U of L welcomes first Latino fraternity on campus

The University of Louisville will embrace the first Latin fraternity on campus in Spring 2015. Kentucky’s first historical Latin fraternity, Lambda Theta Phi, will be established in Spring 2015. The Louisville chapter will be founded by Luis Arduz, a senior Social Work major.

“Coming to college I’ve always wanted to see a student body that was diverse and at least for me, being a Latino-American, growing up I didn’t see many Latinos. When I choose to come to University of Louisville it was kind of difficult to see that Latin culture because a lot of students would either stay off campus or really were not involved.” said, Arduz. It was only after being exposed to a Latin Fraternity in Indiana did Arduz see how influential the brotherhood and culture meant to himself and how it could benefit those involved.

“The fraternity is called, Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc., and what I really wanted to do with this is have an increase and a growth of the Latin culture, the Latin population, the love for Latin food, language and dances. Everything you can imagine.” Lambda Theta Phi was founded in 1975 as a the first Latin fraternity or society associated with the Greek movement. The fraternity originated from concepts of embracing the ideals of brotherhood, Latino unity, cultural awareness, and community service within the Greek-letter fraternity, all for the progress and empowerment of our people.

“For me, it was an opportunity to bring the Latin population and people who are not Latinos but who love the Latin culture out in the university,” said Luis. Although Lambda Theta Phi is a historical Latin fraternity it will not be exclusive to Latinos only. “It’s not like you have to be specifically apart of this culture to be accepted or apart of it.”

“It’s another incentive to use for high school students to want to come to college to know there is a growth in the Latin community, the Latin population,” said Adruz. “I really want to bring that awareness because UofL is the most diverse university in the state of Kentucky. Lets keep it going.”

U of L Dental School receives donation

Dr. Wayne and Sue Mortenson will donate $5 million, the largest donation in Dental School history, to create an endowed fund for the University’s School of Dentistry. The announcement came August 29. Funds will go toward projects aimed at keeping pace with changing technologies as well as the development of scholarships for future students.

“The Moretensons have been an integral part of the community and the dental school for many, many years,” said President James Ramsey. “They have a vision to ensure future generations of dentists receive a top-notch education in state-of-the-art facilities.”

After graduating from the University 1979, Mortenson began practicing in Louisville and expanded into locations in Kentucky, Indiana and various other states. Mortenson Family Dental began as a chain of a couple of offices in Louisville but has since expanded to over 40 throughout the Midwest and Southwest.

“Sue and I have felt for the last several years that being able to give back to the school would be a real tribute to what the school has done for our family,” said Mortenson. “I think the opportunity to generously serve, generously give and feel that everything you give comes back to you ten fold has been the way our life has happened. And I’m so grateful for everyone associated with the University.”

The endowment will help to implement new technologies and practices within the dental school. The dental school is proud to give students the ability to take radiographic images using digital sensors and upload those images to clients.

“In addition to expanding and enhancing our curricula and technologies, we are working to enhance and develop scholarships and research, giving our students the chance to be a part of new discoveries with senior researchers,” said Dr. John Sauk, dean of the School of Dentistry.

“The facilities were top notch and my educators, often overwhelmed were always patient and willing to help,” said Weldon Thurman, a 2014 graduate of the School of Dentistry. “Also, the staff was amazing, and was beyond helpful in many ways. Yes, the building and clinic were top notch, but it was the people that I will remember the most, and will be most grateful for.”

“I know that the school is in good hands, that these great young students are highly motivated,” said Dr. Mortenson. “They’re excited about what they’re doing. And I know the next generation is going to be great.”

Dr. Mortenson illustrates his optimism of UofL students through his words and now his actions.

Dr. Ranen Omer-Sherman appointed Judaic Studies chair

The University of Louisville has appointed, Ranen Omer-Sherman, Ph.D. as the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence Chair of Judaic Studies. The endowed chair was funded by the JHFE and other local donors. It’s funding exceeds $2.5 million.

Omer-Sherman comes to U of L after working at the University of Miami and Saint Louis University in Madrid, Spain.

“I love this move. Leaving Miami for Louisville was great. I was in that city for about 12 years. Certainly there’s nice things about being near the beaches and so on, but not a great sense of community and Louisville, as many people have told me, is a small town where you have the cultural benefits of a large city and I’m really liking that,” said Omer-Sherman.

Although Dr. Omer-Sherman has only been at the University for a little over a month, he is already making an impact on campus.

He is leading a Humanities course this Fall focusing on youth in Palestine and Israel and hopes to do programming for the Jewish community in Louisville through lecture series and other events which will draw the community onto campus.

“Dr. Omer-Sherman has been great so far,” said Humanities faculty member Shari Gater. “We are very excited to have him as a member of the Humanities department.”

Omer-Sherman has contributed to numerous publications and has authored three novels. His most recent work, “The Jewish Graphic Novel: Critical Approaches,” examines major Jewish themes through text and visual art for accessibility within the classroom. Omer-Sherman is also working on a book about the Kibbutz movement and hopes to teach a class dedicated to exploring the Bible, not as religious or authoritative text, but as a literary story.

“We hope to rebuild the Jewish studies Minor and eventually one day hopefully have a Jewish Studies major as well,” said Omer-Sherman. “There’s a lot of faculty doing very, very exciting work in Jewish Studies and I think a lot of us have a lot of ambition and excitement about strengthening this program.”