Phi Iota Alpha (ΦΙΑ), established December 26, 1931, is the oldest Latino fraternity still in existence and works to motivate people, develop leaders, and create innovative ways to unite the Latino community. The organization has roots that stem back to the late 1800s to the first Latino fraternity, and the first Latino student organization in the United States. The brotherhood is composed of undergraduate, graduate, and professional men committed toward the empowerment of the Latino community by providing intensive social and cultural programs and activities geared toward the appreciation, promotion and preservation of Latin American culture.
Membership in Phi Iota Alpha is open to all men regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin who challenge themselves to develop a strong network for the advancement of Latino people. Phi Iota Alpha's membership includes prominent and accomplished educators, politicians, businessmen, and four former presidents of Latin American countries. Phi Iota Alpha utilizes motifs from the Pan-American revolutionary period and uses images and colors depicting the time of Latin American revolutionaries and thinkers to represent the organization.
Phi Iota Alpha was founded at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, New York, in 1898. A group of Latin American students including organized the Union Hispano Americana (UHΑ) as a cultural and intellectual secret society based on the ideology of Pan-Americanism. The immediate goals of the UHA was to provide a cultural environment for students of Latin America and Spain. The UHA is the first association of Latin American students ever founded in the United States. The UHA expanded to several colleges and universities in the United States; however, due to the secrecy imposed upon its members, not many records were kept.
The expansion and growth of the UHA was based on compromise and the ultimate need of similar organizations to unify and become more powerful. In the Northeastern United States, a group of Latin American students decided to organize a cultural and intellectual fraternity; as a result Pi Delta Phi (ΠΔΦ) fraternity was founded at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1916. Shortly after its foundation, Pi Delta Phi initiated a search to expand to other colleges and universities where they became aware of the existence of other similar organizations.
Pi Delta Phi established communications with Phi Lambda Alpha (ΦΛA) fraternity, which had been recently founded in 1919 at the University of California, Berkeley. After some communication, these two organizations realized the existence of a non-Greek letter secret society, the Union Hispano Americana. As a result of intensive correspondence and various interviews, the three organizations merged. In their merger agreement, the three organizations adopted the name of Phi Lambda Alpha fraternity, with the distinctive emblem & constitution of Pi Delta Phi, and the goals & motto of the UHA. This new union was formalized in June 1921, in the City of New York.
Meanwhile, in the Southern United States, another similar organization was under development. In 1904, an organization with similar goals as Phi Lambda Alpha was founded under the name “Sociedad Hispano-Americana” at Louisiana State University. In 1912, this organization changed its name to Sigma Iota (ΣI) and became the first Latin American based fraternity in the United States. Between 1912 and 1925, Sigma Iota expanded rapidly in the United States, South America, and Europe. As a result of this, Sigma Iota became the first international Latin American based fraternity. By 1928, Sigma Iota had lost many of its chapters and therefore sought to stabilize its operations by consolidating its chapters in the United States with a more stationary and well-rooted organization.
Phi Lambda Alpha was seeking to expand throughout the United States and to promote the ideology of Pan Americanism. Sigma Iota Fraternity was in search of revitalizing some of its defunct chapters. Thus both organizations complemented each other and began to work towards the creation of the fraternity now know as Phi Iota Alpha.
The fraternity was incorporated as a national organization on October 28, 1936, under the laws of the State of Louisiana, under the name and title of Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity.
After unification, Phi Iota Alpha expanded nationally as well as internationally. At the international level, the Fraternity sponsored the 1932 convention in New York City with the purpose of forming the Union Latino Americana (ULA). The ULA was a Pan American governing body of Hispanic fraternities which provides the framework for the implementation of Pan-American ideology. The ULA organized Latin America into 22 zones with each of the 21 Latin American countries constituting a zone, and Phi Iota Alpha representing the 22nd zone in the United States. All zones are bonded by the same constitution and internal rules and regulations. By 1937, the ULA had several well-established and functional zones including:
In September 1938, the Phi Sigma Alpha zone decided to separate from the ULA and eventually, to form Phi Sigma Alpha Fraternity of Puerto Rico which exists to this day.
