The Oregon Latinx Leadership Network awarded Sigma Lambda Beta’s University of Oregon chapter $10,000 to provide students scholarships and care packages, called beta bags, to support UO students during the coronavirus pandemic.
Twelve UO students will each receive $250 in financial aid to spend on whatever they need, and the fraternity used the remaining funds on items for their beta bags, nearly half of which were distributed Dec. 7-9 in front of Noodle Head.
OLLN, a nonprofit network of over 100 Latinx-led organizations that aim to advance equity in Oregon, received $5 million from the Oregon Health Authority’s equity grant to redistribute to organizations in the state through smaller grant opportunities.
Jonah Misner, president of the UO Sigma Lambda Beta chapter, said he applied for an OLLN grant in hopes that Sigma Lambda Beta could use the funds to boost morale and give back to the community.
“With COVID-19, we haven’t been able to do any fundraising, we haven’t been able to do any community service work because we’re not trying to put anybody in danger,” he said.
Anthony Veliz, founder of OLLN, said giving Sigma Lambda Beta funding was a “no brainer” because they were taking a proactive role in supporting students rather than handing out checks.
“One thing that we are committed to is helping the next generation of Latinx leaders of Oregon,” Veliz said. “The investment that we made in the Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity is an investment in those individuals, in their leadership development and their educational experience at UO. We’re really proud of them and the impact that they’re making in the UO community.”
After receiving the grant, Sigma Lambda Beta posted a link to the scholarship application on its Instagram page. While any student could apply, Misner said the application review process would prioritize those who demonstrated the greatest need. He said he anticipated that students who received the scholarship would likely spend it on rent, food, academic fees or tuition.
“It’s not a ton of money, but what would happen if you got $250 right now?” Misner said. “What could you do with that?”
The bulk of the fraternity’s grant funds went toward making 200 reusable purple tote beta bags that contained masks, hand wipes and hand sanitizer, along with other items “students are actually going to use,” according to Misner, including candles, diffusers, lotion, holiday socks, hand warmers and phone chargers. Some bags also contained devices like Google Nests and Amazon Echos, as well as gift cards for Safeway, TJ Maxx and Target.
Isabel Hernández, a UO family and human services student, received a $25 gift card for ARCO gasoline and a 12-foot iPhone charger when she picked up a beta bag with a friend.
“I was elated, I was in shock,” she said. “The fact that they received this $10,000 grant and they decided to do all of this for us as a community, I am beyond grateful.”
Hernández was especially pleased with the “top-quality” Star Wars-themed face mask she received from @patisparlor on Instagram. “It has the little wire, it’s really thick with cloth. I did the candle blowing test; no air comes out,” she said. “They weren’t ugly, cheap masks. They were beautiful.”
Misner said he hoped the beta bags would help “put a positive light on Greek organizations,” referring to recent backlash against some groups.
With relatively low turnout due to rainfall, Misner said the fraternity distributed 80 of its 200 beta bags and plans to hand out the rest after winter break.
