Sigma Pi Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΣΠΑ) is a Chicana/Latina-based, Greek letter, intercollegiate sorority founded in 1996 at the University of California, Berkeley. Although Sigma Pi Alpha is a Chicana Latina organization by tradition, membership is open to all college females. A sister of Sigma Pi Alpha is also known as an ELLA or a Sigma.

Sigma Pi Alpha
ΣΠΑ
Founded1996; 28 years ago (1996)
University of California, Berkeley
TypeSocial
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
EmphasisLatina
ScopeRegional
MottoMujeres Con Cultura, Fuerza y Hermandad
PillarsCommunity Service, Campus Involvement, Culture, Academics, Sisterhood
Colors  Midnight Green,   Pearl,   Onyx, and   Shimmering Gold
FlowerCalla Lily
MascotGolden Bear
Chapters13
NicknameELLA, Sigma
Headquarters, California
United States
Websitewww.sigmapialpha.org/

History

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Sigma Pi Alpha was established in 1996 at the University of California, Berkeley, and has expanded to other locations in California. The sorority is not part of the Greek Panhellenic System. It is a non-profit grassroots organization and does not affiliate with any national fraternity or sorority council. It is governed by its own direct National Council.

Symbols

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The letters worn by sisters represent their sisterhood, their commitment to each other, and their goals. The Greek letters were specifically selected by the sorority's nine founding mothers to symbolize their Chicana/Latina heritage by spelling ELLA, meaning she/her in the Spanish language.

Goals

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1. To enhance Chicana/Latina heritage within the sorority.

2. To be involved within the campus and our communities.

3. To promote higher education in future generations.

4. To address academics, sisterhood, and personal and individual needs.

5. To create a sisterhood in which we can communicate and express ourselves with trust and security.

6. To form a sisterhood where we can receive support and a commitment that will last a lifetime.

7. To follow a code of conduct representative to us as a sorority and Chicana/Latina women.

Chapters

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Undergraduate chapters are present at the following schools. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are indicated in italic.

Chapter Charter date and range Institution Location Status Reference
Alpha 1996 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Active [1]
Beta 2001 University of California, Riverside Riverside, California Active [1]
Gamma 2002 University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California Active [1]
Delta 2003 San Francisco State University San Francisco, California Active [1]
Epsilon 2003 California State University, San Bernardino San Bernardina, California Active [1]
Zeta 2003 University of California, Davis Davis, California Active [1]
Eta 2004 California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, California Active [1]
Theta 2005 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California Active [1]
Iota 2007 University of California, San Diego San Diego, California Active [1]
Kappa 2008 California State University, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Active [1]
Lambda 2010 San Jose State University San Jose, California Active [1]
Mu 2016 California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt Arcadia, California Active [1]
Nu 2016 University of California, Irvine Irvine, California Active [1]
Sigma 2003 Eternal chapter Active [1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (December 3, 2022) Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed January 23, 2023.