Nu Sigma Beta Fraternity () is a Puerto Rican fraternity. It was established in 1937 at the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

by students from diverse backgrounds.

History

Among the founding members were: Carlos M. Vidal, Jafet Ramirez Ledesma, Jose Antonio Luiña, Jose Enrique Del Valle, Juan Pedrosa, Luis A. Berrios, Pedro Urbiztondo, Pedro A. Mattei, Ruben Gaztambide Arrillaga, Baltasar Quinones Elias, Edwin Cortes Garcia, among others. These members came together on the Rio Piedras Campus and decided to form their social fraternity based on the principles of appreciation, respect, and tolerance, among other qualities. Believing this, they established a non-profit organization to develop helpful community-oriented citizens, promoting sincere friendship and a sense of brotherhood. Nu Sigma Beta was established with a written constitution. Shortly after it was established, they celebrated their first initiation ceremony. During this ceremony, seven students joined them. The fraternity quickly expanded and grew in numbers. By 1939, the fraternity opened its second chapter at the UPR-Mayaguez, formerly known as CAAM. This chapter became known as the ''Beta chapter'' and the '' San Juan chapter'' became the ''Alpha chapter''. The fraternity has continually grown and expanded to encompass almost all institutions of higher learning within Puerto Rico and some beyond. Today, more than 70 years after its founding, there have been and/or are chapters in the Dominican Republic and the United States. Recently the fraternity organized the reopening of the Nu chapter at the Universidad Central del Este at

San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís is a city and municipality (''municipio'') in the Dominican Republic and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the east region of the country; it is among the 10 largest cities of the Dominican Republic. The ...

There are also chapters in the

University of Puerto Rico at Humacao The University of Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus (UPRH or UPR-Humacao) is a public college in Humacao, Puerto Rico. It is part of the University of Puerto Rico. Its campus is home to the UPRH Astronomical Observatory and the college graduates more m ...

and at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico) is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Docto ...

. The fraternity's need to be organized at a central level, due to its expanding nature, led it to be divided into Zones and chapters. Those still in college are inducted into chapters, while those who are not in college are inducted into zones. Chapter members are transferred into zones upon completing their undergraduate and/or postgraduate studies.

Governance

The fraternity is governed by a presiding or executive committee, composed primarily of the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, General Secretary, and General Treasurer. It also has a separate body acting as the legislative and judicial branches, simultaneously. The Supreme Council is presided over by the Executive Secretary. The governing bodies can only take action based on the rules of the fraternity, but the executive decision relies on the General Assembly, which is composed of zone and chapter delegates. The Constitution may only be amended in General Assembly.

Philanthropy

The fraternity is dedicated to the creation of outstanding citizens in their community. As a result, the fraternity has many community-based programs, such as drug prevention campaigns, charity sports tournaments, and blood drives for local hospitals and the American Red Cross. Members are active in their communities, participating in environmental campaigns like SCUBA Dogs. Nu Sigma Beta also holds an annual golf tournament benefiting Instituto Santa Ana y el Colegio Caliope and her organizations such as Ronald McDonald House, Hogar Niñito Jesus,

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

, and

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

Chapters

Collegiate chapters

These are the collegiate chapters of the Nu Sigma Beta fraternity.

Notes

Alumni chapters

These are the Zones or alumni chapters of the Nu Sigma Beta fraternity.

Notable members

* Helcías Bermudez Colom – president of NBM Corp. *

Rubén Berríos Rubén Ángel Berríos Martínez (born June 21, 1939) is a Puerto Rican politician, international law attorney, writer, and current president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP). A former three-time senator, Berríos is a perennial P ...

– three-time senator, lawyer, and president of the

Puerto Rican Independence Party The Puerto Rican Independence Party ( es, Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) is a social-democratic political party in Puerto Rico that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States. Those who follow the PIP ...

* Luis Alfredo Colon Velanuez – senator 1944 to 1968, municipal judge of

Lares Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ''Lar'') were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an amalgam of these. Lare ...

1943 to 1944 * Rafael Cordero Santiago – mayor of Ponce 1989 to 2004 * José Esteves – journalist with

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by Comcast. It provides content nationally with pr ...

Canal 2 * Pedro Ruben Gaztambide Arrillaga – former mayor of

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

and member of the Constitutional Convention of Puerto Rico * Efraín Rivera Pérez – former member of the

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ( es, Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico) is the highest court of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority to interpret and decide questions of Puerto Rican law. The Court is analogous to one of the state supreme c ...

References

{{Authority control Fraternities and sororities in Puerto Rico Concilio Interfraternitario Puertorriqueño de la Florida Latino fraternities and sororities Student organizations established in 1937 1937 establishments in Puerto Rico