Delta Lambda Phi
Encyclopedia
Delta Lambda Phi is a national social fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...

 for gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

, bisexual, and progressive men. It offers a social environment and structure similar to other Greek-model college fraternities. Delta Lambda Phi was founded on October 15, 1986 by Vernon L. Strickland III in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and incorporated in the same city on September 10, 1987. It is currently one of the fastest growing fraternities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Purposes

The three purposes of the fraternity are:
  • To develop dignified and purposeful social, service, and recreational activities for progressive men, irrespective of sexual orientation;
  • To lead in determining the rights and privileges of individuals in society; and,
  • To present a strong and positive image which respects the diversity of all individuals, irrespective of sexual orientation
    Sexual orientation
    Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...

    .

Membership

Delta Lambda Phi's membership is open to all men whether they are gay, bisexual, or straight.

There are three types of chapters: campus-based, multi-campus based and community based. To be eligible to join a campus or multi-campus based chapter or colony of Delta Lambda Phi, a candidate must live in close proximity to an active chapter or colony and be a male at least 18 years of age and a student at the college or university where the Chapter is recognized. Individual chapters may adopt additional membership requirements based on student status, as well as other policies set by their university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

 or by their own membership. Community-based chapters, on the other hand, do not require their members to be students.

Like most social fraternities, rushing and pledging (new member training) are integral parts of the DLP experience. Once Pledges complete their training, full brotherhood is conferred. Once a Brother, the DLP experience becomes centered on social, service, and recreational activities, as well as recruitment and training of new members. Delta Lambda Phi strictly prohibits hazing and adheres to an extensive, nationwide Risk Management Policy.

Symbols and traditions

The fraternity's mascot is the Lambda Centaur
Centaur
In Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...

, which is modeled after Chiron
Chiron
In Greek mythology, Chiron was held to be the superlative centaur among his brethren.-History:Like the satyrs, centaurs were notorious for being wild and lusty, overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, given to violence when intoxicated, and generally uncultured delinquents...

, the son of Cronus
Cronus
In Greek mythology, Cronus or Kronos was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky...

 and Philyra
Philyra
- Oceanid :In Greek mythology, Philyra was an Oceanid, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Chiron was her son by Cronus. When she gave birth to her son, she was so disgusted by how he looked that she abandoned him at birth. She was the goddess of perfume, writing, healing, beauty and paper...

, and the only immortal centaur. Unlike other centaurs in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

, who were regarded as bestial and monsterous, Chiron was gentle and wise. He was famed as the tutor of Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....

, Asclepius
Asclepius
Asclepius is the God of Medicine and Healing in ancient Greek religion. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia , Iaso , Aceso , Aglæa/Ægle , and Panacea...

, Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...

, Jason
Jason
Jason was a late ancient Greek mythological hero from the late 10th Century BC, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus...

, Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...

, and others. After his death, Chiron became the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Sagittarius
Sagittarius (constellation)
Sagittarius is a constellation of the zodiac, the one containing the galactic center. Its name is Latin for the archer, and its symbol is , a stylized arrow. Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow...

.

The heraldic crest of Delta Lambda Phi contains eleven symbolic elements, each of which carries a special meaning. For example, the burning lamp in the center of the crest represents "enlightenment and ancient justice." The very same lamp is also depicted on the fraternity's pledge pin, which is hexagonal in shape. The hexagon was selected because it is a tesillating geometric figure, and when closely grouped, hexagons form a honeycomb-like array. Like the ideal pledge class, hexagons grouped together are significantly stronger than when they stand alone.

The fraternity's colors are green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...

, and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

, although white does appear in reference to the fraternity's alumni members. The fraternity flower is the yellow rose, long recognized for its connotations of friendship.

The fraternity's song is titled "Delta Phi." There are two distinct melodies to which the song is traditionally sung. The first is a somber ceremonial version, while the second is a festive toast version. Both of these versions utilize the same set of lyrics. The official song has three verses, but every chapter has a unique fourth verse to commemorate the founding of their individual chapter. A second fraternity song, called "The Delphi Hymn," incorporates three verses of lyrics sung to the stirring melody of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, "Ode to Joy."

The formal motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...

 of the fraternity is "Lambda Men are Making Their Presence Known."

Chapters and colonies

As of May 10, 2011, Delta Lambda Phi has twenty-seven active chapters and six colonies.

