how individual Latino students identify
• Understand ethnic identity development and acculturation
• Strive for cultural empowerment
• Understand and work with differences
• Be sensitive to the underrepresentation of Hispanic faculty
and staff mentors
• Be conscious of own biases
• Be informed about specific cultural values
• Foster leadership
• Involve la familia, community members, alumni
• Actively address racism and oppression
(Delgado-Romero & Hernandez, 2002)
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

11. DISCUSSION
• What are some of the challenges LGLOs face in your home
institutions?
• What are some of the ways you can immediately and directly
improve the Latina/o Greek experience?
• What are some knowledge gaps that you can commit to
proactively addressing post-ACPA?
• Share stories about involvement/advising experience.
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

12. GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK
• Does each officer have a manual and has s/he read it?
• Is the FSL/Stu Act office aware of the budget and how it is utilized?
• Are agendas followed at meetings?
• Who is the staff/faculty advisor, and how often do they meet with him/
her?
• How (well) are events publicized?
• Does the entire membership participate in community service?
• How are new members integrated into chapter activities?
• Are meeting minutes typed and posted?
• Is the chapter budget prepared and followed?
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

13. CONTACT US
• Daniel Hernandez
Daniel.Hernandez2@utdallas.edu
• Estee Hernandez
ehernandez3@fsu.edu
• Joe J. Palencia
joejpalencia@gmail.com
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

14. NEXT SESSIONS
Session #3: Outcomes Associated with Latina/o
Organizations
12:00-1:00 PM Planet Hollywood-Sunset 1
Session #4: Applying Knowledge to Student Affairs
Practice
3:00-4:00 PM Planet Hollywood-Sunset 1
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

15. REFERENCES
• Abrego, S.H. (2008). Recent strategies to increase access and retention. In Valverde, L. A. Latino change
agents in higher education: Shaping a system that works for all (p. 77-92). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Bass.
• Arminio, J. L., Carter, S., Jones, S. E., Kruger, K., Lucas, N., Washington, J., Young, N., & Scott, A.
(2000). Leadership experiences of students of color. NASPA Journal, 37(3), 496-510.
• Delgado-Romero, E.A. & Hernandez, C.A. (2002). Empowering Hispanics students through student
organizations: Competencies for faculties advisors. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 1(2), 144-157.
• Fischer, M.J. (2007). Settling into campus life: Difference by race/ethnicity in college involvement and
outcomes. Journal of Higher Education, 78(2), 125-161.
• Gilroy, M. (2008, February). Latina sorority membership linked to successful college adjustment. The
Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 10, 18-20.
• Guardia, J. R. (2007). Latino/a fraternity-sorority ethnic identity development. The Hispanic Outlook in
Higher Education, 17(24), 72.
• Guardia, J. R., & Evans, N. J. (2008). Factors influencing the ethnic identity development of Latino
fraternity members at a Hispanic serving institution. Journal of College Student Development, 49(3),
163-181.
• Miranda, M. L., & Martin de Figueroa, M. (2000, Summer). Adelante hacia el futuro! (Forward to the
future): Latino/Latina students: Past, present, and future. Perspectives, 6-8. Retrieved from http://
www.nalfo.org/images/stories/news-and-media/latino%20research/Perspectives%20Summer
%202000.pdf
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

16. REFERENCES
• Kimbrough, W. M. (2003). Black Greek 101: The culture, customs, and challenges of Black fraternities
and sororities. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.
• Longerbeam, S. D., Sedlacek, W. E., & Alatorre, H. M. (2004). In their own voices: Latino student
retention. NASPA Journal, 41(3), 538-550.
• Nelson, L. T. F., Bridges, B. K., Morelon-Quainoo, C. L., Williams, J. M., & Holmes, M. S. (2007). African
American and Hispanic student engagement at minority serving and predominantly White institutions.
Journal of College Student Development, 48(1), 39-56.
• Hernandez, J. C. (2002). A qualitative exploration of the first-Year experience of Latino college students.
NASPA Journal, 40, (1), 69-84
• Hernandez, J. C. & Lopez, M. (2007). Leaking pipeline: Issues impacting Latino/a college student
retention. In Seidman, A. (2007). Minority student retention: The best of the Journal of College Student
Retention: Research, theory, & practice (pp. 99-122). Amityville, N.Y: Baywood Pub.
• Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial
climate on Latino college students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70, 324-345.
• Ortiz, A. M. & Hernandez, S. (2011). Latino/Latina college students. In Cuyjet, M. J., Howard
• Hamilton, M. F., & Cooper, D. L. Multiculturalism on campus: Theory, models, and
• practices for understanding diversity and creating inclusion (p.87- 116). Sterling, Va:
• Stylus Pub.
• Reynolds, A. L., Sneva, J. N., & Beehler, G. P. (2010). The influence of racism-related stress on the
academic motivation of Black and Latino/a students. Journal of College Student Development, 51(2),
135-149.
• Torres, V., & Hernandez, E. (2007). The influence of ethnic identity on self-authorship: A longitudinal
study of Latino/a college students. Journal of College Student Development, 48, (5), 558-573.
Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute