If you spend any time in your school routine trudging past Sturm Hall, you probably noticed the sale of sweet Mexican treats on Jan. 16 and 17 out front. The ‘Unstoppable’ Upsilon Gamma Chapter of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc. hosted their 4th Annual Pan Dulce Fundraiser to help finance their 11th Annual R.O.Y.A.L. Leaders Conference and the “Never Let My Brothers Down” Mentorship Program. The sale consisted of the delicious Mexican snack pan dulce, also known as sweet bread, as well as the Mexican-style hot cocoa drink Chocolate Abuelita.
The ‘Unstoppable’ Upsilon Gamma Chapter was created at the University of Denver in the Winter Quarter of 2007. Their mission, as they chose to accept it: to provide resources and cater to the needs of Latino male students at a predominantly white institution. Today, the fraternity chapter is composed of seven dedicated men who commit themselves to the pillars of Brotherhood, Scholarship, Community Service and Cultural Awareness. So what makes them ‘unstoppable,’ you ask? According to their Facebook page, “The true nature of what it means to be an ‘Unstoppable’ Beta man is seen in the character of those men who…live their creed day in and day out, never stopping, never resting until their mission is complete.”
The funds of the brothers’ pan dulce sale go towards the R.O.Y.A.L. Leaders Conference, which stands for Retention of Youth and Latino Leaders, as well as their “Never Let My Brothers Down” Mentorship Program at Rangeview High School in Aurora. The conference, which will be hosted on Feb. 15, welcomes more than 150 students from Denver and Aurora public schools onto DU’s campus for a day of workshops. These workshops are mostly planned and created by the brothers themselves, and they focus on important topics like identity, scholarship, the definition of cultural awareness and the breaking down of masculinity stereotypes. The fraternity chapter also runs mentorship programs to give back to the community on a more day-to-day basis. As senior Jose Bañales described it, “We go to the actual schools themselves for about an hour or two and talk to the students. Some days they just want to talk about their days, and [sometimes we] talk to them about these workshops: scholarship, study abroad, consent and all these other things as well…we cater to them, we have a good time.”
Speaking of catering, the pan dulce was freshly made at La Noria Carniceria Taqueria, an authentic Mexican restaurant on Mississippi Ave. and S. Tejon St. The restaurant has provided their food for other on-campus events as well, such as Taste of Latin America and Dia de los Muertos celebrations in November. The brothers purchased the materials for the cinnamon-y hot chocolate and procured it themselves.
Look out for more events hosted by the ‘Unstoppable’ Upsilon Gamma Chapter of Sigma Lambda Beta throughout the rest of the school year, and you may just get to enjoy even more sweets.
