Fall 2010 edition of El Iluminador

ON THE COVER: Brother Cesar “Alma” Reyes of Tau Alpha - Rutgers University New Brunswick taken by Irving Roman

Ballin’ on a Budget cover photo by josie_marie of flickr.com

HeadquartersSigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Incorporated Executive Office 900 West Penn St North Liberty, IA 52317-9524

1-888-486-BETA

Staff

Editor in Chief Carlos Frevert

Technical/Design Editor Irving Roman

Managing Editor Maximo Anguiano

Content Editor Ricardo Cortez

AuthorsB. Celestino Carreon

Amin Fernandez

Bryan Rojas

Christopher Temblador

Jason Smolka

Strength. Determination. Perseverance.

All qualities sought after by Lambda Beta men.

As you embark on a new academic year, how strong you start will define how strong you finish. How determined you are to do well academically will determine your success. And how you persevere through those long nights of studying for exams and finishing

up papers will be worth it once that last final is done and over with in December.

El Iluminador has also persevered throughout the years. We’re finally getting back to our roots. After a four year absence, we are proud to bring you this printed edition of El Iluminador. We are excited to once again document your stories of strength, determination, and perseverance in a format which will outlast the ages. We hope you enjoy this issue and we encourage your feedback.

We wish you the best of luck throughout this new academic year.

Carlos FrevertEditor-in-Chief

National Website www.sigmalambdabeta.com

El Iluminador Website www.eliluminador.com

Twitter twitter.com/sigmalambdabeta

YouTube youtube.com/sigmalambdabeta

Facebook facebook.com/slb1986

Online

From the editor

All photos are used under a Creative Commons agreement and attributed accordingly. Photos not attributed are either clip art or photos taken by the editors.

Zen & The Art of Strolling pg 6

4 Letter From the President

5 Interview with Fernando Tirado

6 Thoroughbred Training

10 The ABCs of earning A’s and B’s

12 Healthy Living in the Residence

Halls

14 Ballin’ On A Budget - Fresh ‘Til

Death, Even When Dead Broke

16 Zen & The Art of Strolling

18 6 Principles of Effective Recruitment

FEATURES15 The Price of Education

17 Manifestation

CREATIVE

pg 18

pg 6

TABLE OF CONTENTS

fall 2010 • el iluminador • 3

As our Brothers are getting ready to head back to school, I wanted to give some advice from a Brother who works for a uni-versity and sees students make the same mistakes semester after semester. I teach this to my students in class, but many don’t listen until it is too late... So Brothers, here is some free advice from me on how to be successful in college.

Be Prepared - Yeah I know we aren’t Boy Scouts, but man they had that one down... You need to PLAN the semester out and start on the right foot. Have your books for the first day of class, write notes on your syllabus and be organized and prepared with a new folder and sit up front.

Set Your Schedule - I tell my students, set your schedule or your schedule will set you. Make a weekly schedule of when classes are, when you work, when chapter meetings are, and most im-portantly when study time is.... THEN put things in your schedule like xBox, your girl, cleaning your rims, and stroll practice.

Define Your Priorities - What do YOU want to ac-complish this semester? Then review your sched-ule... your schedule should point to your priori-ties. Then, at midterms review your actual weekly schedule and ask yourself, does this schedule look like a person with the priorities I set? Then adjust your schedule accordingly.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Visualize the Success - Without sounding like my college soc-cer coach you have to visualize success. Then I want you to take it up a notch by working backwards from that success. So, you want an A? That means you need an A on the final, that means you need to actually study for the final, that means you should do homework throughout the semester... fol-low those steps and you actu-ally WILL achieve the success you wanted.

Tell Someone - Peer pressure is a powerful force, use it to help you WIN. This is where the Brotherhood hits the pavement and gets to work. Tell one of the Brothers in your chapter what your priorities are this semes-

ter. Whether it is landing an internship, raising grades, doing your grad school applications... whatever it is find a partner to help keep you on task.

As we all know, we are in college for one thing, an education. That education will not only better our life, but better the lives of our family, our com-munity and our world. So please, find success this fall on campus and know that our Brothers are there for you and are pulling for you to suc-ceed. Just remember, PLAN and THEN YOU WILL WIN!

Take care Brothers! Peace.

Step Up Your Gameby Sam Centellas

4 • el iluminador • fall 2010

Amin: First and Foremost, could you please introduce yourself? Fernando: My name is Fernando P. Tirado and I was born and raised in Washington Heights, NYC of parents of Puerto Rican descent. I am one of the Found-ing Brothers for the Pi Chapter at Stony Brook. My line name is “Dedos”, and I was the anchor for my line that crossed on April 4th, 1992

Amin: What did you major in during undergrad? And what kind of extra-curricular activities were you involved in? Fernando: I first attended SUNY Farmingdale from 1988 to 1991, where I obtained my Associate’s de-gree in Biomedical Engineering Tech-nology. I then attended SUNY Stony Brook from 1991 to 1994, where I ob-tained my BA in Political Science with concentrations in Mass Media, West-ern Hemisphere History, and Urban Politics. As an undergrad, I served as the President of SLB, Public Relations Chair for the Latin American Student Organization, Founder and Editor for the University’s first Latino student-based newspaper, interned for the Latin American Cultural Center, served as a resident assistant, co-founded the annual Latin Block Party at Stony Brook, and started my own part-time marketing company, FT Graphics.

