Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas Inc. held its founding line presentation at the Rhatigan Student Center this week.

The sorority, which was founded at State University of New York at Geneseo in 1992, announced its Chi chapter at Wichita State recently. There are 22 chapters of the sorority nationwide, including the new chapter at WSU.

The chapters of Lambda Pi Upsilon have predominantly been located on the east coast, with the WSU chapter being the first Lambda Pi Upsilon chapter ever headquartered in the state of Kansas.

Lambda Pi Upsilon introduced 11 of its new members to the WSU community at a ceremony Monday night. The Greek organization boasts of being one of only two Latina-oriented sororities on campus.

The new members performed chants and musical numbers during an hour-long ceremony to the cheering of WSU students and Greek community members in attendance. Parts of the ceremony included the sorority members speaking Spanish for the sacred mottos of the organization. One dominant theme of the event was female leadership and empowerment.

After the newly-initiated members finished their rituals, they proudly unveiled, under the black jackets they wore during the performance, the letters of the sorority to a loud applause of the crowd. At the conclusion of the event, the Lambda Pi Upsilon members were greeted by family, friends, and supportive Greek students as an official welcoming to the Greek community of WSU.

The motto of the sorority is “con amor, dignidad, y orgullo,” meaning “with love dignity and pride.” As an organization, part of the sorority’s mission is to “help the underprivileged members of the American society” and to “change, challenge, and improve our society’s defects,” according to the sorority’s website.