Royal Chapter of Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity hosted a strolling dance exhibition in Brown Auditorium, Old Main, on Saturday, February 15th, to raise money for HIV and AIDS causes.
The brothers of the Royal Chapter of Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity Incorporated, a culturally based fraternity, hosted the “Stomp Out” event in collaboration with the No Cure No Rest organization and other fraternities and sororities on campus.
Elijah Caceres, the president of the fraternity, explained that there was eight other Greek culturally based organizations performing for the show, plus Ritmo Latino, a non-Greek Latin-based dance club on campus.
The doors opened at 3 pm, and the performances started at 4 pm. Tickets were $3 for members of sororities and fraternities and $5 for General Admission. There was also a raffle for a $50 dollar visa gift card. Prior to the exhibition, Lambda Sigma Upilson’s President stated, “I am excited for this event,” said Caceres. “The organizations will be performing and strolling to songs that they choose, bringing their own vibe to their performances. Expect to see high energy and great music to vibe along to during these performances.”
Caceres also explained that the event was a way of paying homage and respect to their ancestors. “Strolling,” according to the Delta Phi Gama organization, is a “visual representation of the bond that ties together members of an organization in a fashion close to stepping and sometimes even closer to modern dancing. Designed to show off African American culture and African roots, strolling is a longstanding tradition of multicultural Greeks.” Strolling was created in the 1920s by Alpha Kappa Alpha. It represents unity, culture, community, and love.
“Every organization has their own style of strolling. Any organization can stroll, but I decided that I wanted to bring together many organizations to stroll for an even bigger cause,” said Caceres.
No Cure No Rest
No Cure No Rest is a non-profit organization created by one of the members of the Guarionex Chapter at SUNY New Paltz. The organization was created to provide support and assistance to the community and to bring awareness to HIV and AIDS. It provides free HIV/AIDS testing and information about where to get assistance, whether testing positive, or not.
“The National philanthropy of my fraternity is HIV and AIDS Research and Awareness, which is why I have decided to create this event and collaborate with No Cure No Rest, to help their organization continue to impact and support the community and to also bring awareness to the disease,” said Caceres.
Throughout the semester, sororities and fraternities promote events to raise money for many different organizations and causes. Megan Marsala, a junior student at SUNY Cortland majoring in Spanish with a minor in International Studies, and the president of the Intercultural Greek Council, the governing council for all culturally based and multicultural fraternities and sororities represented and recognized on campus, explained that the main goal of all sororities and fraternities at SUNY Cortland is to give back to the community and promote a safe, open and supportive environment to all.
“IGC is a pillar of empowerment, unity and diversity. The main objective of IGC is to promote the positive aspects of Greek Life and maintain a positive relationship between all Greek organizations and others, collaborating for a bigger cause,” said Marsala. “Everyone is welcome, everyone can be part and enjoy the events while supporting a cause.”