The 1960s were very challenging years for Phi Iota Alpha. The effects of the Vietnam War and the '60s counter-culture created an anti-institutional atmosphere amongst many college students. In addition, this drastically reduced the enrollment of Latin American students in American universities. This in turn hindered potential membership to the organization. As a result, by 1968, after many years of struggle, the only active undergraduate chapters were at LSU, and at RPI. The chapter at RPI became inactive in 1973 with the graduation of its Secretary General. The Secretary General took with him the chapter's official fraternity documents. By 1976, the last active brother from the chapter at LSU graduated, thereby marking the closing of the undergraduate chapter at LSU.
From 1977 to 1983, the Fraternity witnessed a period of inactivity at the undergraduate level. Some efforts were made to re-establish Phi Iota Alpha at the undergraduate level, but these efforts were not successful. Throughout this period, brothers continued to maintain communication, and continued to accomplish the mission of the organization. The history, ideals and goals of the Fraternity never diminished; they simply did not have active undergraduate members to cultivate them. Phi Iota Alpha continued to exist with the many Alumni members, and chapters as they continued to develop their professional lives mostly in Latin American countries and in the United States.
Phi Iota Alpha declared 2006 and 2007 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. Preparations consisted of nationwide activities and events, including the commissioning of intellectual and scholarly works, presentation of exhibits, lectures, artwork and musical expositions, the production of video presentations. The 75th Anniversary Celebration was launched with a pilgrimage to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on October 13, 2006, and culminated with the Demisesquicentennial Anniversary Convention on the weekend of July 27 to July 29, 2007, in New York City.
Established in 2004, the Union Foundation is the Fraternity's philanthropic arm. The foundation is an initiative designed to impact the lives of Latino communities in the areas of education, economic development, and social progress. The Union Foundation is a private, charitable non-profit organization. The Foundation was created in order to:
The fraternity maintains dual membership in the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) and the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC).
NALFO is composed of 23 Latino Greek-letter sororities and fraternities, of which Phi Iota Alpha is the oldest member. The association promotes and fosters positive interfraternal relations, communication, and development of all Latino fraternal organizations through mutual respect, leadership, honesty, professionalism and education.
The NIC serves to advocate the needs of its member fraternities through enrichment of the fraternity experience; advancement and growth of the fraternity community; and enhancement of the educational mission of the host institutions.
Phi Iota Alpha is also a member of the NIC Latino Fraternal Caucus. One of the only four Latino fraternities that are part of the NIC. Prior to joining NALFO, Phi Iota Alpha was a member of the Concilio Nacional de Hermandades Latinas.
The fraternity instills in its members a Global Latino perspective. This is an orientation that transcends the existing national boundaries that have separated Latin America. It builds on the spirit and traditions of Pan-Americanism, and supports and promotes actions leading to an eventual unification of all the countries of Latin America.
Phi Iota Alpha chose to use Pan-American symbolism as more representative of the goals and ideals of the organization. Phi Iota Alpha utilizes motifs from the Pan-American revolutionary period and uses images and colors depicting the time of Latin American revolutionaries and thinkers to represent the organization. This is in contrast to most other Latino fraternities that traditionally echo themes from the Pre-Columbian period of Latin American history. Phi Iota Alpha's constant reference to Pan-American ideals in hymns and poems are further examples of Phi Iota Alpha's mission to imbue with a Pan-American cultural perspective.
The badge is the most prominent symbol of membership. The Official Badge of the Fraternity is a gold pin in the shape of a Roman fasces topped with a double-edged ax and crowned in the superior of the fasces of six stars, each star with an argent pearl at its center. The fasces are held together by two ropes in gold that tie the fasces at the top and at the bottom and in which the middle is tied in the form of an x-shaped cross. In the middle of the fasces, above the ropes lies an argent riband in which engraved to it are the Greek Letters Phi Iota Alpha. The badge dies at the bottom with a golden sphere that culminates the fasces.
The official flag consists of three bands in or, azure, and gules of equal height. The Greek letters ΦΙΑ in Or are located on the Azure field at the center outlined with white. The chapter letter is carried on the Gules band sinister in argent. The flag is modeled after the flag of Simón Bolívar's Republic of Gran Colombia. The short-lived republic that consisted of present-day , , , and .