Enrollment numbers courtesy of TU's Office of Institutional Research
As demonstrated by the graph above, enrollment of Latin American students at Towson University began to climb steadily in the 2000s, and was likely boosted in 2012 by the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy as well as the passage of Maryland's DREAM Act.
In 2016, TU leadership reconfirmed support of DACA and DREAM students, even while these policies were under attack by the federal government.
from The Towerlight, October 29, 2012
The Latin American Student Organization started at TU in 1997 and has been active on campus ever since. Special Collections and University Archives holds some records from LASO including meeting minutes. More information from sources like The Towerlight can be found by searching our digital collections.
LASO has sponsored events like Noche Latina as well as speakers who have come to campus to talk about urgent topics such as immigration or farm workers' rights.
In 2006, the Delta Rho Chapter of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. was established at TU.
Just three years later, the Delta Psi chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. was established. In 2012 The Towerlight interviewed co-founder Desiree Hodgson about establishing the group: "We felt there was no other Greek organization on campus, at the time, that really represented who we were as individuals and as educated young women."
And in April 2020, the Beta Mu Chapter of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. was established at TU.
The material held by Special Collections and University Archives has been transferred from departments across campus or donated by individuals. We recognize that due to past practices, we do not have full representation of all voices that have existed on TU's campus.
If you have material that you think would be useful for future researchers interested in understanding Towson University's history, please contact SCUA.