Amin: Since graduating from college, what has your career been like, any highlights? Fernando: Initially, my career did not take off after graduating college. I worked several jobs before I landed my first job with the NYC De-partment of Health as a Health Inspec-tor. It was my company that helped me stay afloat to support my wife and son initially. Since then, however, I have 15 years of public service and currently serve as the District Manager for a community board in the Bronx. I put my business on hold after 10 years so that I can focus more on my career and family, but I value tremendously the experience and am considering starting it up in the near future.

I have always put family,

community engagement, and business development as my priorities, although lately local politics and its impact on community planning have become increasingly important to me.

Amin: Could you please speak on your political aspirations? Why state senate? Fernando: I recently at-tempted to get on the ballot for State Senator of the 33rd District, but as of August 1st, my candidacy for that office has ended. While I am disap-pointed from being knocked from the ballot, I am grateful for the experience and come away better equipped for the next time. The NYS legislature and the Senate specifically, is one of the most dysfunctional legislatures in the country. I attempted to run for that po-sition because I wanted to stand up for my community against a government that has forgotten that it is “…of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Amin: During your time as a brother what has Sigma Lambda Beta done for you and Vice Versa? Fernando: While still an undergrad, I began writ-ing and designing the “El Iluminador” newsletter and received the Brother of the Year Award in 1993 for starting this for the brotherhood. After graduating, I worked with several brothers across the nation and we were able to trans-form the newsletter into a national

magazine, of which I served as Editor- in-Chief. I also joined the NY Alumni Association where I serve in various capacities. As part of the AA, we have held several career workshops and network events over the years for brothers in the NYC area.

Amin: How did your involvement with SLB change once you had a family and graduated? Fernando: I am still involved, although in a limited capac-ity, but try to give back whenever I can. I now have three children, one who is a couple of years from going to college, but it hasn’t stopped me from doing my part when I can.

Amin: As a brother who helped make SLB coast to coast, did you ever imag-ine you’d be joining an organization as diverse and grand as it is today? Fernando: I am proud to be part of an organization that has grown “Coast to Coast”, and deep down I knew that it would eventually happened. I saw that when I first met Brothers Bal-tazar Mendoza and Jose Rodriguez when they first exposed our line to the values of the fraternity back in 1991. The fraternity has had its share of suc- cesses and growing pains as with all organizations. I think I was most proud when I went to convention in Detroit in 2008 and saw how well organized and dedicated (and how large!) our broth-erhood has grown.

Amin: Have any anecdotes on how SLB has changed in your opinion over the years. Fernando: No anecdotes so to speak, but just a reminder that we are in this brotherhood for reasons that are bigger than the individuals that comprise it, that it does not end just because you graduate.

Amin: Any advice to the brothers across the nation, both new and veterans? Fernando: That we are supposed to be diligent role models and a light for future generations of brothers and those around us in our community.

by Amin Fernandez


Fernando TiradoInterview with

Tired of looking in the mirror and seeing the same old weak, out of shape body? That’s okay, you don’t have to admit it. Can’t make it to the gym? Yeah, we know (“excuses are tools of the incompetent...”). Or have you tried every workout and still can’t get the results you want? Well enough crying already and do something about it. Thoroughbred training is here to help you achieve your dream body. Discipline is the key to success, in all aspects of your life. You can do anything that your mind allows you to and this training regimen is here to help you. This workout regimen is intended to make you trim fat from your body, become stronger (physically and mentally), and have more self-discipline in your every day life.

In today’s day and age, workout pro-grams are everywhere. Just about everyone who is into fitness has heard about P90X. Americans spend tons of money gym memberships too. But the P90X program isn’t for everyone, nor does everyone have access to fancy workout equipment. Nonetheless, programs like this ac-tually work because they incorporate three basic training rules.

THREE TIPS FOR SUCCESS

You really only need three major tips for success. There is no big secret to getting the body you want. Treat your body right and your body, in turn, will treat you right. Follow these 3 steps and you’ll be okay.

Consistency

You have to work out CONSIS-TENTLY. This means you can’t take any days off, you can’t put limita-tions on your workouts, and you can’t make excuses for not working out. If you want something, go get it. That’s just the way it is. You want the body? Well work for it! And the only way you can actually achieve it, is to exercise consistently. Taking a day off is out of the question. Develop a routine, work out at a certain time of the day (everyday), and keep at it. Have a partner to work out with, that way you all can hold each other accountable to the commitment. Realistically, you should be working out about 5 times per week.