Delta Lambda Phi chapters are assigned a sequential Greek letter designation according to the order in which they were chartered. The oldest chapter is the Alpha Chapter, located in Washington, D.C. Subsequent chapters were assigned successive Greek letters of the Greek alphabet, from Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc., through to the last letter of the Greek alphabet, Omega. After all single-letter designations were used, chapters were assigned double-letter combinations in the fashion "Alpha Alpha," "Alpha Beta," "Alpha Gamma," etc. The binary lettering scheme continues with "Beta Alpha," "Beta Beta," "Beta Gamma," and so on. The designation "Alpha Omega" was reserved as a symbolic "Chapter Eternal," suggestive of everlasting membership for brothers who have passed.

Chapters of Delta Lambda Phi are issued a Charter to operate by the National Board of Directors. Unlike many other fraternities, Delta Lambda Phi allows for community-based chapters and multi-campus based chapters in addition to more traditional single-campus-based chapters. A community-based chapter draws its members from the community at large; thus, members of a community-based chapter are not necessarily students. A multi-campus-based chapter draws its membership from several colleges within a metropolitan area. Multi-campus based chapters are often formed when a single school cannot generate enough members to support a chapter of DLP, or when DLP cannot gain official recognition from their school. The Alpha Chapter is a community-based chapter, whereas the Delta Chapter is the oldest continuously operating campus-based chapter. Despite a high level of interest in forming new colonies, the organization has long struggled to keep its active chapters open, as evidenced by the scant number of early chapters still in existence.

In all chapters, each successive pledge class is also assigned a sequential letter designation. A chapter's founding pledge class is referred to as the Alpha Class, with successive pledge classes being assigned letters according to the same binary scheme used for chapter letter designations. The members of all pledge classes having completed their pledge education while the group was still a colony, and who became brothers when the chapter was chartered, are referred to as "Charter Members." Typically, these members include the first three classes of the chapter, but in some cases may include more than the first three.

The members of the Alpha Class of the Alpha Chapter were initiated as the first brothers of Delta Lambda Phi on April 10, 1987. Below is a list of all of the fraternity's remaining active chapters:
  • Alpha Chapter - Washington, DC
  • Gamma Chapter - University of California, Los Angeles
    University of California, Los Angeles
    The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...

    , Los Angeles, CA
    Los Angeles, California
    Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

  • Delta Chapter - University of Minnesota
    University of Minnesota
    The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

    , Minneapolis, MN
    Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

  • Xi Chapter - University of California, Davis
    University of California, Davis
    The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...

    , Davis, CA
    Davis, California
    Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...

  • Rho Chapter - California State University, Long Beach
    California State University, Long Beach
    California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...

    , Long Beach, CA
    Long Beach, California
    Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

  • Psi Chapter - University of Washington
    University of Washington
    University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

    , Seattle, WA
    Seattle, Washington
    Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

  • Omega Chapter - University of Arizona
    University of Arizona
    The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

    , Tucson, AZ
    Tucson, Arizona
    Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

  • Alpha Alpha Chapter - Arizona State University
    Arizona State University
    Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

    , Tempe, AZ
    Tempe, Arizona
    Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...

  • Alpha Beta Chapter - Purdue University
    Purdue University
    Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

    , West Lafayette, IN
    West Lafayette, Indiana
    As of the census of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific...

  • Alpha Delta Chapter - San Diego, CA
    San Diego, California
    San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

  • Alpha Rho Chapter , State College, PA
    State College, Pennsylvania
    State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...

  • Alpha Psi Chapter - Kent State University
    Kent State University
    Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...

    , Kent, OH
    Kent, Ohio
    Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...

  • Beta Alpha Chapter - North Carolina State University
    North Carolina State University
    North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...

    , Raleigh, NC
    Raleigh, North Carolina
    Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

  • Beta Delta Chapter - Florida International University
    Florida International University
    Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...

    , Miami, FL
    Miami, Florida
    Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

  • Beta Zeta Chapter - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
    Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
    Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, commonly abbreviated SIUE, is a four-year coed public university in Edwardsville, Illinois about from St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and is the younger of the two largest...

    , Edwardsville, IL
    Edwardsville, Illinois
    Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,293. It is the county seat of Madison County and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, then Governor of the Illinois...

  • Beta Lambda Chapter - Iowa State University
    Iowa State University
    Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...

    , Ames, IA
    Ames, Iowa
    Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...

  • Beta Mu Chapter - Kansas State University
    Kansas State University
    Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...

    , Manhattan, KS
    Manhattan, Kansas
    Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...

  • Beta Nu Chapter - Missouri University of Science and Technology
    Missouri University of Science and Technology
    Missouri University of Science and Technology is an institution of higher learning located in Rolla, Missouri, United States, and part of the University of Missouri System...

    , Rolla, MO
    Rolla, Missouri
    Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The population in the 2010 United States Census was 19,559.It is the county seat of Phelps County...

