Guys join a college fraternity for many reasons, but the most frequent, often unrecognized, “is the need to belong.” Guys headed off to college are facing big adjustments- managing money, living on their own, paying bills, keeping a schedule, finding a place to live, starting a new social network, and more. A fraternity provides a living support system to meet those needs.
At Lambda Chi men create and belong to a brotherhood, and that is no exaggeration. Men living in a fraternity relationship are highly likely to meet their life long best friends there. At college, they share a room, take the same classes, study together, discuss the “big issues” of life, help each other in times of problems, and party side by side. The bond created is impossible to explain, but it is very real. As life progresses, they may share apartments at first jobs, work at the same employer, and be groomsmen in each other’s weddings. When life’s challenging moments occur, as they always do, it’s fraternity brothers who are there to support. The guys call each other “brother” and they mean it. Lambda Chi is nor for 4 years, it is for life. It is a bond that transcends time and place.
Lambda Chi and Academics
The primary reason for attending college is to grow in knowledge and experience to prepare for a career. At Lambda Chi, we put primarily emphasis on academics. In Fall 2022, the House GPA was 3.35. In Spring 2023, GPA rose to 3.45! Over 50% of the brothers have overall GPA’s of 3.5 or better. That is amazing and ranks Alpha Omicron Chapter in the top 10 Greek Houses at IU.
Each Spring we hold a scholarship awards dinner to recognize the top grade brothers. The Alpha Omicron Educational Foundation has awarded over $500,000 in scholarships to our IU brothers.
Academic success is not by accident. As Lambda Chi recruits new members, careful attention is paid to past academic performance. We want guys who work hard at getting good grades. Initiation into the brotherhood requires a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, and any brother falling below 2.8 GPA is placed on academic suspension.
We recognize that freshmen and sophomores may need support. We have a scholarship officer who sole duties are helping guys get good grades. Study tables are mandatory multiple times each week, to help guys focus but also pair up with a brother who can help. Guys freely share what they have learned in classes, so the newer brothers can benefit from that experience. Lambda Chi wants, and expects its brothers to be successful at IU, and we support that endeavor.
Lambda Chi and Career Development
Parents and students expect the college experience to provide a leg-up in the job market. At Lambda Chi we take that expectation to heart by providing career developing resources. Alpha Omicron has a vast reservoir of alumni who are teachers, physicians, business owners, lawyers, accountants, venture capital experts, sales professionals, CEO’s and literally every vocation imaginable. We work to make that resource available to the brothers.
Just a few months ago we created an AO LinkedIn site and it already has over 300 members. In Spring 2023 an alum with decades of experience teaching interviewing skills conducted a workshop on interviewing techniques. For the academic year 2023-24, a Kelley School graduate alum who started his own financial services business is coordinating regular round table sessions for careers to include finance, law, entrepreneurship and business management. Alums who have excelled in these professions will be the presenters.
We have a mentoring program with each officer paired with an alum to support the officer’s fraternity duties, but also his long term career objectives. The program was developed, and is managed, by an AO alum with his Phd in education and is an IU Distinguished School of Ed graduate. The AO Alumni Advisory Board and Housing Corporation Board are composed of 16 Lambda Chi alums and include business owners, CPA’s, building contractors, private equity executives, teachers, IU staff, sales professionals, IT specialists and attorneys. These men interact with the undergraduates on a constant basis as role models and resources. At Lambda Chi we take career development of our brothers seriously.
- Dave Miller
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