Living the creed: How chapters of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc., contribute to civic engagement

Abstract

<p>National associations such as the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Campus Compact create initiatives that promote service-learning and campus based service programs to improve civic engagement in higher education; they often fail to include Greek-letter organizations, especially Latino Greek-letter organizations, as co-curricular service opportunities. The purpose of this exploratory case study of five chapters of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Inc. (SLB) in the Midwest region of the United States, was to provide an in-depth understanding of chapters’ service experiences and perceptions of benefits. In this qualitative study, a revised version of Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth served as a conceptual framework to illustrate how chapters of SLB contribute to service. Implications for higher education and the Executive Office of SLB are discussed as well as recommendations for future research.</p>