The first University of Denver chapter of the Pi Lambda Chi Latina sorority has started with the initiation of 13 members.

Pi Lambda Chi is the first multicultural Greek organization on campus and president Kimberly Goodwin, a University of Denver senior, stressed the importance of their presence at DU.

“This is a great opportunity to form something for women of color at DU,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin is working with the Office of Greek Affairs in order to create a multicultural Greek Council at DU that the sorority will be able to sit on.

“In our first year, we are paving the way at DU,” Goodwin said, as she believes that a multicultural Greek Council will encourage other similar organizations to emerge.

The sorority was founded at the University of Colorado at Boulder in March of 1994, and has grown to include five chapters, with four in Colorado and one in Rhode Island.

The mission encompasses the various needs of diverse women and focuses on creating a strong sisterhood and an educational support network for women on college campuses.

The sorority focuses on providing a community to women who may need support in a university environment.

“We are a Latina sorority because we generally strive to serve Latinas in higher education,” said Goodwin, but adds that they are open to any woman, regardless of background.

“We are looking for women who are dedicated and share our same values,” she said.

The main commitment of the organization is education and community service.

The women are looking to give back to those communities that may have helped them arrive where they are, and each member is required to fulfill a community service requirement.

Last year, the sorority participated in La Raza, a national event in Denver designed to help students prepare and apply for college.

“Pi Lambda Chi was responsible for three workshops and represented the largest volunteer force,” said vice president Eva Bonilla.

According to the 2003 census, only 11 percent of Hispanics receive a bachelor’s degree, compared to 30 percent of non-Hispanic whites who graduate from college.

Pi Lambda Chi recognizes this and puts education as their number one priority, Bonilla said.

All chapters of the sorority have a 95 percent retention rate, and Goodwin and Bonilla are hoping to keep involvement high at DU.

While the organization is still a small force at Colorado campuses, Goodwin and Bonilla say they are more interested in quality over quantity.

To learn more about Pi Lambda Chi, visit their Web site at http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~latina.