Diet

This is the biggest mistake people

Thoroughbred TrainingWellness of the body equates to wellness of the mind.

By Maximo Anguiano photos by Valentina Valdes - www.valentinavaldes.com/

6 • el iluminador • www.eliluminador.com

make. Let’s put it this way... you can’t work out for two hours, then go home and eat a super-sized cheese-burger ‘value meal.’ Uh eh! It doesn’t work that way. What you put into your body is your fuel; it also shapes your body. Fatty, high cholesterol, and sodium-filled foods will not only decrease your chances of getting the body you want... they’ll also kill you! Additionally, you have to watch the amount of alcohol you consume. Drinking lots of alcohol equates to lots of calories. Too many calories in a day isn’t always good. So be care-ful what you put into your body.

Intensity

Here’s the other thing people don’t do. Ever hear someone complain, “I work out every day and can’t shed any weight”? That’s because you lollygag around in the gym, watch-ing TV, texting, and reading Glamour magazine. It doesn’t work that way either. You have to sweat, work out hard... and with some intensity. Not only that, but you have to have some variety in your workout. INTENSE workouts do not mean going through

the motions on the stair-stepper or slowly jogging around a track. You have to switch it up, with workouts that are difficult and intense. Change it up.. one day ride a bike, the next run, the day after that swim laps in a pool, etc.

Where am I going with this? You got it.. developing a high intensity work out regimen that you can do in the privacy of your own home. If you follow these three tips, you’ll improve your appearance, have higher ener-gy levels, feel better about yourself, and be healthier. Hard work always pays off.

Remember that.

Before you dive into the Thorough-bred workout itself, here are a few reminders

Make sure to stay hydrated. You • should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day anyway.

Don’t be afraid to try something • new... branch out and broaden your horizons. You’re not going to “look weird.” Have some confi-

dence in yourself. You can’t make the club in the tub.

No one is going to make you do • anything. You have to be com-mitted to yourself and do this on your own. You don’t need to spend your paycheck on a per-sonal trainer. Your drive must come from within. If you don’t push yourself, no one else will. No excuses, just results.

Stay focused. You’re not going • have the body you want after one day, so keep at it.

Remember, you can work out at • home but feel free to go to a gym if you have access. Also, feel free to workout outside, utilize a bicycle or pool. Variety never hurt anything.

Now to the fun part.. the workouts. This workout regimen is based off a series of workouts, mostly taking the form of a High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) system. H.I.I.T. are high intensity cardio workouts that are intended to burn fat.

WORKOUTS

Okay, here’s the deal. You’re going to do at least two of the workouts in each of the categories for at least 30 seconds. You’ll do three sets and you’ll then have a 30 second break in between sets. Easy enough, right? 30 seconds is the beginners level. As you progress, you’ll slowly work your way up to 1 minute.. then 2 minutes. If you can do three sets of these workouts for 2 minutes straight, you’re ready for P90X. If you don’t have a stop watch to time yourself, round the time or work out until exhaustion.

The entire workout shouldn’t take you longer than 30 minutes. Start with some regular cardio exercis-es for about 10 minutes. This means, you can run, run steps, swim, or ride a bike. But go for at least 10 minutes and push yourself at a moderate to high level. Remember this has to be intense. Advanced thoroughbreds can go for 20 minutes or higher.

Make sure to stay hydrated. You should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day anyway.


Exercise Group APunch outs- Punch outs are a great way to shred your upper body (mainly your shoulders). You want to work on your form, which takes a standard boxing position. Keep your guard up, extend one of your fists and punch, aiming a particular point. When you detract your extended arm, your opposite arm should replace it and punch the same point. You’ll do this repeatedly and rapidly.

Jumping jacks

Running in Place- Run in place by chopping your feet and get your knees as high as they can go. Chop your legs fast. Remember, if you’re just beginning- you only go for 30 seconds- so make it good.

Exercise Group BSquat thrusts- Squat thrusts are essentially standing in an upright position and then squatting down, as if you were sitting on a chair. Your knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle and your body shouldn’t pass below your knees. Do this, up and down at a high level, for 30 seconds and your lower body will be good. For advanced thoroughbreds, try jumping up when you come up from a squat

Taebo Knees With taebo knees, you want to get a wide base (with your feet). Start with your arms raised in the air and then bring them down- as if you’re pulling down. At the same time, raise one knee up in the air (your arms and knee will come towards and surpass each other, like a pulley sys-tem). Do this rapidly, back and forth with each knee.

