Phi Lambda Theta
| Phi Lambda Theta | |
|---|---|
| ΦΛΘ | |
 | |
| Founded | November 18, 1920 Pennsylvania State University |
| Type | Social |
| Former affiliation | NIC |
| Status | Defunct |
| Defunct date | 1984 |
| Emphasis | Odd Fellows |
| Scope | National |
| Member badge |  |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Flower | White carnation |
| Publication | Star and Balance |
| Chapters | 5 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Phi Lambda Theta (ΦΛΘ) was a social fraternity founded at Pennsylvania State College in 1920 for students who belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.[1] It was originally named Three Links.
History
November 18, 1920, is designated as Founders' Day as on that date the body first met as an organization officially recognized by the Pennsylvania College college board on fraternity affairs. The name was changed from Three Links to Phi Lambda Theta on May 11, 1922. Modification of the non-collegiate Odd Fellows lodge requirement was effected on September 13, 1922, and all affiliations and subsidiary connections with the Odd Fellows were severed in January 1924.
In 1930, Phi Lambda Theta was admitted to Junior membership in the North American Interfraternity Conference.[2]
Dissolution
Rather than a coordinated merger strategy, the dissolution of Phi Lambda Theta appears to have been a sudden rush for the door, late in the Great Depression. The Kansas State and Susquehanna chapters became chapters of Beta Kappa in 1938 through separate petitions, and the founding chapter was absorbed into Alpha Tau Omega.
Shortly after these departures the chapter at Bucknell became a local under that name.[3] In 1984, it joined Chi Phi as the Phi Lambda Theta chapter, a nod to its former national name. Meanwhile, the Waynesburg chapter opted for Kappa Sigma Kappa, its home for eighteen years; the chapter would later withdraw from that fraternity and merge into Theta Chi, as did the vast majority of chapters of ΒΚ. Thus eventually, three of Phi Lambda Theta's five chapters were absorbed by Theta Chi, through later mergers.[4]
Chapters
These were the chapters of Phi Lambda Theta. All were active at dissolution:[5][4]
| Name | Chartered | Institution | Location | Status | Notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | November 18, 1920–1938 | Pennsylvania State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | Withdrew (ΑΤΩ) | Joined the Gamma Omega chapter of ΑΤΩ | [6] |
| Beta | April 29, 1923–1938 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, Kansas | Withdrew (ΒΚ) | Became the Alpha Chi chapter of ΒΚ (see ΘΧ) | [7] |
| Gamma | 1925–1940 | Bucknell University | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania | Withdrew (ΧΦ) | Became a local fraternity in 1948. Joined ΧΦ in 1984. |
[8] |
| Delta | 1927–1941 | Waynesburg University | Waynesburg, Pennsylvania | Withdrew (ΚΣΚ) | Became Lambda chapter of ΚΣΚ. It renamed itself ΚΦΝ (local) in 1959, then joined ΘΧ. |
[9] |
| Epsilon | 1928–1938 | Susquehanna University | Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania | Withdrew (ΒΚ) | Became the Alpha Omega chapter of ΒΚ (see ΘΧ) | [10] |
References
- ^ Tamara L. Brown; Gregory Parks; Clarenda M. Phillips (11 March 2005). African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 58–. ISBN 0-8131-2344-5.
- ^ "The Rattle of Theta Chi". XVIII (6). March 1930: 33–34.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ The Cross & Crescent. 1939. p. 146.
- ^ a b William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive)". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 17 December 2021. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
- ^ Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (12 ed.). G. Banta Company. 1930. p. 167.
- ^ This chapter formed from the Three Links Club, established in 1920.
- ^ This chapter formed from the Topeka Club (local), established in 1921.
- ^ This chapter formed from a chapter of the Commons Clubs, established in 1924.
- ^ This chapter formed from Theta Psi Omega (local), established in 1912. After eighteen years in ΚΣΚ it withdrew as a local, then joined ΘΧ as its Eta Omicron chapter.
- ^ This chapter formed from Phi Beta Rho (local), established in 1923.