For Parents

The aspect of fraternity comes across to many parents as a negative thing. Because of movies and shows like Greek, the image of true fraternal organizations has been distorted. So how do you filter out the myths? The chapter has posted some information specifically for parents below.

What is a fraternity?

A fraternity is a university recognized organization of males that share common ideals. These organizations have been around for 200 years, and most were founded on principles of integrity, academic success, and social responsibility. True, many organizations put little effort into maintaining these values and living by them. Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the fraternities that still care about our ideals.

What does a fraternity do?

A fraternity is a home-away-from-home. It is a place where your son can live, grow, develop virtues and characteristics you can be proud of while being around a group of men that genuinely care about his well being. A fraternity prepares your son for life after college by introducing him to concepts of leadership and responsibility while maturing him socially and emotionally. Together with his fraternity brothers he will plan philanthropic and social events while simultaneously participating in campus activities and sports.

What about a dorm?

While a dorm does provide a place to stay, it does not provide the lifetime of networking which could be beneficial in searching for jobs. Also, a room in the house costs about the same as the lowest quality dorms on campus while being several times more comfortable, practical, and convenient. Apartments are even more expensive, and they do not have the luxury of a cook.

Are his grades going to be affected?

The simple answer is yet, but not in a negative way! Here at Lambda Chi Alpha, we only accept members that meet our minimum GPA requirements. Also, our chapter's cumulative GPA is right at 3.0, above all man's average. How is this possible? Scholarship is an extremely important value to us, and we have people in several majors who are always willing to help a brother out when the need is there. We hold members accountable for their grades and encourage everyone to do as good as possible. Think about it this way: It can be an incredible challenge for your son to learn how to balance time living on his own, adjusting to his new social life, and finding resources to succeed in his studies. The fraternity helps in the transition phase and provides those resources.

What's so special about Lambda chi?

No hazing, no pledges! Lambda Chi Alpha has a strict policy on hazing that we abide with pride here at our Mississippi State chapter. Furthermore, he will not have to do any special tasks or stunts in order to join. We have an associate member program that replaces the usual "pledging" routine. Your son, from the day he accepts his bid, can hold office, attend chapter meetings, and is afforded many of the same rights and privileges that an active member enjoys.


For more information on associate membership, go to the Lambda Chi Alpha official website.