Michael Rotellini
Mrotell1@uwyo.edu
Sigma Lambda Gamma (SLG) may not be the first sorority that comes to your mind when you think Greek life, but they are one of the newest sororities on campus looking to build experience and diversity.
Cecilia Castro, president of SLG at UW, said the SLG chapter at the University of Wyoming was founded in 2005 by ten members and continues to teach the principles of academic, community service, cultural awareness, morals, ethics and social interaction to its members today.
“SLG was founded at the University of Iowa on April 9, 1990 by our 5 Founding Mothers,” Castro said. “We are historically a Latina sorority, but we have become the fastest growing Multicultural Sorority in the country in just 25 years.”
Castro said SLG also works to empower its members and all women to be the best possible person they can be.
“We do this by providing resources as well as hosting and participating in events and workshops which promote our principles as well as emotional intelligence,” Castro said.
The SLG motto is culture is pride, pride is success and according to the SLG national website the chapters live by the principles of Morals & Ethics, Social Interaction, Academics, Community Service and Cultural Awareness.
SLG members try to live by the motto and to incorporate these principles into every part of their everyday life.
Not only do they help their own members reach these high ideals but they help give back to the community through different community service hours and projects and raising money for the local cancer center at Ivinson Memorial hospital.
Samantha Smith, vice president of Program Development, Chapter Operations and Recruitment for SLG, said every fall during Breast Cancer Awareness Month SLG puts together a competition to help raise money for the local cause.
“Each team donates $10 to the center to participate in our water pong tournament where the winner wins a large golden bra,” Smith said. “We are working to make this event better each year and so far we have been quite successful.”
Smith said SLG members are tossing around the idea of having an event in the spring, but the chapter doesn’t have enough details to release the information quite yet.
While breast cancer awareness is one of SLG’s national philanthropies, the chapter focuses on a wide array of other issues as well.
According to the national SLG website, women, children and societal issues serve as a focal point for the programming efforts of SLG active alumni chapters and student chapters. They are tasked with finding local causes that help promote and to better these goals and to make a positive contribution to future generations. Focusing on charitable donations, fundraising and community service to help fulfill this.
SLG is different from the traditional sororities on campus because they don’t have a house on or off campus. They also focus on the multicultural aspect of their sororities creating growth and strength through diversity.
Castro said SLG is a very inclusive sorority and is geared to helping those students with a lot of outside time commitment.
“SLG is a very inclusive, nontraditional sorority, so we do not have a house and that makes us a great option for women who want a support system while they are achieving their higher education but also have commitments to family, jobs and much more,” Castro said. “It is important to us that we support our sisters in every way possible so she can achieve her goals, all while promoting the purpose and principles of Sigma Lambda Gamma.”
As much as there are differences from the traditional sororities there are a lot of similar traits SLG presents along with the traditional sororities. Some of these similarities include friendships, personal growth, a support system and opportunities presented through the organization.
Overall SLG looks to improve its members through the high ideals of its chapter, provide for a nontraditional experience of Greek life and give back to the community through its efforts of philanthropy, community service and dedication.
