List# 14: Things I Love About ___________________
Because I've been doing a lot of thinking about my sorority lately (I recently got elected to be one of two Colony Directors for a group of 10 girls at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who will potentially be founding sisters of a new chapter), I thought I'd "count the ways" I love Sigma Omega Nu, Latina Interest Sorority, Inc.
- I love why we were founded. SON was the first Latina Interest Sorority founded at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The Founding Mothers felt there was an unmet need on campus--a familial group that would support college women in their pursuits of higher education. Although started as a Latina Interest Sorority because the Latina women who founded the sorority found their "familia" among each other when they were faced with the majority Caucasian student population at Cal Poly, SLO, our membership now encompasses women from every race and countless ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, religions, sexual preference, socio-economic status, etc.
- I love that we are a "young" sorority. For many women in sororities, they know their Founders through black and white photos. All of their traditions have been in place for decades. They are large and widespread. While SON plans to be a large, National sorority in the future, I was initially attracted to the organization because it was so young. When I crossed, there were only four chapters and I could honestly say that I knew EVERY ONE OF MY SISTERS from every chapter. I saw and still see my Founding Mothers on a regular basis. Our National Board is new and going through growing pains, but those of us on the board play a heavy hand in creating and fine-tuning sorority traditions and policies. We are all still young and establishing our personal and occupational lives so we don't have the benefit of large alumni network, but as time goes by--all of these things will come.
- I love that we DON'T have a National Philanthropy. Our Founding Mothers purposefully did not choose a National Philanthropy because they wanted each chapter to have the freedom to choose a philanthropy in their respective communities that would be most beneficial to each chapter's community. While each chapter picks a different organization to work with--local or National, all of our philanthropies serve Latinas/os, women, children, or the elderly
- I love that my active sisters are among the most active and involved students on campus. One of the major reasons I chose to join SON over another sorority is because they were the most "visible" on campus. They were constantly hosting fundraisers, doing community service, holding social events, gathering together in communal areas of campus like the MCC or UU, winning Greek awards, and doing good work on campus. I saw them studying together in the library, hosting the annual Multicultural Greek BBQ, volunteering at Chicano Commencement, co-sponsoring bringing musicians and guest speakers to campus, taking on leadership positions within other organizations on campus like the United Sorority and Fraternity Council, Week of Welcome Planning Committee, or the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, selling tortas or tacos, picking up trash off the side of the 101 freeway, or handing out flyers for their latest party at Tortilla Flats. My sisters are movers and shakers!
- I love our objectives: Academics, Cultura, and Sisterhood. Academics comes first because achieving a degree is the main purpose of going into higher education. We support this objective be requiring weekly study hours for all sisters, adhering to a minimum GPA requirement for active membership, providing opportunities for professional development and supplemental education, honoring sisters who go above and beyond in their academic pursuits, and providing scholarships both to our sisters and to other college aged women who can benefit from financial assistance. Cultura comes second because we were established as a Latina Sorority in the atmosphere of the majority Caucasian Cal Poly campus. And while the word "cultura" is Spanish for culture, we have redefined the word to describe the "SON cultura" that we have created through our mixing of sisters from all walks of life. Sisterhood is the last because we truly think of each other as sisters. We are different from a club because we call each other family to reinforce our commitment to each other. And because we are all women, it is truly a sisterhood. As our Founding Mothers stated: "Together we will live, learn, and celebrate that which unites us as hermanas!"
- I love my sisters. I have found best friend for life in this organization--and most are women I never would have met if I didn't join a sorority. Each of my sisters is unique and special and I value them as family--even those I haven't met yet! And now that we are growing, I can pretty much go anywhere in California or parts of Nevada and have a sister who will "take me in" just like her own family. It's a wonderful feeling.
~LOVE~
