Alpha Zeta (Latin American)

Alpha Zeta (ΑΖ) Fraternity is the first-known fraternity in the United States founded by international Latin American students. Alpha Zeta was founded at Cornell University on January 1, 1890.[1] In the fall of 1889, international Latin American students decided to form a fraternity that would cater to their needs. Since travelling was more of a challenge in 1889–1890, during the winter break, the organization's founders stayed in Ithaca, New York. On New Year's Day in 1890, at a meeting on campus, the founders formed the first Latin American student fraternity in the United States.[2] The organization had students from the Caribbean, Central and South America. The first members came from Nicaragua, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Argentina. Alpha Zeta led a movement of international Latin American fraternities that existed in the early part oft the 20th century before becoming defunct.[2] Psi Alpha Kappa, founded at Lehigh University in the fall of 1900, was the first inter-collegiate Latin American fraternity to be established in the United States.[3] This movement of fraternities that catered to international Latin American students included Phi Chi Delta, Sigma Iota, Phi Lambda Alpha, Lambda Sigma Alpha Fraternity, Phi Beta Mex, Alpha Lambda Mu, Phi Iota Alpha, and many others. These organizations all disappeared from college campuses by the mid-1900s.

Chapter Roll of Alpha Zeta Fraternity.