History

Lambda Chi Alpha was founded in 1909 by Warren A. Cole at Boston University. Today, it is the third largest men’s general fraternity in North America with more than 290,000 initiated members and has held chapters at more than 300 universities.

Lambda Chi Alpha was the first fraternity to eliminate pledging and remains a leader in the fight against hazing, alcohol abuse, and other challenges facing today’s college student. Lambda Chi Alpha serves to complement higher education by providing opportunities for academic achievement, leadership practice, social development, and lifelong friendships.

Associate Member Program

Lambda Chi Alpha was the first college fraternity to end the practice of pledging, replacing it with the associate member program. Associate Members “A.M.s” of Lambda Chi are entitled to all of the rights and privileges of an initiated member.  Associate members are even permitted to run for officer positions and as of the 2018 General Assembly, Associate Members can even run for the Grand High Zeta (The International Lambda Chi Alpha Board of Directors).

Our Creed

Lambda Chi Alpha is a values-driven organization. Our core beliefs are summed up in our Creed:

“We believe in Lambda Chi Alpha, and its traditions, principles and ideals. The crescent is our symbol; pure, high ever growing, and the cross is our guide; denoting service, sacrifice, and even suffering and humiliation before the world, bravely endured if need be, in following that ideal.

May we have faith in Lambda Chi Alpha and passion for its welfare. May we have hope for the future of Lambda Chi Alpha and strength to fight for its teachings. May we have pure hearts, that we may approach the ideal of perfect brotherly love.”

Seven Core Values (LDRSHIP)

Developed in 2007 and modeled after the U.S. Army’s values, Lambda Chi Alpha’s Seven Core Values — loyalty, duty, respect, service and stewardship, honor, integrity, and personal courage — provide a moral compass for members of the Fraternity.

Loyalty

Establishes the correct order of our obligations and commitments. Unswerving allegiance to the organization and its laws, ideals, and defining principles prevents us from misplacing our loyalties.

Duty

Delineates the sum total of all laws, rules, and customs that make up our organizational, civic, and moral obligations. Our values originate with duty because we expect individuals, as a minimum, to fulfill their obligations. We often expect individuals to exceed their duty, especially in ethical matters.

Respect

Denotes the regard and recognition of the absolute dignity that every human possesses. Specifically, respect indicates compassion for and consideration of others, including sensitivity to and regard for the feelings and needs of others.

Service & Stewardship

Service before self signifies the proper ordering of priorities. The welfare of the organization comes before the individual’s. While the focus is on service to Lambda Chi Alpha and broader communities, the idea also incorporates the concept of stewardship, of holding something of value in trust for others.

Honor

Describes the complex of all values that make up the public code of the individual. Significantly, honor provides the motive for action and demands adherence to a public moral code, not protection of reputation.

Integrity

Encompasses the sum total of a person’s set of values — his private moral code. A breach of any of these values will damage the individual’s integrity. Integrity, closely related to the word integer, refers to a notion of completeness or wholeness.

Personal Courage

Depicts the premier virtue that enables us to persevere despite fear, danger, or adversity. Personal courage includes the notion of taking responsibility for decisions and actions. Additionally, it involves the ability to perform critical self-assessment, to confront new ideas and to change.

The International Lambda Chi Alpha website can be found here: www.lambdachi.org