| Phi Lambda Alpha | |
| Letters: | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΛΑ |
| Crest: | Flacrest.png |
| Birthplace: | New York City, New York, US |
| Affiliation: | Independent |
| Status: | Merged |
| Successor: | Phi Iota Alpha |
| Type: | Social |
| Emphasis: | Latino |
| Scope: | North America |
| Publication: | Boletin de Fi Lambda Alfa |
| Chapters: | 7 |
| Motto: | Semper Parati Semper Juncti |
| Country: | United States |
Phi Lambda Alpha (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΛΑ) was the first Latin American–based Greek lettered collegiate fraternity in the Western United States. It was established in 1921.[1] It merged to form Phi Iota Alpha in 1931.
Phi Lambda Alpha fraternity was a local fraternity established in 1919 at the University of California, Berkeley. It established communications with Pi Delta Phi, established in 1916 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Later, they included a non-Greek letter secret society, the Union Hispano Americana, established at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1898. The three organizations merged, adopting the name of Phi Lambda Alpha Fraternity, with Pi Delta Phi's distinctive emblem and constitution and the goals and motto of Union Hispano American, This new union formalized on June 19, 1921, in New York City, New York.[2]
After Phi Lambda Alpha was organized, other societies joined as new chapters. The Club Latino-Americano founded in 1919 at Colorado School of Mines became the Delta chapter in 1927. The Federación Latino-Americana founded in 1926 at Columbia University joined in 1928 as the Epsilon chapter. The Club Hispania founded in 1929 at Cornell University, joined in 1931 as the Zeta chapter. The Club Hispano-Americano founded in 1921 of Tri-State College joined in 1929 as the Eta chapter. In addition, the Alfa Tenoxtitlan Militant chapter was established in 1929 by alumni of Phi Lambda Alpha in Mexico.[3]
On December 26, 1931, Phi Lambda Alpha merged with Sigma Iota fraternity to form Phi Iota Alpha.
Phi Lambda Alpha's motto was Semper Parati Semper Juncti. Its annual publication was Boletin de Fi Lambda Alfa.
Following are the chapters of Phi Lambda Alpha.[4]
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | – December 26, 1931 | Troy, New York | Merged (ΦΙΑ) | |||
| Beta | – December 26, 1931 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Merged (ΦΙΑ) | |||
| Gamma | – December 26, 1931 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California | Merged (ΦΙΑ) | ||
| Delta | 1927–1931 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, Colorado | Inactive | ||
| Epsilon | 1928 – December 26, 1931 | Columbia University | New York City, New York | Merged (ΦΙΑ) | ||
| Zeta | 1929 – December 26, 1931 | Cornell University | Ithaca, New York | Merged (ΦΙΑ) | ||
| Eta | 1931 – December 26, 1931 | Tri-State College | Angola, Indiana | Marged (ΦΙΑ) | ||
| Alfa Tenoxtitlan Militant | 1929–1931 ? | Mexico | Inactive |