Meanwhile, in the Southeastern Province of the United States, another similar organization was under development. In 1904, an organization with similar goals as Phi Lambda Alpha was founded under the name "Sociedad Hispano-Americana" at Louisiana State University. In 1912, recognizing the benefit of the disciplinary background of a Greek system, the society transformed itself into Sigma Iota (ΣΙ) and became the first Latin American–based fraternity in the United States. Between 1912 and 1925, Sigma Iota expanded rapidly in the United States, Central America and Europe. As a result of this, Sigma Iota became the first international Latin American–based fraternity. By 1928, Sigma Iota had lost many of its chapters and therefore sought to stabilize its operations by consolidating its chapters in the United States with a more stationary and well-rooted organization.