Burpees

Exercise Group CWall squats

Towel jumps For towel jumps, wrap a towel up and place it on the ground. Jump back and forth over it. Seems easy, right? Try not to step all over the towel

Mountain climbers

Exercise Group DPushups For advanced, try elevating off the ground for a jump push up

Ab-core

Crunches • Foot throws • Plank • Scissor kick • Bicycle

Cool down

Jump rope or towel jumps

If you follow this regimen, you’ll be on your way. You don’t need steroids, expensive workout programs, and personal trainers to achieve your dreams. You can do this on your own. But you have to stay disci-plined. Always remember the three tips for success and you’ll be fine. Be well.

Exercise Group A

Exercise Group B

Exercise Group C

Exercise Group D


Every semester, the SLB Education Foundation proudly awards a scholarship to a brother (undergraduate or graduate student) for his educational needs. It is our belief that by financially supporting the financial needs of our talented brothers, we are investing in the potential of future leaders.

In order to be eligible to receive the scholarship you must be enrolled full-time in an institution of higher learning, and you must be a Sigma Lambda Beta member in good standing. The recipient of this scholarship will be selected based on their recent achievements in scholarship, leadership and community service.

In order to apply you will need to download and follow the instructions on the Opportunity for Wisdom Scholarship Application, which can be

found at the SLB Education Foundation website www.slbfoundation.com

You can also read about brothers who have previously won Foundation scholarships on our Services of Foundation page.

The deadline for submitting applications is November 1, 2010.

If you have any questions about the scholarship program, please send them to: [email protected].

This scholarship program is made possible by generous donations made to the Sigma Lambda Beta Education Foundation.

Apply for SLBEF Opportunity for Wisdom Scholarship!

NOW$750

www.slbfoundation.comfall 2010 • el ilumnador • 9

BCAThe A,B,C’s of earning A’s and B’s

The first part of test prep is the text book, without it many times you are lost in an ocean of information and no map to guide you. The question is then, are you using your map correctly? You may have the map upside down and not even know it.

Learn To Read – Skim through your reading assignment first to get the big picture, then read in detail to understand the content. Lastly, review the text so that you can summarize.

Summarize – That little white ½ page at the end of your chapter is the perfect place to write out the key points and ideas. That way,

later on when you have to study you have a great study review guide with all the key points.

Lecture Prep – If you didn’t pre-pare for the lecture, every point is new and important that your teach-er talks about. Thus, by coming to class already prepared you can simply write down the key points that your teacher expands upon.

So you have read through the text book, took active notes in class, asked questions to expand upon complex information – but now you have to study for the test. The problem is no matter how much you study you just can’t seem to learn the information. What you

might not realize is that the prob-lem isn’t the information but how or where you are studying it.

Location, Location, Location – as any Realtor might say, loca-tion is key. Where you study may have a dramatic affect of how you learn. When you step onto the basketball court, baseball diamond or volleyball court you are ready to play, your mind is focused on one thing –the game. In that mind set, it is hard to get distracted from your task because your focus is enhanced based on your location. Why study in your room where you eat, sleep, relax, Facebook, etc.? Your room is an eclectic collection of unorganized things and ideas,

By B. Celestino Carreonphoto by DAEllis of flickr.com


not the type of place that is going to foster an education-first mentali-ty. Try the library, a place dedicated to learning is a great location to get you into that can-do-can-learn attitude.

Organization - Make sure your life is organized so that you stay on top of all your assignments. A plan-ner should be more than just a list

of deadlines, make sure to create list, prioritize tasks, and give your-self leeway time so that you’re not stuck cramming the night before.

Take a Break – When you are in high school you would have a 5-10 minute break in-between classes, did you ever realize how that little break you used to get your books and walk around a little really helped you to get back on track for your next class? The same goes for you today, a little 5-10 minute break after 45 minutes of studying will help you to get back on track. The average maximum we can stay focused is around 45 minutes, after that we get easily distracted and are less likely to retain infor-mation.

Prime Time – No we aren’t talking about cable either. Knowing when you function best is key to becoming a successful student. Do you know when your optimal study time is?

Now you are ready to take on any test, you know the proper steps to take but it is up to you to motivate

yourself to do it. Inspiration without action is knowingly limiting your own potential. So get out there and be an active student in the class and out. When your teacher tells you that ‘For every one hour in class you should be spending three out of the class preparing,’ make sure your planner reflects that kind of dedication. As an ath-lete will train for competitions, you must train for your future career and every test is a hurdle – are you prepared?

Acronyms – FOIL for math - First Outer Inner Last – helps you to remember the order to solve a math problem.

Rhythm and Rhyme – “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November”, or “In 1492 Colum-bus sailed the ocean blue.”

Acrostics – HOMES to help you remember the great lakes.

Alphabet Method - B= Black Friday H = Herbert Hover (remember 26 key points about the great de-pression or any topic)

Teach – teach complex ideas and equations to a study group, friend, or roommate. Nothing helps you to learn something better then trying to teach it to someone else.

