Sigma Pi Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΣΠΑ) is a Chicana/Latina-based, Greek letter, intercollegiate sorority founded on 1996 at the University of California, Berkeley.
The sorority is not part of the Greek Panhellenic System. They are a non-profit grassroots organization and do not affiliate with any National Fraternity and Sorority Councils. They are an established sisterhood governed by their own direct National Council.
The Greek letters were specifically selected by their 9 founding mothers to symbolize their Chicana/Latina heritage by spelling ELLA, meaning she/her in the Spanish language. 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.
There is also the local sorority Sigma Pi Alpha that was founded in 1991 at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. This sorority is not Chicana/Latina based.
Purpose
The letters worn by sisters represent their sisterhood, their commitment to each other, and their goals. Sigma Pi Alpha Sorority, Inc. is a sisterhood of academic and personal support, trust, and understanding. Their top priority is to promote higher education in not just Latina woman but in their communities as a whole.
Goals
1. To enhance Chicana/Latina heritage within the sorority.
2. To be involved within 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 as Chicana/Latina women.
Chapters
Undergraduate Chapters
Undergraduate chapters are present at the following schools[1]
| Chapter | School | Established |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha | University of California, Berkeley | 1996 |
| Beta | University of California, Riverside | 2001 |
| Gamma | University of California, Santa Cruz | 2002 |
| Delta | San Francisco State University | 2003 |
| Epsilon | California State University, San Bernardino | 2003 |
| Zeta | University of California, Davis | 2003 |
| Eta | Sacramento State University | 2004 |
| Theta | Sonoma State University | 2005 |
| Iota | University of California, San Diego | 2007 |
| Kappa | California State University, Los Angeles | 2008 |
| Lambda | San Jose State University | 2010 |
| Mu | Humboldt State University | 2016 |
| Nu | University of California, Irvine | 2016 |
| Sigma | Eternal Chapter | 2003 |