History


In the fall of 1925, the name Eta Phi Gamma disappeared from the Alfred Campus and was replaced by New York Beta Chapter of Theta Kappa Nu. After a long search and the filing of many forms, Eta Phi Gamma was installed as a chapter of the National Fraternity. Theta Kappa Nu was formed in 1923 at a Fraternity Conference in New York when eleven fraternities banded together to form one national fraternity. At the time Eta Phi was installed, Theta Kappa Nu had thirty-five chapters throughout the United States. On the Thursday prior to the installations, a farewell party was held to say goodbye to Eta Phi Gamma. Dancing and Bridge was supplied by the Fraternity.
The formal installation ceremony was held on Saturday, November 7, 1925. It was attended by many alumni and University officials and was conducted by a team of Theta Kappa Nu officials. A luncheon and an open house followed the ceremony.
The Chapter House took on many changes after its' affiliation. All Eta Phi Gamma materials were packed away and the brothers proudly displayed their new name of Theta Kappa Nu. Other changes besides the name took place. The chapter house was finally resorted totally, after two years, from the fire. In 1927 the gas lights were replaced by newly acquired electrical power.
During the late 1920's and the 1930's Alfred's Theta Kappa Nu continued as a strong unit. Because of the growing size of fraternities and the need for control, many rules were established by the University for the entire Greek System. Those rules included a 12 midnight curfew for parties, and limited female visitation rights such as specific hours and places where females could visit. These rules were strictly enforced by the Dean of Men along with the housemothers in each chapter house.
In 1928 the brothers acquired a house pet, "Begonia", a cat. She soon became a major part of the brother=s lives. Every brother was required to take his turn babysitting for the cat.
Despite the depression many social functions were carried on through the 1930's. The Inter-fraternity Council, at the time, was a very powerful organization. Theta Kappa Nu played a major part in the Inter-fraternity Council, mainly because it was one of the largest fraternities on the Alfred Campus. The social life of Theta Kappa Nu's was very busy.
The annual IFC ball was one of the biggest events of the year. The brothers were important in planning the ball. The brothers also held an annual winter formal in the school gym which hosted many faculty members. The men also held an annual spring formal at the Hornell Country Club. At both formal events, full course dinners were served along with a live band and an evening full of dancing.
Theta Kappa Nu=s were very active in all campus intramural. They took the cup in 1935 for being the best intramural basketball team. Many other cups and awards were won by the brothers including the 1936 St. Pat=s award.
When the brothers of Theta Kappa Nu returned to campus in the fall of 1939 they found many changes. During the summer months Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, a large national fraternity with sixty-three chapters, and Theta Kappa Nu with its' 42 chapters merged to form the world=s fourth largest Greek organization. The merger took in all aspects of the two fraternities. The rituals, ideals and governing bodies of both fraternities were combined to make the merger complete.
Although the details of the merger were unknown to the brothers of Theta Kappa Nu until they returned to campus they proudly accepted their new name of Kappa Sigma Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha. They quickly made the needed changes to the chapter house to reflect the new name.
Shortly after the merger the brothers felt it was necessary to keep the house cleaner, so they hired a maid. The duties of the maid were to make all the bed daily, sweep all rooms and to keep the entire house clean. This took the cleaning responsibilities away from the brothers.
In Spring 1942 Lambda Chi Alpha won the Fraternity Scholarship Cup. This cup was awarded to because of the Chapter=s high index for the semester.
At the outbreak of World War II many members were lost to the armed services. The house continued to function with low numbers but when the class of 1943 graduated the house was locked and the keys were turned over to honorary member DeForest Truman who looked after the house along with other honorary members until reactivation was possible.
Throughout the war the chapter house did not remain idle. It was rented to Lt. Col. And Mrs White and their family. The rent money was used to help keep the house in shape so that it could be reopened later as the chapter house.
In early 1946, when the war ended, the honorary members and the nine student members of the chapter began making plans for reorganization and reactivation. It was at this time that the chapter tapped its= first pledge class since the outbreak of the war.
In the spring of 1946 the returning nine members were allowed to occupy the entire third floor and part of the second floor of the house while the Whites were still living there. Throughout the Spring semester many plans were made to reactivate completely the chapter and the house. In the fall of 1946 with its= eight new pledges Kappa Sigma Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha was again open.
During the late 1940's who chapter saw much growth. Total membership increased from nine at the close of the war to a high of 100 in the early 50's. This rapid growth caused the chapter to begin making plans for the expansion of the chapter house.