Creative StudyingWhen you were young everything was done creatively in a fun engaging way; why does that have to change now that we are adults? Sure, the ideas are a little more complex but that doesn’t change the fact that by making learning fun you are more apt to retain the information.

“What you might not realize is the prob-lem isn’t the infor-mation but how or where you are study-ing it.”

photo by the small print of flickr.com


You moved into your residence hall, ready to start your school year bright eyed and bushy tailed – 2 months later your room looks like a quarantine zone and you can’t seem to shake that cold. Well, here are some helpful tips to keeping healthy while living on campus.

Do your laundry – while grabbing that hoodie stashed underneath your bed seems like a time saving, good idea, it could end up costing you in the long run. Dirty clothes can pick up and hold bacteria especially if you sneeze into your sleeves. Taking the time to keep up with your laundry can prevent you from getting sick all over again.

Use Hand Sanitizer/Wipes – Use the wipes to keep your room

clean to prevent spreading germs from your computer desk to the door handle. Hand sanitizer can help you from catching someone else’s cold every time you open a door or use the desk in the class-room. This holds especially true when the sickly student before you fell asleep and drooled all over that desk that you are using in class. Additionally, make sure to always wash your hands.

Take out your trash – It is filled with bacteria and even if it is tucked away in a corner your tiny room is too small to really ever have it out of the way. More so than just bacteria your trash can can attract bugs and rodents. Take the walk down to the dumpster as often as you can to prevent trash buildup, with you and your roommate it is easy to fill up your tiny trash can daily.

Don’t Share Drinks – This should go without saying but un-fortunately it still happens. Saliva spreads bacteria so easily, be smart and don’t be lazy, washing two cups instead of one is worth the hassle.

Flip Flops - You are using a communal shower, who knows what is being tracked into where you walk around to rinse off. Wear flip flops to prevent athletes foot, warts, or a host of other hassles.

Clean, Clean, Clean - Your mini-fridge, microwave, bed sheets, desk, and everything else in your tiny room. Make sure not to forget to get the inside of the microwave and mini-fridge since this is where all your food goes. Bed and dust mites can spread germs if you don’t regularly wash you bed sheets and quilt -not

Healthy Living in the Residence HallBy B. Celestino Carreon


including what it can do to your allergies- so be sure to clear them off weekly for a good wash. Also, consider purchasing a bed cover if you are using a used mattress, this will zip all the way around your bed to prevent the previous users from having an affect on your health.

Flu Shots – they are available everywhere from the campus nurse to your local drugstore, take advantage of them. One thing to note, is that you need to get this shot before you become ill, oth-erwise it will not work if you are already sick.

Be Healthy – Be active and eat right. An active healthy lifestyle can help build up your immune system, so try to substitute those pizza rolls for fruit and vegetables and TV time for an hour in the gym. This also includes getting plenty of rest, by depriving your body of adequate

rest you run the risk of lowering your immune system’s ability to fight illnesses.

Air out your room – If you have the room closed off using an AC or plug in heater to regulate your room temperature you are hoarding all those airborne patho-gens in your room. Open up the window to get some real fresh air scent instead of that Febreeze bottle your mom bought you.

Vitamin D-3 – While you al-ways hear vitamin D is good for you, many are turning to Vitamin D-3 to help prevent and fight off illness. Flu, as well as many other illnesses, are associated with low levels of Vitamin D (and D-3). Vi-tamin D-3 comes from sunlight but you can get similar small doses of it from vitamins. So get out in the sun or make sure that you take a vita-min to supplement your lack of D-3.

Sure these tips help you to prevent from becoming sick but what if it is already too late for preventative means? If you are already sick still do everything discussed before, except the flu shots, because you can always run the risk of prolong-ing your illness due to an unhealthy diet, dirty room, and contact with other bacteria and viruses. If you do fall ill and it just doesn’t seem to go away or you are running a high fever, make sure to visit your doc-tor. Other than that, enjoy your low sodium chicken noodle soup and wrap yourself with a warm blanket and enjoy a good book, might I recommend your class textbook for your next exam.

Healthy Living in the Residence Hall

photo by borman818 of flickr.com


I remember High School being the time of “dress to impress”. Everyone had to have the newest, best brand name articles of clothing in order to be in. Well, at least everybody that was somebody. Getting caught at a “recycled fashion” store was a big no no. For the longest while, I too had this mentality. How-ever, having to move out the house at 16 made asking for new clothes a little more difficult. Soon, buying clothes became a luxury you only did once in a while. Next thing I knew, college hit and tuition became a necessity, while clothes a greater luxury. I found myself needing to change a few things. I still have a shoe fetish that says, 24 pairs of shoes is still not enough. We all have our guilty pleasure, be it shoes, hats or Beta gear. However, I don’t know about you, but this dreadful economy makes it difficult to set aside a few bucks for anything that isn’t an absolute necessity. Sadly, that leaves my wardrobe budget in a non-existent state, and when I must pick up something new, finding deals on clothes shoes and anything else becomes a must. I mean, just because you’re broke, doesn’t mean you can’t look good. After all, we “Fresh ‘til death, even when we dead broke.” So here are some tips that may help you save money and keep you looking fresh:

1. Ignore Trends. They change almost by the hour, so it will be costly to stay on top of the constant change. After all, a pair of Jordans come out more than once a year and by the time you get enough money to buy the “new” pair, they will only be new until the next $170 pair comes out. So instead focus on de-fining your own individual style. In other words, just do you.

