LYCOMING COLLEGE MAGAZINE • SPRING :™Il -'

1 50 Years of Fraternity Life. From hitting a record Bruce Benson '51 was one of the men who led the high of 400,000 mem- effort to convert Lambda Phi bers nationwide, into Lambda Chi. Benson, along with many others in fraternity membership the fraternity, were veterans has plunged as much taking advantage of the GI as 30% in the past Bill. Their interest in joining Lambda Chi was spurred in decade, according to a no small part by two of their January 7, 2000, advisors, T. Sherman article in The Stanford (who served as s registrar) S. and William Chronicle of Higher Hoffman, dean of instruction, Education. Of both of whom were Lambda Fraternity Chi members. "A lot of us had seen what closing of the Life at fraternities were like at TheLycoming College sixties and the literary society, it Lycoming Bucknell," says Benson. The chapter of Theta Chi seventies were the was a local social addition of fraternities was in 1998 came about idealists. The Gen- College organization part of the overall transition through a steady decline in X group who dating back to ^^^ the institution was experienc- student interest. A decade reached college —^^ 1905. But it ing as it redefined itself from earlier, the Lycoming chapter campuses in the wasn't the kind of a junior college to full of Sigma Pi had its charter eighties and nineties were the national fraternity other college status, Benson pulled by its national individualists, a cohort that colleges had. believes. headquarters for infractions showed less interest in Lambda Phi, organized At first Lambda Chi was that typified the fraternity fraternity life. itself in 1949 as a local hou.sed in Eveland Hall (The scene in the late 1980s. To a certain extent, fraternity, then petitioned to Angel Factory). When the Alpha Sigma Phi closed its fraternity life at Lycoming become affiliated with College acquired a house on campus chapter in 1997 has paralleled tho.se changes Lambda Chi Alpha. It Franklin Street, Lambda Chi as a result of financial over the past 50 years. received its charter in May 16. was allowed to move in. difficulties. 1 95 1 . to secure the honor of While social life was Yet hundreds of The Beginning becoming Lycoming's first important, the young Lycoming College alumni Fraternities arrived at national fraternity. Only 14 fraternity had no real place to count their association with a Lycoming College at about days later. Theta Pi Pi suc- have parties; but they did fraternity or sorority (the the same time as the institu- ceeded in becoming affiliated have picnics to which Greeks) as the best part of tion became a four-year with the national fraternity women were in\ited. their ct)llcge experience. college. Theta Pi Pi was Kappa Delta Rho. becoming Although many fraterni- David Bliley '62 thinks of already there. Originally a the second fraternity. ties of that period at other Kappa Delta Rho and colleges were considered Lycoming College together. elite groups, Benson says He echoes the sentiments of that fraternities at Lycoming five decades of fraternity had no such illusions. "We men. "If I hadn't had the were all from the same social opportunity to connect with strata, most of us worked as KDR. I would have missed w alters in the dining hall." an intportant experience jin And the cost of fraternity life college]." was modest. The dues. Kevin Mayciix, the Benson thinks for a moment, national executive director of were 75 cents per month. Tau Kappa Epsilon. looks at I hey used the money to have the history of fraternities as a ^^ '^(^ «**'' «.^<»^ ^ 1^ membership cards and cyclical phenomenon. stationery printed. "We Members of the World War II wanted to think of ourselves generation were the joiners. 3Si!f4Sr-^ as so|iliisticatcd." The boomers who reached fraternity age in the mid- F E A T U R K lACOMINtl COLLEGE MAGA/.IM-. • SPRING :i«)l of \()linilccr fire Alpha Phi Omega departments. More than half of Chi Rho Pi I!ni9 5051 the men on Beta Kappa Upsilon campus, esti- 51 mates Fultz, were Alpha Gamma Upsilon members of a Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. Beer, at least beer on Delta Psi Omega campus, was not 48 5J Lambda Phi Alpha the draw. 51 Methodism at Lambda Chi Alpha that time meant Phi Mu Delta the total absti- 68 nence of alcohol. Tau Kappa Epsilon •- No student, no Theta Pi Pi matter what age, was pennitted to Kappa Delta Rho drink on or off Zeta Delta Kappa campus. This did not Sigma Pi prevent the Zeta Tau Beta Sigma Pi brothers of the Theta Chi 1950s from grabbing