In May 1950, at the annual Alumni Association dinner, Ellis M. Derby, President of Lambda Chi Alpha, National Fraternity, turned the first spadeful of dirt for the new addition. The addition was 30 x 55 feet and three stories high. It was built at the rear of the house and increased living and dining facilities to accommodate 42 men. The addition, at a cost of $17,000.00, made the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter house the most modern facility on the campus.
The new addition was completed in the Fall. Most of the work was done by the brothers because of labor strikes and the immediate need for the additional space.
The Alfred chapter, in 1953, was cited by the National as being one of the best Lambda Chi Alpha chapters in the nation. In 1957 the brothers again won the St.Pat=s float competition.
Late in the 1950's Kappa Sigma Zeta petitioned the national for exception to Code VIII-3 of the constitution which forbade the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the chapter house. This was based on the premise that Alfred was a dry town. And fraternity houses provided the only outlet for social drinking. The petition was approved once the chapter proved to the national that they were responsible to handle the situation. Rules and regulations were set up to keep the consumption of alcoholic beverages under control. These rules stated that no alcoholic beverage was permitted on the first floor except for two parties per semester, individually owned liquor was to be locked in the house liquor cabinet, no liquor consumption was allowed in the house on school days until after dinner and no kegs of beer were to be tapped in the house. These rules and regulations were strictly enforced by the members of the fraternity.
Early in the 1960's the Alumni Association rented a portion of the land in back of the chapter house to the State of New York. The state erected a pre-fabricated building that was used for classes. The Alumni Association received $75.00 per month for the use of the land.
In 1966 Alfred University needed a portion of the Fraternity=s land to construct the new science facility. Instead of selling only the portion that was needed the Alumni Association sold the whole piece of property along with the chapter house to the University. This was done because the University, in the near future, was to build new facilities on Fraternity Row for all Greeks. The University gave the Alumni Association $56,000.00 for the house and the land and allowed the brother to remain in the house as tenants of the University until the new house was built.
The new house, that was to be built by the University on Fraternity Row, was to be funded by the State of New York through the Dormitory Authority. The plans called for three duplex houses with two Greek organizations in each house. The building of the structures never took place because a court ruled that such housing would be subject to local property taxes and funds from the State Dormitory Authority failed to be granted.
The men of Lambda Chi Alpha were notified in 1972 by the University that they would have to relocate because the land that they were on was to be the future home of a new $4 million learning resource center. The Alumni Association and the brothers were faced with the problem of what to do. The choices were to either purchase the house on Main Street, now the home of Zeta Beta Tau, or build a new house on land leased to the chapter by the University on Fraternity Row. Since the house on Main Street was inadequate to meet the needs of the men the only choice was to build a new house.
Once the choice to build a new house was made the Alumni corporation secured a $100,000.00 mortgage. This mortgage along with pledges from active brothers and the help of alumni made the construction possible.
who worked on the construction of the new house during the summer were: Ernie Germano, Ken Christie, Dave Cole, Russell Neydl, Chris Small, and Rahul Agarwal. They became known as the summer work crew. These men were inexperienced in the construction of a house but they soon, through many mistakes and much practice, became very knowledgeable.
When school reopened in September the skeleton of the house and the roof were complete. Construction slowed because of classes, but the brothers spent all their spare time at the house working on the structure. During the Christmas break and after six months of construction, the brothers moved into the new house. All chapter belongings and personal belongings were in the new house by the start of the spring semester.
The new house was bare. There was no carpeting, paneling, or paint throughout the house. All decorating of the individual rooms were done by the brothers. Every room was different and reflected the individuality of the members. Although the new house is less in square footage than the old house, the superior design by architect Donald Banton gave the brothers much more usable space.
In 1974 the chapter was awarded the Grand High Alpha Award by the National Fraternity. This is the National=s highest award.
May 3, 1975 was dedication day for the new chapter house of Kappa Sigma Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha. Ceremonies were held on parent=s weekend and a very large crown made up of brothers, parents, students, University officials, and members of the community gathered in front of the new house to hear Brother George Dirghalli of the National Fraternity deliver the major address at the ribbon cutting ceremony. A reception followed the ceremony along with numerous tours of the magnificent accomplishment of the brothers.
During the next couple of years the men of Lambda Chi Alpha were not only kept busy with their normal activities but they were also kept busy with finishing the new house.
In the spring of 1978, Kappa Sigma Zeta went through a major change. Pressure was put on the chapter by the National Fraternity to change the Pledge program to rid it of all remaining hazing activities. After weeks and many long meetings the chapter outlined its' new Associate Member Program, which was based on Fraternity Education.
