Joining Lambda Chi Alpha is an exciting time in your son’s life. But as parents, we understand that you probably have questions about your son’s membership, so we want you to know a little bit about our Fraternity. First, fraternity membership is meant to complement, not detract from academic performance. It is Lambda Chi Alpha’s mission to inspire and equip men to lead an ethical life of growth, service, and leadership. As such, it is the vision of Lambda Chi Alpha to extend itself beyond the traditional social fraternity in practice and principle. In 1972, Lambda Chi Alpha became the first fraternity to abolish pledgeship and replaced it with Associate Membership. Lambda Chi Alpha believes in the value of every human being and has been a leader in promoting an anti-hazing culture throughout the entire fraternity and sorority community. This is reflected in our open motto, “Vir Quisque Vir”, translated means “Every Man a Man”. Associate Membership grants new members full rights of membership, including the right to vote and hold officer positions. Lambda Chi Alpha views Associate Members and initiated members as equals. Associate Membership is not a time period for your son to earn his way into Lambda Chi Alpha. We believe that all of our members continually earn their membership through their personal conduct and positive contributions to the community around them. In Lambda Chi Alpha, your son will have the opportunity to:

• Better his community and build lasting experiences through his chapter’s philanthropic projects with Feeding America and other organizations.
• Develop leadership and professionals skills that can be used throughout his life by taking on leadership roles within the chapter.
• Learn from the best and brightest speakers by attending international and regional Fraternity programs that focus on leadership development, values reflection, and professional development.
• Establish mentoring relationships with Lambda Chi Alpha alumni who will offer guidance and support through various mentoring opportunities.
• Learn how to create a safe environment for himself and others, standing up to the pressures facing college students through harm reduction education to address inappropriate alcohol and drug use, hazing prevention, and sexual assault prevention in ways that empower positive behavior and bystander intervention.
• Create a network of friends and brothers who can support him for a lifetime.

Other facts about fraternities:

• 85% of the Fortune 500 Executives have belonged to a Fraternity
• All but two US Presidents since 1825 have joined a Fraternity
• Nationally, those belonging to a greek organization have higher GPAs than those not
• Fraternity members are more likely to get involved with service events that help with the community

If your son becomes a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, there are many opportunities for parents to become involved. Some of our strongest chapters have strong participation by mothers and fathers. This can include an active Parents or Family Club or being a member of the house corporation or advisory board. Parents can also assist by helping with organizing in Parents’ Day activities, House Improvement Day, homecoming activities, etiquette dinners or golf outings. We suggest talking to your son’s chapter directly for opportunities to get involved.