a case 45-50 1 50-55 1 55-60 1 60-65 1 65-70 1 70-75 1 75-80 1 80-85 1 85-90 1 90-95 1 95-00 1 00-05 of beer or a keg and heading for a cabin up the Loyalsock. One The 1950s -Growth, the fraternities by providing buy and maintain their own of the cabin parties that Abstinence, and housing—first in Bradley houses. occuned while Dan Fultz was a Hand from the and Old Main, then in Fraternal organizations of fraternity president made College neighborhood houses owned all kinds were very strong in enough of an impression on a by the College, and finally in the 1950s, Fultz observes. neighbor that she reported the Dan Fultz '57 became a East Hall, a residence hall This was the age of the incident to President Wertz. Sigma Pi brother almost by built in 1962 to house Masons, the accident. In his freshman fraternities. Had the College Knights of year, he was assigned to not done so, fraternity and. Columbus, Bradley Hall whose top two later, sorority life could not granges floors were occupied by the have happened because the and social Sigma Pi fraternity. He Hedging groups had neither auxiliaries gravitated to this particular the membership nor alumni group of friends. support to From the beginning, the College gave a boost to hours of the day," remembers Bliley. "But that [no alcohol policy] wasn't a downer for me. We had great parties without drinking." Richard Erickson '65 a Theta Chi brother, echoes the same sentiments. "Because we could not have alcohol, we had to be more creative in making our parties interesting." Much to the When Bruce IralL-rnity's emban-ass- Patterson '65 arrived on menl. the niembers of campus in September Sigma Pi were put on 1961, there were five social probation. national social fraterni- Thiny years later ties on campus. Two when Dan Fultz. as were located in campus- well as two of his owned fraternity houses Sigma Pi brothers, were while the other three were serving on the Board of gave us a home. It gave us a "After my first year," says located in campus buildings. Trustees, the incident came place to hang our hat, leave David Bliley "62, "I knew I Lambda Chi Alpha was back to haunt him. Cleaning our books and eat our lunch. wanted to be connected to a housed in Old Main. out old files. President It made us part of the society with a much stronger That was to change as the Douthat found a copy of the campus." vision." Bliley decided on College had to tear down the letter from President Wertz to Certainly pail of the sense KDR because of KDR houses that had been each member of Sigma Pi of belonging came from biother Jay McCormick '60 occupied by fraternities to putting them on social having to endure a variety of who acted as a mentor. He build two new residence probation and the responding ha/ing stunts. moved into "The Gray halls, Asbury and Skeath, letter froin a young Fult/,. While fraternities were Ghost," an old three-story needed to accommodate a President Douthat delighted not inclined to perpetrate Colonial on Franklin Street, growing student body. in reminding the Sigma Pi hazing stunts on former home to about 25 members. Each fraternity had a alumni of their own marines like Dan Fultz, they In the basement of the house distinct personality. KDR, Lyct)ming years by sending were peifectly willing to was a series of caves for says Patterson, was long them a copy of the letters. make 18-year-olds like Dave cooling beer, leftover from known to be the campus Heiney stay its days as part "jock house" with most of its • 1960s Making awake for four of the Flock members participating in at the College a days, spending Brewery. least one varsity sport. Community at least one As social One year, in the sixties, the I96()s. fraternities night of it chairman of By the 50 brothers earned in an integral part of sitting naked on KDR, Bliley were excess of 70 varsity letters student life at Lycoming. a large cake of helped to and KDR, with its strong This was the time that ice. "At that organize the athletic roots, was the evolving from time it was fiui; social pro- Lycoming was perennial winner of the college to a it was a lot of grams and the a commuter highly touted Intramural diversified residential nonsense, but il parties that Trophy. Because of this, the campus. Fraternities pro- was fun." were held a telephone in the KDR house vehicle through Heiney, who couple of times vided a was traditionally answered and went on to earn each month. which commuting "KDR-House of Champi- students could a Ph.D.. found Bliley was resident ons," says Patterson.

Load more