The men of Lambda Chi Alpha in 1978 won for the 6th consecutive year the St. Pat=s float competition. The spring class of associate members that was responsible for winning the competition was one of the largest classes the chapter had seen. The 28 new brothers helped raise the total membership to 108 men.
Throughout the late 1970's Lambda Chi continued to sponsor the annual faculty/administration wine and cheese party. In the fall of 1979 the brothers started a A Run For Cancer to raise money for the American Cancer Society. For the first three years of the run more than $1,500.00 was raised for the charity.
During the 1980's Kappa Sigma Zeta struggled to comply with the National=s strict anti-hazing, and non alcohol policies but was unable to compete on a fair ground with the other Greeks on the Alfred campus. Numbers dropped to t low 32 brothers. Other Greeks experienced drops in members also but none as great as us.
In the Fall 1992 the National Fraternity suspended the chapter of the active chapter of Kappa Sigma Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha for violations of their risk management policies. This was the first time in its 80 year history that the fraternity was shut down. After much confusion and a meeting of the Alumni Association the then suspended brothers were allowed to return to the Chapter House to complete the semester. A head resident was appointed to stay in the house to make sure that all rules and policies were followed. At the end of the fall semester the Chapter House was boarded up and shut down while awaiting the decision of the Alumni Association.
In January, 1993 and emergency meeting of the Alumni Association was held in the party room of the Chapter House. It was a very emotional meeting for all involved. Seeing the Chapter House all boarded up and the destruction that was in the house brought tears to many brothers. The meeting was attended by the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association and many brothers. Up to the date of the meeting the Association was not sure of the future of the Fraternity or the Chapter House. But, with the backing of the University and their desire for Lambda Chi to return to the Alfred Campus and the energy of the Alumni we knew that we would return.
The outcome of the meeting was 1) have a few students live in the house for free, this was to assure that the building would not be vandalized. 2) Have Mark Schneckenberger prepare a list of repairs that would be needed to put the house back into livable condition. He was to work with Joe Fasano, a Delta Sig brother and a local contractor who had agreed to act as General Contractor. 3) Mark O'Meara was to begin seeking a new mortgage on the house with the guarantee of the University. The mortgage was to be in the amount of $160,000.00. $100,000.00 for the renovation of the Chapter House and $60,000.00 to pay off the original mortgage.
The Alumni left the house that weekend with a very positive attitude. The next meeting was scheduled for Hot Dog Weekend.
On Hot Dog Weekend many alumni returned to the closed Chapter House to help determine the future. Things had progressed. A list had been started for the renovation and negotiations were well under way for a new mortgage. Unfortunately things were not moving ahead fast enough. The brothers in charge had a lot on their plates and were pretty burnt from the initial shutdown. Due to their long distance and tight business schedule Mark O=Meara and Gary DelRegno stepped down from office. They remained as board members but were unable to dedicate the time that was needed. Steve Coleman took on the position as President and Mitch Feldman took on the position as Treasurer.
It was stressed at the meeting that things had to get going quickly. We were only two months away from foreclosure and if we were to get the building rented we had to be complete with the renovation by August 1, 1993. The clock was ticking and it was ticking loudly.
Things did begin to move quickly. By mid June the renovation was well under way. The six week project took eight weeks. When all was done $100,000.00 was spent and all bathrooms were new, all rooms had new carpet, paneling, ceilings, furniture and window blinds. The electric system was brought up to specs, much insulation was added to the attics, many windows were repaired and much needed repairs were done on the entire house. The renovations were paid for by a bridge loan provided to us by Alfred University. This bridge load was later repaid when the new mortgage was completed.
The entire renovation was completed by August 3, 1993. An Open House was held on August 3rd and all University faculty and administration were invited along with many local officials. Tours of the newly renovated house were given and a buffet lunch was had. Once again Lambda Chi Alpha had put on a class function. The only thing left was to rent the rooms. Having only 3 weeks left until the students returned to campus we had no reservations. After visiting the facility, Hank Ford, who was in charge to the sports Graduate Assistants requested that we reserve 12 spaces for his graduate students. This number eventually grew to 21. We had obtained a 95% occupancy rate. We were happy.
The Alumni Association decided to keep a Head Resident on the premises. This was our contact to make sure that things were taken care of and the house was maintained.
Now that the Association had the house occupied and the financial stability of the Association had been secured for the next year it was time for the Association to focus its energies on the next phase. That was to build up relations with the University and the National. At Homecoming 1993 the Association announced a strategic plan to re-colonize in 1997. This plan was very aggressive but we felt that we could obtain it.
