Chi Upsilon Sigma

Chi Upsilon Sigma
ΧΥΣ
Founded	April 29, 1980 Rutgers University
Type	Academic, Cultural, Social
Scope	National
Motto	"Wisdom Through Education"
Colors	Red, Black and Beige
Symbol	Almighty Owl
Flower	Hibiscus
Gem	Emerald
Headquarters	New York, New York, USA
Homepage	www.justbecus.org/

Chi Upsilon Sigma (ΧΥΣ) — official name is Corazones Unidos Siempre (Hearts United Always) — is a Latina oriented Greek letter intercollegiate sorority. Chi Upsilon Sigma was founded on April 29, 1980, at the New Brunswick Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The sorority was officially added to the Rutgers University Greek community on March 11, 1981. Its Founders are seven Latinas.

Chi Upsilon Sigma is a Sisterhood of all ethnicities and heritage whose common calling is a respect for one another and the ideals of their Founding Mothers. These ideals are rooted in individuality, loyalty, pride, Womanhood, and appreciation of all cultures and all its aspects.

The sorority is a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO).

Corazones Unidos Siempre founding mothers (With the guidance of Ramonita Santiago):

• Maricel Rivera
• Sonia Rosa
• Catherine Miranda
• Mariela Freay
• Nancy Collazo
• Maria E. Tejera
• Evelyn Burgos

Overview

We have become an education and service based cultural sorority, ΧΥΣ is a national latin-based sorority. CUS wishes to promote a positive image within the community. The sisters of ΧΥΣ dedicate themselves to the sorority's goals of:

• Promoting a political, educational, cultural and social awareness
• Servicing the community
• Fostering an understanding and appreciation of the Latino culture and maintaining the language binding the Latino people
• Opening strong, cooperative lines of communication within our communities
• Offering women a choice among the minority Greek-Lettered community

Mission statement

"We, the members of, Corazones Unidos Siempre, Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Incorporated, aware of the prejudices and obstacles facing the minority women of our communities dedicate ourselves to improving these conditions and to working towards the betterment of all women. We have unified ourselves through the sisterhood of Corazones Unidos Siempre and by our Founders' Ideals of open communication and community service, as well as the development of political, educational, cultural, and social awareness. We devote ourselves to this challenge, to be achieved through hard work, patience, and the collective effort to educate, as is exemplified in our motto, "Wisdom Through Education."

The Grand Chapter Board (GCB) is the national governing entity that oversees all administrative aspects of the sorority, and is the foremost regulating authority of the organization. The GCB is composed of alumnae who serve as executive board members. These women represent various regions and dedicate themselves to the objectives of the organization and its members. The GCB is also responsible for coordinating and implementing all national events, including:

Sisterhood Conference: A daylong conference consisting of workshops geared towards enhancing our member’s skills in all aspects of the sorority, including personal, academic and professional development.

Annual Convention: A weekend long event hosted by the Grand Chapter Board for our membership, fellow Greeks, family and friends.

Events include but are not limited to:

Sisterhood Bonding The weekend kicks off with a sister’s only event dedicated to reinforcing the bond established as undergraduates. This social gathering is usually hosted by an undergraduate chapter and/or undergraduate sisters, the evening prior to Convention. In the past, this event consisted of fun activities, the exchange of sacred historical stories and traditions including strolling and stepping, tons of picture taking, laughs and memorable moments, all shared over food and music.

Convention Day Convention consists of a full day of workshops, catering to the needs of our membership and the community that are reflective of the organization’s goals and personal ideals of our membership. The goal of Convention is to provide guidance and assistance on everyday life issues including managing finances, home buying, diversity in the workforce, to name a few.

Awards Banquet Our Convention culminates with our annual Awards Banquet. The Banquet is a time of celebration of the birth of our sisterhood, and an opportunity to reflect and rejoice, on the memberships accomplishments throughout the past year. The Grand Chapter Board presents awards at this event to chapters, undergraduates and alumnae, who have gone beyond the call of duty, dedicating themselves to the organization, their community and in their personal pursuit for academic excellence. This is truly the highlight of the weekend.

Summer Picnic: Our annual Summer Picnic brings together sisters, friends and family for a day of pure fun and relaxation. Usually held in a public park, this event includes fun activities for all to enjoy.

Sisterhood Retreat: Sisters come together for a weekend retreat at a secluded location to foster the social aspects of our sorority including empowerment, communication, team and trust building exercises.