2. Get Some Inspiration. Once you figure out what your style is, look for ar-rangements online or at the stores with-out having to worry about price. Just put it all together and either take pictures

or make a mental note of what it is you liked. Once you know what you want, let the money saving begin.

3. Take your inspiration to qual-ity off-price stores. Once you get your inspiration from the higher-priced stores, you can now take that style and find similar pieces from off-price or lower-priced stores such as T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s, H&M, Target or any recycled fashion store and put together a similar look! If you buy clothes that fit you properly, meaning not too tight, and not hanging off of you, you will look good and no one will care where you bought your clothes. You could get that $300 look for only $50 if you shop at the right places.

4. Of course one of the best ways you can save money on clothing is by choosing colors and fabrics you can wear year round. Guys are lucky in that we typically wear cotton shirts both in summer and winter and pants or shorts are always a good look. The transition from spring/summer to fall/winter is as easy as throwing on a hoodie or sports coat. The trick is to choose colors that are neutral, like blue or white for a dress shirt and beige or black for pants. If you are more of the dressy type, a black vest can go with many different colored shirts all you need is a nice pair of jeans and you have multiple outfits. On the other hand, if you want to keep it casual, a white, purple or black t-shirt, jeans and all white or black shoes can be all you need. Keep your hoodies and sports coats neutral, too, and you are set. As long as you can wear it year round, and finding the right shade of purple is not an issue, you have nothing to worry about.

by Bryan Rojas

Ballin On A BudgetFresh ‘Til Death, Even When Dead Broke

14 • el iluminador • www.eliluminador.com photo by Brandon Christopher Warren of flickr.com

5. New is Not Always Better. If you want the brand name but not the brand price, looking into “Recycled Fashion” stores is always fun. You may not find exactly “that one” but you can find “this one”, which is the same brand for a fraction of the price while still looking fresh.

Everything from pants, shirts, shoes or accessories can be found at these stores. Even the fancy, overpriced blaz-ers can be found at these stores for way less.

6. It’s about the Look. Having the right acces-sories can make or break you. A nice watch or the correct pair of glasses can

make a huge difference. These days so many com-panies are producing really cool watches that look much more expensive than they really are. No longer do you

need to buy a fake Rolex (that won’t last either) when there are better quality choices out there. So price doesn’t matter, as long as it looks good, wear it.

7. Seasons always return. The end of season sales is the best time to pick up some great stuff. This is when I like to swoop in for a shop-ping spree. Some retailers discount as much as 80% off. So you can buy your winter clothes at the beginning of summer and your summer clothes at the beginning of winter.

8. From Head to Toe. Make sure to look fresh from head to toe because something as simple as ironing or shoe polishing can make the differ-ence of a lifetime. Some beat up old dress shoes can become almost new with shoe polish and a little TLC. If being a Beta has taught you any-thing, it’s “attention to detail.” Take advantage of that and make it work.

9. Some things you cannot buy. Make sure to look clean cut or well kept in the areas that you cannot easily change such as hair, hands and teeth. Personal hygiene and physical appearance can be the big-gest difference when looking good. If you look good even a garbage bag can make a fit.

10. Walk the Walk. It’s all about the attitude. If you walk with swagger and confidence this will radiate in your physical appearance. After all “Elegance is a question of personal-ity, more than one’s clothing.” -Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Looking good should not cost you an arm and a leg. All it takes is a little creativity and the swagger to make it work. There are no rules set on stone and when it comes to style, you are the master of what’s in, what works and what doesn’t.

What is this hypocrisy That we follow blindly called democracy Nothing more than bullshit, lead by a bureaucracy We believe in many while in autocracy

We continue to Barrak the vote, Thinking our needs they note While the only thing they promote It hunger, death and war for a quote

We wanna run half way around the world And point a finger at all Ignoring our reality, creating a wall We scream for their help, they ignore the call For dollar signs they no longer recall

More spend in prisons, say fuck education Drop out rates rise, see the relation Turning the youth into bums, on a donation Have they fail to realize we are their salvation How can they expect to have our dedication When their dedication, is only to corporation

Like a song we keep on getting played, radio station The only goal they continue to set, incarceration

The land of opportunity, goals and dreams The land where nothing is ever what it seems Our politician ignore our screams Different names of the same regimes