  • Beta Xi Chapter - New York University
    New York University
    New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

    , New York, NY
    New York City
    New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

  • Beta Omicron Chapter - University of Toledo
    University of Toledo
    The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...

    , Toledo, OH
    Toledo, Ohio
    Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

  • Beta Pi Chapter - California Polytechnic University
    California Polytechnic State University
    California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....

    , San Luis Obispo, CA
    San Luis Obispo, California
    San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...

  • Beta Rho Chapter - University of Texas, Austin, Austin, TX
    Austin, Texas
    Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

  • Beta Sigma Chapter - Rutgers University
    Rutgers University
    Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

    , New Brunswick, NJ
    New Brunswick, New Jersey
    New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...

  • Beta Tau Chapter - University of Texas, El Paso, El Paso, TX
    El Paso, Texas
    El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...

  • Beta Upsilon Chapter - University of California, Irvine
    University of California, Irvine
    The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...

    , Irvine, CA
    Irvine, California
    Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...

  • Beta Phi Chapter - Vanderbilt University
    Vanderbilt University
    Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...

    , Nashville, TN
    Nashville, Tennessee
    Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

  • Beta Chi Chapter - University of Kansas
    University of Kansas
    The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

    , Lawrence, KS
    Lawrence, Kansas
    Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...



Delta Lambda Phi also has several active colonies. A colony is considered a "chapter-in-training." Colonies are typically groups of men who have recruited and educated their first few pledge classes and who are still in the process of proving they are capable of sustaining an active chapter. Colonies do not have greek letter designations and are instead identified by their city or school. Colonies cannot perform their own ceremonies (Brothers from other chapters come to assist with this), and they cannot initiate their pledges as Brothers until the colony is officially chartered as a chapter. At that time, the new chapter is given its Greek letter designation, as well as all other rights of a chapter. Below are the fraternity's active colonies:
  • Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
    East Lansing, Michigan
    East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...

  • McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
    Orlando, Florida
    Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

  • University of Miami, Miami, FL
    Miami, Florida
    Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

  • Boston University, Boston, MA
  • University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
    Albuquerque, New Mexico
    Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...


National Convention

Delta Lambda Phi is governed by its National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...

, which is officially the highest authority in the fraternity. The National Convention is held annually and, as a body, comprises two members from every active chapter, as well as alumni representatives and the fraternity's board of directors. The first National Convention was held in 1989 in San Francisco, California, and one has been held every year since.

The location of the National Convention changes from year to year and is selected by the preceding convention. Below is a list of every Annual National Convention and the city in which it was held:
  • 1989: San Francisco, CA (First Convention)
  • 1990: Las Vegas, NV
  • 1991: Minneapolis, MN
  • 1992: San Jose, CA
  • 1993: Long Beach, CA
  • 1994: Washington, D.C.
    Washington, D.C.
    Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

  • 1995: San Jose, CA
  • 1996: Las Vegas, NV
  • 1997: Atlanta, GA
  • 1998: Minneapolis, MN
  • 1999: Denton, TX
  • 2000: San Diego, CA
  • 2001: Washington, D.C.
    Washington, D.C.
    Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

  • 2002: Athens, OH
  • 2003: Las Vegas, NV (NAA Founded)
  • 2004: Minneapolis, MN
  • 2005: Denver, CO
  • 2006: Seattle, WA
  • 2007: Chicago, IL
    Chicago
    Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

  • 2008: Miami, FL
  • 2009: San Francisco, CA
  • 2010: Columbus, OH
  • 2011: Philadelphia, PA
  • 2012: Portland, OR (Scheduled)

National Board of Directors

The fraternity's Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

 (BOD) governs the fraternity between conventions and consists of 11 elected members, 3 ex-officio members, and Life Members. The current Board of Directors is as follows:
  • National Trustee: Br. Jeffrey Thompson, Δ
  • Vice Chairman: Br. Rob Grau, ΒΑ
  • Br. Eric Van Sant, ΑΨ
  • Br. Phil Hernandez, BΛ
  • Br. Adam Steckel, AP
  • Br. Lou Camera, I
  • Br. Chris Christanto, AB
  • Br. Jonas Birch, ΑΨ (Active)
  • Br. Julian Haas, AΡ (Active)
  • National Treasurer: Br. Alexandre Chapeaux, ΒΙ (non-voting)
  • National Secretary: Br. Samuel Brinton, ΒΜ (non-voting)
  • National Executive Director: Br. Christopher Newman (ex-officio, appointed)
  • General Counsel: Br. Joel Corcoran (ex-officio, appointed)
  • Immediate Past Trustee: Br. Ernie Hall, M (ex-officio)
  • Life Members of the Board: Br. David West, Ι and Br. Ernie Hall, M


The National Executive Director (NED) and General Counsel are appointed by the National Trustee and confirmed by the Board of Directors. The NED's principal responsibility is to direct the day-to-day affairs of the fraternity. Delta Lambda Phi also recognizes those board members who have served the fraternity with distinction as a member of the board for ten or more years with the honor of being a "Life Member of the Board."

