The vacated Lambda Chi Alpha house on Sunset Drive shortly after the fraternity was suspended in January 2017. Collegian file photo.
JESSICA LEE | Editor-in-Chief | jelee2@butler.edu
Lambda Chi Alpha will return to Butler University in time to recruit sophomores, juniors and seniors in the fall. They will participate in formal recruitment in January 2020.
The fraternity was suspended by Lambda’s international headquarters after a conduct review resulted in the board of directors voting to close the chapter in January 2017. Six incidents from fall 2016 sparked the conduct review. The suspension was effective immediately, and the house was not expected to return until spring 2021.
“We are excited to rejoin the Butler community and are optimistic we will be a real asset to campus,” Tad Lichtenauer, Lambda Chi Alpha’s international director of communications, said in Butler’s news release. “Recruiting the right young men who are focused on academics, giving back, extracurriculars and who understand the importance of leadership and service are what we are pushing.”
Lambda will move to the vacant property on West Hampton Drive between the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house and Beta Lane in January 2021. They plan to tear down the empty Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house that currently sits there.
A rendering of what a new Lambda Chi Alpha house could look like on the abandoned TKE property. Photos obtained by the Collegian.
In this agreement, Butler will gain the current Lambda house and adjacent land on Sunset Avenue located across the street from the parking garage and within a short walking distance to both the HRC and Hinkle Fieldhouse. The land will be used for future campus development, although there are no plans at this time.
“Butler emphasizes the holistic well-being of all students through BU Be Well,” Frank Ross, vice president of student affairs, said in the same news release. “This was a perfect opportunity to bring back a fraternity that was a part of Butler’s community, while also underscoring our commitment to the high standards of academic and social integrity that we expect for all Greek organizations.”
In October 2018, Butler was in talks with the international chapter of Lambda regarding their return. At that time, there was no formal agreement on their return.
Kent Rollison, treasurer of Lambda house corporation, said there have been ongoing discussions about reopening the chapter almost immediately after their suspension.
“They’ve been talking about the right timing ever since then,” Rollison said. “The last month or so, Butler and the international headquarters thought it was the right time.”
The Collegian will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.