For the rich continue to get richer, the poor stay poor All of a sudden money can buy you a cure Guarantee that if Magic was poor he’d be death for sure While we stay quite, and the punishment endure

Youth continues to bleed out, based on a color While we continue to kneel down, based on a dollar All we can hope to become rappers, dealers or ballers For the price of education is no longer in dollars Because now we paying, with blood sweat n tears 4 year college! more like 6 years

Diplomas attached to a collectors pen We getting played again and again Enough is enough just tell me when

F’ da wait I’ll just count to ten

The Price of Educationby Bryan Rojas


Every time we embark on a new phase of our life the demands on our time begin to change and what we did yesterday is no longer what we need to do, can do or have time to do today. College students experi-ence this every semester and to an even greater degree at the start of the school year. The best thing that we can do to combat the chang-ing demands on our time is to work ourselves into a rhythm. Those of us who are strollers out there know what it’s like to catch a rhythm. To go from absolutely still to suddenly breaking out into a precision format at the first sounds of Rick James or Swag Surfin’. Hitting every step, matching your brother, stride for stride, and flowing with the beat.

No brother though, regardless of how much rhythm he has, masters a stroll right away. It takes practice, practice and more practice to hit the

floor with confidence in front of a crowd of people. And once you’re out there you can’t just quit if you miss a beat or lose a step you’ve got to jump right back in the mix, moving on and forgetting that the mistake ever happened. Our daily life does not differ much from this – just like there’s a rhythm to a song that gets us moving and keeps us focused, there is also a rhythm to our lives. In both strolling and our daily lives it is all too easy to miss a step, lose the beat and become unfocused; but just like when you’re out there stroll-ing, regardless of missteps or mis-takes you’ve got to keep on moving.

Whenever I use to learn a new stroll my line brother and I would pick a song that we felt worked with the rhythm of the moves. We didn’t deviate from that song until we got the steps down to perfection. Using the same beat over and over again

it was easier to match the moves to the rhythm and get in the flow. Needless to say the stroll always looked the best when we had a chance to do it to the song we had been practicing it on all week but by that point we were able to perform it to any song with a similar beat. Using a schedule on a regular basis and making sure it is up to date ev-ery week is a great tool to help you catch the flow of your life. By visual-izing your week and keeping regular track of it you’ll begin to catch the patterns and ride through the week like you stroll on a beat.

Whether you’re just learning a stroll or you’ve been doing it for years eventually you’re going miss a step or make a mistake. While a master stroller recovers quickly, any mis-take has the possibility of throwing off the whole line. For this reason, it’s critical to be able to jump back

Zen & The Art of Strollingby Jason Smolka photo by Irving Roman


into a stroll regardless of the point you leave off on. If you can’t catch the beat again or remember what comes next, it’s usually a good idea to jump out of the line and jump back in at the end once the steps start over. If you’ve been keeping a schedule, you may be able to jump right back into the mix, acting like the misstep never took place. Or maybe you have another technique to get yourself going again. Person-ally, I combine my schedule with the Urgent-Important To-Do List matrix discussed in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The combo of these two ensures that 80% of the

time I’m able to jump right back in like I never missed a beat.

However there’s still that 20% of the time that I get so lost that I’ve got to jump out of the line and start over from step one in the sequence. In my life, there are a few things that I can always count on to get me back on track and moving again. One is a call to my wife, my parents or my line brothers. These are the people who know me best and can easily tell when there’s something a little off in my life. We don’t always need to talk about exactly what’s going on that is throwing me for a loop but

just having a conversation with them is usually enough to get me going again. If that doesn’t seem to work I make sure to get myself back into a work-out schedule. Having that set time where I go to the gym and work on improving myself physically, enables me to also clear myself mentally and get back in the stroll. While these things work for me, they may not work for you. I encourage you to find a few activities that can focus you and get you back into the rhythm of your life.

Leaving my mind and my body from its common principle

I have embarked on the journey to make more of myself at the pinnacle

For over the years, months or days that have began and ended

The love of my brotherhood has made me more than the letters that represent it

Remembering the days when I only used to dream

Before I could every be implemented

Surfing the web and engaging my-self in the presence

My eyes glazed with that royal purple intention

Understanding only in my heart but not fully knowing what I learned in the dark

Till the day came and my summons was accepted

Befriending another man who sought the same light

And it came to be that he was my kin amongst the twilight

Earning our stripes

Earning the right

Pledging Lambda Beta

All day and all night

Our blood, sweat and tears trans-formed itself

To that precious oil bestowed upon us

And we progressed across the pits to discover our true potential

In the realm of Lambda Beta men

Wisdom was the tool

Embracing our culture was the fuel

To build a better man was one half

To serve our community was the right path

Through thick and thin

With the passion of a guerilla soldier

With much bolder plans

Will I ever go through it again?