The National Trustees of Delta Lambda Phi (Chairman of the Board of Directors), in order of service, have been:
  • Br. Vernon L. Strickland, III, Α (Founder)
  • Br. Will Collins, Μ
  • Br. Kevin O'Keefe, Α
  • Br. David L. West, Ι
  • Br. Andrew M. Burnett, ΑΠ
  • Br. Ernie Hall, M
  • Br. Jeffrey Thompson, Δ (current)


The highest honor bestowed by Delta Lambda Phi is the Vernon L. Strickland III Founder's Award for extraordinary service to the fraternity's brotherhood. The award is not given every year but rather when a long-standing Brother is deemed worthy of receiving it.

The fraternity recognizes three broad geographic regions—Eastern, Central, and Western. The Eastern Region comprises most of the eastern seaboard states. The broad Central Region stretches from just west of the Appalachians to the states east of the Rocky Mountains. The Western Region begins in the Rockies and stretches to the Pacific Coast. Each region is overseen a regional steering committee. Each region typically hosts two regional conferences; one in the spring, and one in the fall. Like the location of the National Convention, regional conference locations are generally rotated.

National Alumni Association

Delta Lambda Phi has a national alumni association http://www.dlp.org/alumni/ that is governed by its own elected board of directors. This board comprises a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and three Regional Alumni Representatives (Eastern, Central, and Western). The current NAA Board Officers are as follows:
  • President: Br. Dusty Garner
  • Vice-President: Br. Trent Smith
  • Secretary: Br. Jeremy Charles
  • Financial Director: Br. Griffin Parsons
  • Eastern Region: Br. Troy Hoffman
  • Central Region: Br. Morgan Morris
  • Western Region: Br. Robert Dick


The Delta Lambda Phi National Alumni Association (DLPNAA) was founded on July 21, 2003, and lists 42 brothers as its founding members. Since January 2004, the DLPNAA has sponsored an annual alumni retreat. This retreat provides alumni from around the country an opportunity to get acquainted or reacquainted. These alumni retreats have been hosted in the following cities:
  • January 2004: Miami, FL
  • January 2005: Santa Fe, NM
  • January 2006: Tampa, FL
  • January 2007: Lake Tahoe, NV
  • February 2008: Las Vegas, NV
  • 2009 (needs to be updated)
  • January 2010: New Orleans, LA
  • 2011 (needs to be updated)


The DLP NAA also allows for the creation of local alumni associations (LAAs). Two distinct types of local alumni associations are recognized; Chapter-based alumni associations and City-based alumni associations. Chapter-based alumni associations draw membership from Brothers who all come from the same chapter (regardless of where they reside today), and are formed primarily to support that active chapter. City-based alumni associations draw membership from a particular town or city, and are formed primarily for social purposes.

The Delphi Foundation

Delta Lambda Phi also has a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) educational foundation, The Delphi Foundation. The current president of The Delphi Foundation is Marshall Smith (Beta Alpha Chapter).
Delphi has an official 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS and has kicked-off a bold initiative to establish academic scholarships for brothers of Delta Lambda Phi. The Foundation secured around $5,000 in initial capital from a small group of alumni to be used as a basis for soliciting additional matching funds and other contributions.

"Hands-Off" policy

Delta Lambda Phi observes a strict Brother/Pledge relations policy. While the words 'gay fraternity' may tempt imagination, sexual relationships between Brothers and Pledges are forbidden. The policy governing these relationships is the National Brother-Pledge Relations Policy; known informally as the "Hands-Off Policy." The policy has existed in various forms since the early years of the fraternity, and it was codified and adopted by the DLP National Convention in 1998. Many chapters and colonies also adopt their own local hands-off policy consistent with the national policy, often intended to expand or clarify it.

The National Brother-Pledge Relations Policy states that Brothers and Pledges may not engage in "extra-fraternal relations" during the course of the rush and pledge education periods. The policy ensures that bid distribution remains fair, that pledge education remains focused on platonic fraternal bonding, and that the risk of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...

is virtually eliminated. The policy also bolsters chapter morale and enables the fraternity to uphold high standards of fairness and dignity.

No national policy exists prohibiting two members from engaging in extra-fraternal relations after they have both become Brothers. Because the student-teacher relationship that existed during the pledge education process no longer exists, all Brothers are regarded as peers and are simply encouraged to exercise their best judgment.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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