Chapter History

The history of the Delta-Xi Zeta began with the meeting of two transfer students in August of 1990. Both were brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha at their previous schools. In order to attract new members, they held "Lambda Chi Alpha Night" at Quigley's, a local bar in the area. They were able to attract a number of "members" and even held associate member ceremonies.

In 1991, the national fraternity was notified of the existence of the interest group at GWU.

On November 1, 1991, Lambda Chi Alpha recognized the new colony here at the George Washington University, the 300th campus that Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity entered.

The academic year of 1991-1992 saw a frustrated membership working out the direction that the fraternity would take. The many different opinions and personalities threatened to tear the colony apart. The decision to disband was made in the spring of 1992.

Fortunately, with the dedication of a few members, the chapter survived the spring and began the fall semester with eight brothers and one associate member. Throughout the fall of 1992, Colony 272 worked on getting its administrative and social policies in working order. The colony also worked to increase its numbers, establishing connections with eight prospective members who would later join in the spring.

Unfortunately, the national fraternity did not know about the eight new prospective members, and a representative was sent to the chapter to end the colonization effort at GWU. At the chapter meeting, the representative was ready to announce the decision to end the colony when the additional members walked in. At that point, he switched his plans and instead gave a speech on chapter recruitment. The colony was saved once again.

After a relatively uneventful period, the chapter began to see marked improvement during the spring of 1994. Brothers worked hard to organize chapter operations in a meaningful way. Rush was strong and members were getting ready for the fall.

Fall 1994 turned out to be the strongest semester yet. Brothers were beginning to feel a sense of pride in being Lambda Chis as the fraternity associated 12 men. The colony's intramural teams began to succeed. The food drive goals were met. The colony was strong and it was time to be chartered.

After the association of three new members, the colony submitted the application to be chartered in April 1995. It was approved that month. The colony was formally recognized as the Delta-Xi Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. The chapter was chartered on September 9, 1995.

After the chartering, the chapter floundered. There had always been a goal, to be chartered. Now that the goal had been reached, there was only one question being asked. "Now What?"

Only five members were associated in Spring 1996. The strong policies that had been developed prior to chartering fell away. There was no direction and no leadership. We were solidly in our Post-Chartering Slump.

In order to work its way out of the slump, the chapter needed a goal. During the fall of 1996, that goal was unveiled: The Dean's Award. The Dean's Award for Superlative Chapter Achievement is the highest honor GWU can bestow on a fraternity. Lambda Chi had never won the award and was a highly unlikely candidate to do so.

Lofty chapter goals were agreed upon and, with the hard work of members, they began to be reached. The chapter held its first Watermelon Fest in Fall 1997, and the Food Drive met its goal of 2000 pounds of food. The semester also saw a mixer with Alpha Delta Pi sorority at Halloween and a semi-formal. The chapter continued into the spring with another Watermelon Fest, a mixer with Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and a formal.

In April 1998, the chapter was rewarded for its hard work. Delta-Xi Zeta was awarded the Dean's Award and was praised by the Office of Greek Affairs and the Dean of Students Office for its continued excellence. This was the fastest any new chapter had ever received so high an award from GWU.

The fall 1998 semester saw another huge milestone in the chapter's history with the chapter associating its 100th member. The social program included a Halloween Date Party, a semi-formal, as well as mixers with Sigma Delta Tau sorority, Delta Gamma sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma sorority, and the Mount Vernon Campus. The chapter extended its philanthropic activities to include participation in the Diabetes Walk and Santa's Calling, and the food drive reached its goal of 5,000 pounds.

Because of excellent risk management policies and a strong social program not centered on alcohol, the chapter was awarded a $10,000 educational grant from Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity. Fall 1999 saw another great beginning for the chapter. Fifteen members were associated, the food drive raised 8100 pounds of food, and the intramural football team earned its first postseason win in chapter history.

In 2002, Delta-Xi Zeta reached one of its greatest acheivements with the reception of the Grand High Alpha Award. This award is given out to only three chapters every year for outstanding chapter operations in every part of the fraternity from fraternity education to community service.