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THE STORY OF LUL
As told by founding father Hermano Hernando Londoño
In the fantasy land that it sometimes seemed like up at Cornell University (especially for a Latino from New York City), in the summer of 1981, an idea was born. It was an idea that would take a life of its own. A conversation was started by a group of Latinos on campus that summer brought up the fact that there was a need for a Latino fraternity at Cornell. At the time, there was little choice for Latinos who wanted to join a fraternity; you either joined a traditionally white fraternity or a traditionally black one. This group of Latinos began not only to talk about the idea of creating a Latino fraternity but to take some steps towards building one. From that summer conversation sprung informal meetings to discuss the idea.
I was working as a Peer Counselor for the minority Summer Program at the time. Everyone agreed that there was a need for brotherhood and unity as well as a need for more cultural expression and exchange of ideas between Latinos at Cornell, but very few were willing to commit to more than words. We all wanted this new fraternity to not be a typical fraternity – less Animal House and more one of true Latino Unity and Culture and academic excellence. We wanted this new fraternity to shine for its Latino pride and represent all that is good in our people and culture.
That following semester (Fall 1981) the work began on organizing the Latino fraternity. The organizing was slow. Most people indicated an interest in the mission, but few committed themselves. The first few meetings were attended by only a handful of people. After the fourth meeting, the core group had expanded. A club, La Unidad Latina was registered with the university on 9/15/81, with me as President. The intent was to register first as a club and then officially become a fraternity. After much work at recruiting people, the fraternity started to gain form. From approximately 30 interested men, La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity was formed with 13 members:
The Founding Fathers of La Unidad Latina are:
1. Hermano William Barba – Senior Pre-Medicine
2. Hermano Dennis DeJesus – Sophomore Pre-Medicine
3. Hermano Hernando Londoño – Sophomore Engineering
4. Hermano Jesse Luis – Sophomore Engineering
5. Hermano Samuel Ramos – Senior Engineering
6. Hermano Tomas Rincon – Sophomore Engineering
7. Hermano Edwin Rivera – Junior Engineering
8. Hermano Mario Rivera – Junior Engineering
9. Hermano Victor Rodriguez – Senior Economics
10. Hermano Victor Silva – Sophomore Pre-Medicine
11. Hermano Jose Torres – Junior Pre-Medicine
12. Hermano Henry Villareal – Faculty Advisor
13. Hermano Jim Ziebell – Cornell Administrator
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*Honorary Founder: Hermano Angel Montañez - Que en Paz Descanse
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It was very tough to get engineers and pre-med students to give up any of their free time, but in spite of this, we marched forward. The fraternity was finally registered as an official fraternity with the university at the beginning of the second semester, January 1982. On Friday, February 19th, 1982, an initiation ceremony was held at Henry Villareal’s (our faculty advisor) home, and we became the Founding Fathers (Los Fundadores) of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity. La Fraternidad uses February 19, 1982, as the founding date because it was at this ceremony, that the group formally took their oaths and became Hermanos of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.