Some one will always ask

But even if I gave them my sense

They would not comprehend

Even if we worked twice as hard

They could not comprehend

Even if we accomplished much more than harm

They would try to unfold the negative

Even if we gave more than any other org

They will act as if we are nothing more

Now to live as an honorable Lambda Beta man is to befriend humility

And to live as a better man takes nobility

Since living the creed is one of a kind

So we must uplift ourselves through the toil and the strife

From our rebirth till the light don’t shine

My body might be in the dirt

But my soul will always be resur-rected

Because Mi corazon is forever re-severado enternamente

Manifestation by Christopher Temblador


6Principles of Effective Recruitmentby B. Celestino Carreon

photo by Irving Roman

How do you look at recruiting? Can you have a high quantity of qual-ity men? Do you use the search for quality as an excuse for a lack of quantity? Are those tried and true re-cruitment strategies becoming a little more tired than tried and a little less true every year you use it? Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, factor in the ever changing demo-graphics on your campus and you begin to see the problem. Further-more, somewhere along the lines of becoming a brother we forget that those new to college and Greek life don’t have the understanding of the Greek system, it’s benefits or the concept of brotherhood that we do.

Dale Carnegie is the founder of the self help movement, any personal or professional development book stems off of the ideas that Carn-egie founded in his book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Through a little bit of know how and adjustments to fit you the modern collegiate Greek you can become better prepared and armed to work with potential interest and with clients in your future professional career.

Principle 1: Become Genuinely Interested in Other People

“Most commonly used word in con-versations is the personal pronoun ‘I’.” (Carnegie, 1937) We think that a flashy poster board or step show will get someone interested in Sigma Lambda Beta, yet we fail to realize that spectacle is cheap in everything but cost. They will never know how we live out the principles, if we never first become interested in them – it’s the basic law of reciprocity.

Principle 2: Smile

Fraternal brotherhood is built first and foremost out of friendship, it is the foundation on which all other bonds are created. That random

freshman, scared out of their mind walking around the recruitment fair is not going to walk up to you and start actively engaging themselves in a conversation if you are staring them down with your cholo shades on. If you want to be approached, be approachable – or better yet take five steps away from your table and introduce yourself to them.

Principle 3: Remember That a Person’s Name is, to that person, the most important sound in any language

As a collegiate Latino-based frater-nity we will come across many indi-viduals from various backgrounds, most of which will never attempt to learn a bit of Spanish. Point being, is his name Hector or Héctór because there is a difference and hearing the sweet sound of your name being pronounced correctly will leave a lasting impression. Accent aside, simply remembering their name will make someone feel like they are important to you and the organiza-tion. Repeat their name before you let go of their hand, repeat it in the conversation and write it down after they have left.

Principle 4: Be a Good Listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves

The best way to remain confident is to control the conversation, the best way to control the conversation is to monopolize the listening and the best way to monopolize the listen-ing is to ask open ended questions. If you bombard some guy with SLB facts and send him on his way, he won’t even remember who you are. If you get him talking about him-self, showing interest in him as an individual he will be more likely to remember you and have a positive experience interacting with SLB. The key is to learn the individual first, the organization will naturally come into the conversation at a later point.

Principle 5: Talk in Terms of the Other Person’s Interest.

Find your commonality, an interest you both share and can discuss. If they share an interest that a fellow brother has, introduce them, but never give a naked introduction. Naked introductions are when you would just pass on the conversation to someone else without giving a topic for them to transition into. Start off by introducing them and then referring to the commonality they share, it could by a hobby, major, hometown or anything else that will allow the individual to talk within terms of their own interests.

Principle 6: Make the Other Person Feel Important – And Do it Sincerely.

Carnegie shares that, “We all want approval of those with whom you come in contact. We all want recog-nition of our true worth. And we all want a feeling that you are important in the world.” Why is this important to the individual? It is because they don’t know or understand the broth-erhood yet, as it is not a tangible thing that can be described accu-rately it is something one experi-ences after time and commitment to the fraternity. Through a sincere interest in an individual you can em-power them to become a leader and thus inspire them to want to become a Sigma Lambda Beta man. Don’t try to sell them on features because they are yours, not theirs. Instead have them look at benefits, what can SLB do to aid their reason for going to college – which traditionally are to graduate, become successful, make friends and to get a job?

Works Cited

Carnaige, Dale. (1936) 'How To Win Friends And Influence People' Simon & Schuster Inc. Publishing


Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Inc. Executive Office 900 West Penn St North Liberty, IA 52317-9524 1-888-486-BETA

Retreat 2011

June 23-25, 2011Loyola University Lakeshore Campus

photo by Mike Warot of flickr.com

eliluminador.com

Mark Your Calendar!

Fall 2010 edition of El Iluminador

Documents

new academic year

iluminador website

weekly schedule

new folder

art of strolling18

art of strolling pg

clip art

editorall photos