As relations with the National and the University were being built, the Alumni Association secured its second year tenants. Kappa Sigma Fraternity, a newly formed Fraternity on the Alfred Campus rented the entire house and guaranteed the Association an occupancy level of 24. This lease was renewed three more years thus securing the financial stability of the Alumni Association through the spring of 1998.
With the help of Paul Kingsbury, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs of Alfred University we were able to keep abreast of the rapid changes that were taking place within the Greek system at Alfred. These changes helped to bring about an environment that was conducive to the type of environment that the national would return to. Many conversations between the Alumni Association, LCA National and the University helped to set the stage for the National=s first trip to the Alfred Campus.
Homecoming 1995 marked the 85th Anniversary of our Fraternity. Even though our chapter was inactive it was thought to be important that we acknowledge the event. A reception was hosted by the Alumni Association in the newly opened Powell Campus Center. Many members of the Faculty and administration attended including several brothers. This was not the only event that took place that weekend. Tom Helmbock, Executive Vice President of Lambda Chi Alpha National Fraternity and Rev. S. George Dirghalli, former Grand High Alpha of Lambda Chi Alpha National Fraternity attended the weekend. The weekend started out with a meeting between the University, Alumni Association, and the National Fraternity. In attendance were President Ed Coll, Dean Brody, Dean of Student Affairs, and Paul Kingsbury, Assistant Dean from the University and Steve Coleman, President and Mitch Feldman, Treasurer from the Alumni Association. National Fraternity representatives included Tom Helmbock and Rev. S. George Dirghalli.
The meeting was very successful. All parties came away with complete trust and respect. It had been decided that Kappa Sigma Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha would re-colonize in the Spring of 1996.
As Spring 1996 approached the University announced that the re-colonization would have to be postponed for 1 year. This postponement was met with much disappointment. The decision was made due to the reactions of the other Greeks. They felt it was not time. The University assured us that the postponement would be only 1 year.
This postponement allowed the Alumni Association to be even more prepared. The Association developed a poster campaign along with a series of ads for the Fiat Lux. We were to be even more prepared than ever.
Throughout the inactive period of the Chapter the Alumni Association became stronger than ever. The Association continued to meet twice each year in the Nevins Theater. They developed a mentor program to help prepare the brothers of the undergraduate chapter become good actives.
The men of Lambda Chi have always played an important part in the University. It was the men of Lambda Chi that started what is now known as Spring Parents Weekend. Hot Dog Day which was started by Mark O'Meara in 1973, is a major weekend in the Spring which sponsors many social events and a carnival to help raise funds for Alfred Community Charities.
Many Lambda Chi's have become members of the faculty at Alfred University. Other brothers have served the University by being members of the Board of Trustees, and volunteers of the Admissions Program.
Lambda Chi Will once again be one of the most respected Fraternal organizations on the Alfred Campus.
In the Spring of 1997 with the help of the National Fraternity an aggressive advertising campaign was launched by the Alumni Association. Ads in the Fiat Lux and multi colored posters were placed around the campus advertising the return of Lambda Chi Alpha. With all of the work put in by all the numbers were not what was expected. Originally the National was predicting 30 men to start the colony. Unfortunately we got only 7. Although the numbers were low the quality was the best. We could not have asked for a better group of men to get Lambda Chi back on its feet. The first seven brothers, James Altizer, Steve Winn, Greg Allen, Oren Kuhn, Tom Skopayko, Jamie Rigoni, and Don Howard all knew what it meant to be a Lambda Chi Alpha brother.
One of the main reasons that we did not get the numbers that we had hoped for was because of the false start the previous year. Most of the campus was skeptical about our return and did not think that the group would actually get started.. Well, these seven new brothers were going to change that.
Lambda Chi's presence was quickly felt on the Alfred Campus. IFC knew we were back and that we were a force that they would have to deal with and bend to. IFC tried excluding us from their group but we kept coming back until the ruling was made that we were there to stay.
The Alfred community also felt the presence of the Fraternity. In the Fall semester 1997 the colony collected over 2300 pounds of food for the Nationals annual food drive. The whole campus was involved with donations and the competition to win a pizza party for the dorm that collected the most food. The Fraternity also adopted a stretch of highway on Route 17 for the Adopt -a - Highway program. Jointly with Delta Zeta sorority they won the Homecoming sign competition, and the entire fraternity was involved in several other campus organizations such as Fiat Lux, Yearbook, Alpha Phi Omega and many other organizations.
As the semester wound down Lambda Chi Alpha won yet another battle with the Greek System. Lambda Chi Alpha National fraternity's policy on association was an open one. Meaning that a man can be associated into the fraternity at any time during the semester instead of Alfred's traditional once each semester. Well, the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs overruled the IFC decision not to allow the rolling association because he felt that their decision was one that would not let the houses grow and succeed. So, once again the fraternity won another battle with the IFC.