Undergraduate Chapters

Alpha Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
Beta Originally NJIT, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Current: Metro Chapter- Bloomfield College and Rutgers University - Newark, Newark, NJ
Gamma Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
Delta The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
Epsilon Rutgers University - Camden Camden, NJ
Zeta St. Peter's College / New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ
Eta Temple University Philadelphia, PA
Theta Kutztown University Kutztown, PA
Iota Bloomsburg University Bloomsburg, PA
Kappa Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
Lambda Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
Mu Philadelphia City Wide Philadelphia, PA
Nu Kean University, Union NJ
Xi University of Delaware Newark, DE
Omicron Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
Pi University of North Texas Denton, TX
Rho Fairleigh Dickinson University Madison / Florham Campus Madison Madison, NJ
Sigma Long Island University - CW Post Brookville, NY
Tau Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT
Upsilon LeMoyne College Syracuse, NY
Phi Texas A&M University College Station, TX
Chi Pennsylvania State University - University Park State College, PA
Psi University of South Carolina Columbia, SC
Omega Reserved for Honorary Sisters
Alpha Alpha West Chester University West Chester, PA
Alpha Beta Rider University, NJ
Alpha Gamma Rollins College Winter Park, FL
Alpha Delta Cornell University, NY
Alpha Epsilon Pennsylvania State University - Abington Abington, PA
Alpha Zeta Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
Alpha Eta Texas Woman's University Denton, TX
Alpha Theta Utica College Utica, NY
Alpha Iota University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
Alpha Kappa Steven's Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ
Alpha Lambda University of North Carolina Charlotte Charlotte, NC
Alpha Mu University of South Florida Tampa, FL
Alpha Nu City College New York City Metropolitan Area
Alpha Xi University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
Alpha Omicron Colony Washington D.C./North Virginia Metropolitan Region
Alpha Pi State University of New York New Paltz New Paltz, NY] Email AP
Alpha Rho University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT
Alpha Sigma Radford University Radford, VA
Alpha Tau Texas State University San Marcos, TX
Alpha Upsilon New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM
Alpha Phi Boston University Boston, MA
Alpha Chi University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
Alpha Psi State University of New York College at Oneonta Oneonta, NY
Beta Alpha University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
Beta BetaUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC
Beta Gamma Johnson and Wales University - Miami, North Miami, FL
Beta Delta George Mason University Fairfax, VA
Beta Epsilon University of Houston Houston, TX
Beta Zeta William Paterson University Paterson, NJ
Beta Eta University of Michigan at Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
Beta Theta Shippensburg University, Shippensburg PA/ Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA
Beta Iota State University of New York Binghamton University Vestal, NY

Graduate Chapters

• Omega Alpha - Philadelphia, PA Graduate Chapter
• Omega Beta - Dallas/Fort Worth Graduate Chapter
• Omega Gamma - North/Central NJ Graduate Chapter
• Omega Delta - New York City Graduate Chapter
• Omega Epsilon - Greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Graduate Chapter
• Omega Zeta - Houston Graduate Chapter
• Omega Eta - Florida Graduate Chapter
• Omega Theta - Lehigh Valley Area, PA Graduate Chapter

National Philanthropy

The "I Have a Dream" Foundation

National Philanthropy: I Have a Dream Foundation The Grand Chapter Board (GCB) of Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Incorporated, voted the I Have a Dream Foundation (IHAD) as our national philanthropy. IHAD This organization shares in our commitment to education by providing children from low-income areas with mentoring and tutoring, in an effort to assist them in reaching their educational and career goals. Through our sponsorship, we provide mentors, conduct awareness events and fundraisers. Our chapters’ exhibit their event coordinating ingenuity by hosting charitable baseball games, pageants and more.

Community service

Chi Upsilon Sigma sisters participate in a gamut of service activities. We have poured our collective heart and energies into services that cater to various demographics including but not limited to women, children, and the community of color. Initiatives include counseling domestic violence victims, educational efforts such as Upward Bound, Adopt-a-Child, Hogar Crear, and an endless string of philanthropic efforts for such causes as AIDS, Cancer, and homelessness relief. Participating in educational initiatives allows us to merge our core values of education and service. We are fortunate to work in conjunction with local schools in at-risk communities, to inspire and encourage young students of color to seek higher education. In some instances, sisters host students at their respective chapters to give them a first hand perspective of the college experience. Partnered with a sister, these students live the full college experience, attending classes, meetings with administration and student life activities.

In addition to local community service events, sisters also dedicate themselves to our annual National Project and Philanthropy; a charity/cause designated annually. Past projects include Census 2000, a nationwide effort to assess the evolving population of the United States, used to account for the disproportionate under-representation of minorities; Promote the Vote, a drive to release Latino political prisoners and Pride, which promotes Latino/a’s in the arts