The Traveler

Issue date: 11/26/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Luiz Manjarrez Members of Phi Iota Alpha fraternity pose for a picture after filming a show for UATV. The organization is dedicated to teach its members values and traditions of Latin American countries.

Eight UA students form part of one of the oldest Latino fraternities in existence after the Phi Iota Alpha Latino Fraternity joined the UA Greek community.

Last semester, Phi Iota Alpha was approved for expansion by the organization's expansion director, Claudio Juarez, paving the way for the organization.

Being a member "is a life-long commitment to the Latin American culture involving intellectual development, cultural consciousness, personal growth, personal achievement and social awareness," according to the Phi Iota Alpha Web site.

"Being a Latin American is not a requirement," said Jose Bribiesca, one of the eight members of Phi Iota. "My UA brothers and I have met other brothers whose nationalities range from Vietnamese to Irish, so race is not a factor at all."

"A basis of the brotherhood is love for Latin America, and there is no cultural or racial criteria that says you have to be Latin American to do so," he said.

Members of the organization believe the Latin American community in the U.S. and in other countries need new sources to solve the challenges the community faces, according to the organization's Web site.

Phi Iota Alpha Latino Fraternity was established in 1931.

"The organization is dedicated to developing in its members an awareness of the common values and traditions of the nations of Latin America and to prepare them to become active participants in the process of advancing the social and economic conditions of all Latin Americans," according to its Web site.

UA Phi Iota had its first fundraising recently collecting canned food items for St. Raphael church in Springdale.

"We're still needing to determine the philanthropies we'll decide to work with, but we've decided since last semester that we'd work on education as something to focus on to empower the community," Bribiesca said.

The fraternity "encourages scholarship through the pursuit of undergraduate degrees, advanced degrees, and the attainment of professional credentials that strengthen its individual members," according to its Web site. "It also guides them to craft a new vision that moves beyond the attainment of personal and professional goals, so that they may contribute to the larger good of the community through individual acts and deeds."

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