2017 Spring Expansions
As students return to their schools and a new semester kicks off, new and exciting things are happening within Lambda Chi Alpha. The 2017 spring semester brings two expansions and one recolonization, all three set to invigorate prospective new members.
When looking to expand our fraternity, expansion staff first look at the campus and the overall success factor. There are many questions that must be asked in this process, such as, “Are we going to have support from alumni and volunteers?”, “Do we have a supportive university, which means dedicated fraternity and sorority life staff?”, and “What’s the climate of the academic community?”. Once a university is deemed to be a nurturing environment for a new chapter, the real fun can begin. Check out the locations where Lambda Chi Alpha will be colonizing and returning to next.
Johnson and Wales University, Providence
The story of Lambda Chi Alpha at Johnson and Wales University began with the Charlotte campus, primarily a culinary campus. Because of the great success seen with this chapter, Chris Buck, Associate Director of Expansion, and his team will be setting up shop on the main campus in Providence. With a culinary component which the team hopes to tap into, Buck says that the campus is ready for expansion and has the room for it.
Uniquely, the colony in Providence already has 10 men committed, with the hopes that staff will be able to hand out bids the first day, something that almost never happens.
What the ELCs assigned to this project are saying
“I think this expansion gives us a unique opportunity to expand to a school that is outside of the ordinary. JWUP furthers the diversity of our organization, expanding the networking opportunities that Lambda Chi Alpha gives to our brothers. Providence will also give Lambda Chi Alpha the opportunity to help young men grow into the type of person they want to be.”-Nick Gafron
“I’m really looking forward to being in Providence. Not only will this be the second expansion project that Nick and I will have the opportunity to work on together, but we are going in with a better vision of how we are going to get the job done. We were able to have a successful semester in Buffalo this past fall despite our lack of experience, so I am very excited to see what type of impact our colony at Johnson and Wales is going to have on the campus and in the Providence community.”-Mike Weiner
What Chris Buck is saying
“We actually tried something new where I went this semester with Marcus Kelley (Associate Director of Education) and we spent a few days on the ground and tried to recruit and find potential candidates ahead of time to build some momentum, so that was really helpful and we will definitely be doing that going forward.”
Houston Baptist University
There has never been a chapter at Houston Baptist University, however the number of alumni in the area is one of the largest in the country. Because of this overwhelming support, beginning a colony on this campus made sense. The small, faith-based community will work well with the values of Lambda Chi, says Buck.
Staff are fortunate to have an alumnus on the board of trustees, as well as some alumni who work on staff for the university.
What the ELCs assigned to this project are saying
“Being from New England, this will be my first trip to Texas, and I am ready for an awesome experience. I am beyond excited to create a colony that will deliver a premier fraternity experience to undergraduate men at HBU.”-Nick Catalano
“Nick and I are excited to join the Houston Baptist Greek community. I am looking forward to finding the highest-caliber men that HBU has to offer and inviting them to become founding fathers of the newest Lambda Chi Alpha colony!”-Dylan Bateman
What Chris Buck is saying
“One of the interesting and unexpected things is that we have had a number of students reach out to us in advance saying, ‘I want to be a Lambda Chi founding father, when you guys get here, please call me, what do we need to do’, so that’s been really positive.”
North Texas
North Texas will serve as the only recolonization this semester, the former chapter closing in 2011. As with Houston Baptist University, a large amount of alumni have had a hand in the expansion efforts already.
This expansion has had one of the highest turnouts the fraternity has ever had for alumni and advisory board trainees. With around 40 expressing interest, a solid 18 alumni have completed training.
What the ELCs assigned to this project are saying
“After having a full semester’s experience under my belt, I’m ecstatic to be bringing back Lambda Chi Alpha to the University of North Texas. This will be a great opportunity from my prior endeavors to benefit not only the men at North Texas, but the entirety of the General Fraternity.”-Taylor Krivas
“I am looking forward to restarting the colony at North Texas to engage both alumni brothers and current undergraduates. I believe that we have the opportunity to build a strong colony, due to the support from active alumni, campus, and headquarters staff.”-Chris Pockette
What Chris Buck is saying
“Going back to a campus is always interesting. I think the campus has made a lot of changes and we have spent enough time away from campus. It’s a huge school that is growing so there is so much room for us to be a part of the community again.”
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As with past expansions, the fraternity is now at a point where there are many drastic changes and drastic improvements being made for the betterment of the fraternity as a whole. Buck and his staff are looking forward to an intense, rewarding semester and everything that comes along the way.
“Expansions are just fun,” said Buck. “I tell everyone that we have the best department and it’s because we get to do the fun stuff. We get to go out and find the guys who are so excited about Lambda Chi, it’s brand new to them, they still have that twinkle in their eye, and they just want to have the best experience and give Lambda Chi their all.”
To find out more about expansions, click here.
