Have you ever wondered how Lafayette’s Greek life chapters stack up nationally? This summer, several fraternities and sororities earned accolades for their accomplishments on the biggest stage. Three fraternities, Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE), Chi Phi and Phi Kappa Psi (PKP), received chapter-wide awards, while several individual Greek life members brought home their own awards.
For the third time since 2016, DKE received the Lion Trophy, an award given to the chapter with the highest level of performance in operations, philanthropy, leadership and scholarship. Lafayette’s chapter took first place in the prior three subcategories and was the first runner-up in the area of scholarship, earning top marks and taking home the prize.
According to Charlie Berman ‘24, president of DKE, what sets them apart from other chapters is their emphasis on brotherhood.
“When we do certain events, there are no challenges getting people to be there,” Berman said. “It’s part of the culture.”
Moving forward, Berman hopes to integrate scholarship more deeply into DKE’s day-to-day activities.
“[Members] are succeeding just based on their individual drive, but I think as an organization, having more of an emphasis on positive reinforcement is something we can improve on,” he said.
“We’re ecstatic about the victory, we’re super encouraged by the recognition, but we aren’t going to become complacent,” Berman continued.
The Rho Chapter of Chi Phi brought home two awards this summer: the Thomas Gehring Award for Chapter Excellence and the inaugural Thomas Deans Award for Excellence in Accreditation.
The Thomas Deans Award was established this year to honor its namesake, a member of Bucknell University’s Chi Phi chapter and an active member of the community for over 50 years.
“It was quite an honor to receive this award, especially because Brother Dean was a very big part of our organization at a national level,” Matthew Kirkman ‘24, the president of Chi Phi, said.
Chapters are evaluated for accreditation on a zero-to-three-star scale based on categories such as philanthropy, member education, diversity, equity and inclusion and academic excellence. According to Kirkman, Lafayette’s Rho chapter was the only one to receive a three star rating.
“The values of Chi Phi are truth, honor and personal integrity,” Kirkman said. “At Lafayette, we really follow them to a tee. We work really well as a team, and we enjoy the people we’re working with and have great diversity within our own chapter.”
Kirkman wants to focus on increased diversity and community moving forward, both within Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) and outside of it.
PKP, led by president Calvin Cochran ‘24, had similar goals in the wake of its Chapter Excellence Award.
“There’s a really big gap between Greek life and the rest of the student body, and we want to break that down so it doesn’t feel like two separate parts of campus,” Cochran said.
The Chapter Excellence Award goes to those chapters who best embody the mission of the organization. To Cochran, that means “fostering long-lasting relationships, both within the brotherhood and in the surrounding area.”
Lafayette’s chapter was one of only five in the country to receive this award. “We’re really focused on putting our best foot forward, supporting the community and giving back,” Cochran said.
Additionally, several Greek life members received individual awards over the summer. Jordan Lam ‘23 of Pi Beta Phi received the Chapter Service Award for Outstanding Servant Leadership for her continued service to her chapter, Ethan Riehl ‘23 of Zeta Psi received both the George S. Woodhull Phi Alpha Award for his contributions to the school and his chapter and the Outstanding Undergraduate Award and Chris Miccio ‘22 earned Zeta Psi’s Outstanding Alumni Award for continued contributions to the chapter.
The summer’s recognitions come after a similarly successful spring with awards both on a chapter-wide and individual level. Alpha Gamma Delta was inducted into the Crescent Society, placing them into the top 11 percent of chapters internationally, and Alpha Phi received the Outstanding Health, Wellness and Accountability Award. Additionally, Delta Tau Delta received the Court of Honor Award, placing them in the top 15 percent of chapters, and the chapter’s president, Tyler Osipower ‘24, received the President of the Year Award for going beyond the expectations and duties of the president.
Disclaimer: Sports Editor Charlie Berman ‘24 did not contribute writing or reporting.
