Alpha Pi Sigma Explained

Alpha Pi Sigma Sorority Incorporated (ΑΠΣ) is a multicultural Latina-based sorority founded in 1990 at San Diego State University.^[1] It was created to bring together and support the Latina women but is open to non-Latinas. The sorority has seventeen chapters in five states.

History

Thirteen Latina women established Alpha Pi Sigma on March 10, 1990, at San Diego State University.^[2] They saw the need to unite and support Latina women on university campuses.^[3]

The sorority's founders established six purposes that define the organization. The chapters carry out these purposes, including academic excellence, leadership development, cultural awareness, unity and friendship, empowerment, and community service. However, academic excellence is the sorority's primary value, along with community service.

The sorority is a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) and holds a strict anti-hazing policy.^[4]

Philanthropy

Both active sisters and alumnae are encouraged to raise funds to support the sorority's national philanthropy.^[5] Chapters also select their philanthropies and volunteer in the Latino community.^[6] Some examples of the Alpha Pi Sigma efforts are American Cancer Society, autism awareness, lunch distribution, heart disease awareness, a Tijuana-based orphanage, and Relay for Life.^{[7] [8]}

Chapters

There are seventeen active chapters of Alpha Pi Sigma in the United States, most in California.^[9] Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are indicated in italic.

Chapter	Charter date and range	Institution	Location	Reference
Alpha	March 10, 1990		San Diego, California
Beta	March 1, 1996	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Pomona, California
Gamma	March 4, 2000–20xx		San Luis Obispo, California
Delta	March 5, 2000	University of California, Riverside	Riverside, California
Epsilon	August 5, 2001		San Marcos, California
Zeta	August 26, 2006	California State University, Fresno	Fresno, California
Eta	March 29, 2008	California State University, Northridge	Northridge, Los Angeles, California
Theta	October 11, 2009		San Francisco, California
Iota	July 9, 2010	University of California, Davis	Davis, California
Kappa	August 7, 2010		Santa Clara, California
Lambda	August 20, 2010	University of California, Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara, California
Mu	April 30, 2011	California State University, Stanislaus	Turlock, California
Nu	April 30, 2011		Boise, Idaho
Xi	March 23, 2012	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Urbana, Illinois
Omicron	April 11, 2013	California State University, Sacramento	Sacramento, California
Pi	April 20, 2013		Cheney, Washington
Rho	December 18, 2014		San Diego, California
Sigma	December 8, 2018	University of Nevada, Reno	Reno, Nevada

Further reading

• Book: Torbenson . Craig LaRon . Parks . Gregory . 2009 . Brothers and Sisters: Diversity in College Fraternities and Sororities . Associated University Presse . 114 . 978-0-8386-4194-1.
• Camacho . Graceila Isabel . 2005 . Alpha Pi Sigma, Inc.: Its history, the impact on its members, and as a case study of a Latino Greek organization on the Cal Poly Campus . B.A. . California Polytechnic State University . 62297904.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Panhellenic Recruitment Gets Underway at Stan State. 21 February 2022 . CSU Signal. 11 November 2022.
2. Heidenreich . Linda . 2006-04-01 . Against the Grain: Confronting Hispanic Service Organizations in Times of Increasing Inequalities, 1930 and 2005 . Journal of Latinos and Education . 5 . 2 . 123–137 . 10.1207/s1532771xjle0502_4 . 144741664 . 1534-8431.
3. Web site: Fun Facts & Information . 20 September 2021 . Alpha Pi Sigma.
4. Web site: NALFO History . 2021-09-27 . National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.
5. Web site: Philanthropy . 2021-09-27 . Alpha Pi Sigma . en.
6. Web site: Lozano . Camille . 2014-09-25 . Get Involved: Alpha Pi Sigma . 2021-09-27 . The Daily Aztec.
7. Web site: Arevalo . Stacey . Meet the Latina Sisters at Alpha Pi Sigma . 2022-03-10 . Daily Sundial.
8. Web site: Guzman . Alli . 2017-05-18 . Alpha Pi Sigma . 2021-09-27 . Her Campus . en-US.
9. Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed November 15. 2022.