In the Fall of 1998 the colony became stronger. Their presence on the Alfred Campus was well known. In a short period of time they had become one of the most respected groups. Their community service was outstanding as was their grades. The colony still struggled to get their numbers. Being both without a house and boasting an associate membership program the colony had to struggle to get new members.
Throughout the 1997/1998 academic year the colony fought to gain members. In the Spring of 1998 the announcement was made that Lambda Chi would once again occupy "The House That Brotherhood Built". With this announcement and the hard work of the colony membership began to rise. The prospect of having a house and being off campus again gave some new fuel to the colony.
During the summer of 1998 the Alumni Association pumped another $20,000.00 into the house to complete the renovations. New floors were put in throughout the party room and old chapter room along with new stairs on the front hill. The Kitchen received new appliances where needed. Several brothers stayed in Alfred through the summer to help clean and paint the entire interior of the house along with lots of yard work. A new fooz ball table, Pool Table, Big screen TV and a few pin ball machines were purchased for the brothers enjoyment. The presence of alcohol was not to be found in the house with the exception of the private rooms if the occupants were of legal drinking age.
During the next two years the colony continued to get stronger. They were still having problems meeting the nationals' membership requirement. Although having the house back was a plus for recruitment the actives found it hard to keep up with it financially. They were unable to provide the necessary 24 occupants to keep the house financially in the black.
Finally, at the semi-annual meeting of the Alumni Association on Hot Dog weekend 2000 a vote was taken by the Board of Directors to sell the house. The Association had exhausted its reserves paying the bills for a building that was only 75% occupied.
The Board decided that it was in the best interest of the Alumni Association and the Actives to sell the house. The House that brotherhood built had now become a thorn in our side. With this decision the Board also decided that it would be better not to let this news out to the public until after graduation. The announcement was made after graduation in May. The Association scrambled to find a buyer. Since the Greek system was not that strong there were not to many options. Finally after two months of showing the house and exploring our options (including selling to the University) we entered into two weeks of heavy negotiations with Kappa Sigma Fraternity (prior tenants of the house during our suspension).
The basic deal was that we would hold the mortgage until they could obtain one from a bank or the University and they would basically be responsible for all aspects of the operating of the house. The deal was made and the papers were drawn up. In the back of our minds we felt that with us holding the mortgage there was always the possibility that we could get the house back if Kappa Sigma defaulted. It was a long shot but it was a possibility.
Now that the house was no longer a burden on either the Alumni Association or the Colony we were able to get back to business. The colony got stronger and actually met the membership requirements of the National and earned its charter back one year later. Kappa Sigma met it's contractual requirements for the next two years.
In February, 2002 a ZBT brother was found dead in the creek behind their house on Main Street. His death was believed to be caused by a beating from his brothers. This prompted the Board of Trustees of Alfred University to form a Trustee Task Force to determine if the Greek System should continue. In May of 2002 the report was released and the outcome was THE ABOLISHMENT OF THE GREEK SYSTEM AT ALFRED UNIVERSITY. After 92 years of serving the Alfred Community and struggling to come back to an unfriendly climate Lambda Chi Alpha was once again to be shut down.
The University allowed those groups in good standing to continue to operate until the last member graduated as long as they followed the rules. Rules that should have been enforced several years back. Kappa Sigma Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha continued its operations until the end of the Spring semester of 2003.
When the announcement was made of the abolishment of the Greek system Mitch Feldman contacted Kappa Sigma Fraternity to find out what their game plan was. It was stressed to them that it was not a good idea for either party to let the actives occupy the house from that point on. Kappa Sigma agreed and defaulted on the mortgage and turned everything back to us during the summer of 2002. As soon as we got the house back we contacted the University and within hours negotiated a buyout. We knew we would not be able to keep the house financially. If we defaulted on our mortgage the University would be able to come in and take it from us. So we had to move quick.
By Mid July several Alumni went up to the house to salvage whatever we could. At that point AU assumed all responsibilities of the house and the property and agreed to take over the mortgage. The entire deal took almost one full year to be completed. Once completed in April 2003 the Alumni Association was released from all obligations in regards to the house and the land lease. We also received a sum of $50,000.00 from the University for the house.
The alumni association will continue to operate as an alumni association. Its prime goal is to help brothers of Eta Phi Gamma, Theta Kappa Nu and Lambda Chi Alpha from Alfred University maintain their bonds and continue to grow them and create new ones.



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