UNG Gainesville’s first Greek org: Latina sorority Lambda Theta Alpha

The official crest of Lambda Theta Alpha. (lambdalady.org)

A group of 20 Latina women are on a mission to be heard on the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus. They are striving to create a community of bold, empowered women, and it all begins with a sorority.

Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated, is a Latina sorority that focuses on the empowerment of women and their individual success. If approved by the end of 2018, LTA will be the first to open the door to Greek life at UNG Gainesville.

“The purpose of LTA is focused around the goals of scholarly excellence, political and cultural awareness and community activism,” said Jasmin Severino, LTA’s Southeast recruitment and retention supervisor.

After eight years of failed attempts and obstacles, LTA is set to be established spring 2019.

In order to be eligible to join a sorority or fraternity, a student must be seeking a bachelor’s degree. This posed as an issue in member recruitment for LTA with the higher number of associate degree-seeking students.

“At first, it was really difficult to find students who were getting a bachelor’s degree, since UNG Gainesville has a high number of students looking for an associate degree,” UNG student Diana Vela-Martinez said.

In addition, Vela-Martinez said some of LTA’s critics believed Greek life wouldn’t be popular on a commuter campus. However, students like Vela-Martinez and others identified the need for a sense of community and support among their peers.

“I really struggled with finding my place on this campus. Since it’s a commuter campus, in my opinion, we lack school spirit and cohesiveness,” UNG student Paloma Picazo-Garcia said.

Although they lack a building or housing, the sorority plans on making an impact on campus through community events and festivities. LTA hosts workshops every Wednesday where potential sisters gather to discuss future plans and lean on each other through their own college struggles.

According to LTA’s official website, the sorority believes in embracing and promoting the life of a universal woman.

Several of LTA’s potential sisters believe the stereotypes and narratives about Latina women have been taken out of their control. These young women feel the burden of the pressure to start a family, be domestic or obedient to typical gender roles.

“We want to take ownership back of our narratives and show how we can make the community enhance and grow,” Vela-Martinez said.

The young women involved believe LTA will bring power and support to all women on campus.

“LTA is about embracing a group of women who are trailblazers and fight for community rights,” UNG student Alexa De La Rosa said.