Though it has existed as a colony at 3829 Walnut Street for the past 2 1/2 years, the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity has not been recognized as an official chapter at Penn since 1956. But on May 1, the group's status will change as it regains the Epsilon Zeta charter -- the third-oldest of Lambda Chi Alpha's 300 charters -- from its national organization at a formal ceremony at the Palladium. Since colonizing in the fall of 1996, the group's largest obstacle in obtaining national recognition was attracting the required 40 members, according to Lambda Chi Alpha President Alexander Davie, a College junior. "We held year-round rush," said Davie, explaining how the colony has since transformed from a 10-member interest group into a chapter that performs the same rituals as it did when it first chartered at Penn in 1912. Lambda Chi Alpha Regional Leadership Director Paul Ainsworth, who helped the Penn group recolonize and has been communicating with them on a biweekly basis since, said the original chapter lost its charter at Penn in 1956 "due to a deterioration of standards." A lack of membership would have most likely revoked a charter in those days, he noted. Ainsworth added that the fraternity "is no longer a provisional group" and will focus on increased programming rather than increased membership. Within the Greek system, Lambda Chi Alpha's new status will permit it to petition for full University recognition, a process which involves completing a detailed document describing relations between alumni and the national fraternity, according to Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski. "The youngest [alumni] are in their 70s and 80s," Reikofski noted, saying that the chapter's longtime absence made it difficult to find alumni advisors. Alumni relations are a requirement for both national and University recognition. At the fraternity's rechartering banquet, former Hershey Entertainment and Resort Company President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Book, a Penn State University alumnus and member of Lambda Chi Alpha's board of directors, will address the brothers and representatives from national headquarters in Indianapolis. The Lambda Chi Alpha rechartering follows another recent addition to the Greek system. Phi Sigma Kappa recolonized last week after a one-year absence from the University. Phi Sig looks to charter by the spring of 2000.
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