WSU’s first Chicanx Latinx brotherhood celebrates 30 years

Washington State University's first and only Chicanx Latinx brotherhood, La Hermandad O eMe Te, is hosting a 30^th anniversary reunion on the Pullman campus and the university community is invited to a celebratory dinner on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m., in the Compton Union Building Senior Ballroom. Visit this WSU Alumni Association website to reserve a seat.

WSU Regent Enrique Cerna will moderate a special panel discussion with three of the organization founders during the banquet. One of them, Christiaan Brown, said the anniversary is noteworthy because WSU is the birthplace of O eMe Te, which is rooted in Mexican American (Aztec) culture and philosophy.

"It's a powerful testament to WSU's land-grant mission that an organization like ours was founded at WSU," said Brown, senior vice president of Raffetto Herman Strategic Communication in Seattle.

Dan Welter, director of WSU's Center for Fraternity and Sorority Life, said students often say they can attend WSU because they stand on the shoulders of the students who came before them. This is what O eMe Te is all about. Over the 30 years of its existence, the organization's membership has grown from a few men to 40 strong today - an accomplishment Welter said is nothing short of amazing.

"The work they did at the time to establish a culturally based brotherhood at WSU was innovative, new, and incredibly special," Welter said. "Their graduates have gone on to do incredible things and have left a remarkable legacy that other students have continued to build off of."

A resurgence in the making

O eMe Te is one of 15 culturally based organizations that comprise WSU's Multicultural Greek Council (MGC). Welter said MGC is seeing a resurgence in membership after seeing its numbers drop following the pandemic. For example, in fall 2025, Alpha Theta Tau, an Asian Pacific Islander Desi American men's organization, joined. Other groups have expressed interest in joining in 2026 and 2027.

"A lot of the growth is being driven by students seeking a sense of belonging and purpose at WSU," Welter said. "They are looking for places to connect with each other, while at the same time, be accepted for who they are and maintain their cultural identity."

The connection piece is something that Rafael Pruneda, director of development and alumni relations at WSU Tri-Cities, hears a lot from students joining O eMe Te. Pruneda has advised the group since 2013 and meets with every new member.

"They tell me one of the biggest reasons they joined is the opportunity to be mentored by other students and be part of an on-campus family that can assist them on their WSU journey," Pruneda said. "The strong network they build with the other members and alumni will be with them for the rest of their lives."

Looking to expand its reach

With an eye towards the future, Pruneda said O eMe Te leaders are hoping students at other universities can experience the benefits of the organization. At one time they had helped the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University establish O eMe Te chapters, but those chapters disbanded during the pandemic. Currently, the University of Idaho is the only university, besides WSU, with an active chapter.

Brown believes it is important to expand O eMe Te's reach because it plays a key role in helping its students apply their talents and influence as part of a lifetime of service aimed at strengthening their communities.

"Our alumni are military officers, business owners, city council members, and organizers, as well as fathers, uncles, brothers, and sons within their own families," said Brown. "It's really going to be exciting to see what's next for the organization, our members, and our communities over the next 30 years."

Fraternity and sorority chapter facilities are not owned, operated, nor managed by Washington State University. Each chapter facility and Greek letter organization is controlled by its respective national organization, local chapter and/or housing corporation.