Multicultural fraternity Alpha Psi Lambda chapter established at UR

The University of Richmond recently welcomed Alpha Psi Lambda, a co-ed Latinx organization, as the newest multicultural fraternity on campus.

Alpha Psi Lambda is the nation's first and largest co-ed Latino fraternity first formed at Ohio State University in 1985. It has since expanded to 20 states and has over 4,500 members, according to its website.

The fraternity was founded on the principles of Familia, Culture, Academics, Service, and Leadership, which the inaugural members hope to share with the university. As a multicultural fraternity, the aim is to foster a sense of belonging for students of all cultures.

“It’s important to find spaces for students of different backgrounds to have that home away from home, especially one that honors their cultural heritage,” Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Hunter Bonton said. 

The idea to bring this fraternity to campus began in January 2024. Recognizing the growing Latino population at UR, sophomore Emerson De Leon Alvarez saw an opportunity to charter an Alpha Psi Lambda chapter to bolster a sense of community among Latinx students.

“Last spring semester it was really just about can we actually start this? What do our demographics look like? Who would be interested in joining? How would recruitment look?” De Leon Alvarez said.

After months of exhaustive meetings and extensive preparation, the possibility of the fraternity started to become a reality.

The UR chapter founding line attended informational meetings with the Associate Member Educator Ashley Agron, who has been a member of the fraternity since 2006 and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for The National Foundation of Alpha Psi Lambda. Agron helped the line prepare and served as the host for the probate ceremony which is a formal presentation of new members. 

“I’m kind of like their teacher, guiding them through the process,” said Agron. 

The founding line of Alpha Psi Lambda was finally unveiled during a probate ceremony, where they shared the history of the fraternity, introduced themselves individually, and performed a stroll for the audience.

Strolling, a cultural tradition of Black sororities and fraternities, holds significant meaning. The stroll is a choreographed dance that showcases style and culture through synchronized movements. For Alpha Psi Lambda, it was crucial to distinguish their version of the stroll by avoiding elements like stepping, instead creating something unique that honored their own identity and traditions.

“We wanted to do it in a respectful way that is original. We want to be a part of it but not infringe on it so it took a lot of collaborating,” sophomore line member Brian Botero said.

Apart from the stroll, the line had to memorize a wide range of material, including the Greek alphabet, the names of founding members, the names of the Divine 9 which are historically black Greek-letter organizations, and more, which they recited in unison for the audience filled with family, members of other Greek organizations on campus, and friends.

Sophomore line member Leyla Ussery outlined how the group went about preparing the extensive memorization for the ceremony. For them, preparation was less of a task and more of an opportunity to get closer and find enjoyment in establishing something new together, she said. 

“We did our educator meetings where we would learn all of the information and we’d have weekly quizzes to make sure we knew the information. We would spend time outside practicing, getting together, running the script and it was honestly a lot of fun,” Ussery said.

Probate came to a conclusion with the stroll to songs “Frikitona”: by Plan B and “Pégate” by Standly with the founding line members feeding off of the excitement from the crowd.

Looking to the future, the fraternity members are ready to establish their chapter and affirm their place in Greek life culture at UR. 

“We’re here to stay and we’re here to build a legacy,” De Leon Alvarez said.

Contact writer Jessica Khan at jessica.khan@richmond.edu.