Fraternity celebrates centennial with brothers from entire region
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 03/30/2009
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Competition among chapters was set aside as 16 diverse houses of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity came together Friday and Saturday in its centennial celebration.
The Purdue chapter was chosen as one of fourteen campuses across the nation to host the conclave, a unique brotherhood retreat, planned by the chapters. The Midwestern conclave was the largest.
A hundred members attended the events, which included recruitment workshops, brotherhood talks and the history of Lambda Chi Alpha. Speakers included the national director of chapter services and executive vice president.
The history included the founding of the fraternity in Boston by Warren A. Cole.
“By the last event we realized a lot we still don’t know about Lambda Chi’s history,” said Purdue chapter president Michael Zoch, a junior in the College of Technology.
Zach Stewart, a sophomore in the College of Liberal Arts, served as the conclave chairman. He has been planning the event since November.
Stewart said he was pleased with how well the diverse group of houses got along.
The events helped bring together the brothers from the different houses, Stewart said. By the last night, the brothers were no longer grouped by school.
“You could tell we were brothers,” Zoch said.
Major chapters that attended included Butler, Northwestern, University of Illinois, Indiana University and Rose-Hulman.
Zoch hopes the conclave was beneficial for all the participating chapters.
“We talked about everyone going back to their own chapters and leaving with the chapter better than it was for you,” he said.
A nationwide centennial celebration will take place in July at Lambda Chi Alpha’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. The Purdue chapter is looking to send some brothers.