Lambda Chi Alpha received its charter and became an officially recognized chapter and fraternity at Villanova on April 17. 

The fraternity was considered a colony for over two years before being chartered by the national LXA organization, following several years of operating exclusively as a local fraternity.

In April 2000, LXA voluntarily suspended operations and became inactive following disciplinary sanctions placed on the fraternity. 

While operating as an underground association, LXA was no longer recognized by Villanova and was no longer considered a member of the national LXA organization.

In April 2007, LXA nationals approached Villanova’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life about reinstating LXA as an on-campus fraternity. 

With the approval of Villanova’s Greek Life and support from the national LXA board, Beta-Iota become a colony at Villanova and began working toward becoming an official chapter by gaining a charter.

“Moving from a colony to a chapter is an arduous but important process,” said Pat Venter, current President of Villanova’s LXA chapter. “It’s a chance to prove to nationals and to Villanova that we are worthy of being an on-campus fraternity.”

Prior to April 2000, LXA had quite a presence in Villanova’s Greek system, according to Venter. 

“LXA was a hundred-man fraternity and it dominated Greek Week,”  Venter said. “We’re working toward gaining that prestige again with the charter.”

In order to earn its charter, LXA had to submit a chartering application to nationals, written by Craig Durrant, vice president of External Affairs. 

“The application was over 80 pages long,” Durrant said. “It detailed our commitment to LXA and all that it represents.”

In addition to submitting the chartering application, LXA had to meet several requirements set forth by both LXA nationals and Villanova’s Greek Life. 

Of these requirements, which include maintaining a certain average GPA and proving sufficient monetary funds, recruitment was most important. 

Today, the Beta-Iota chapter is composed of 53 brothers, after recruiting 19 new members this school year.

All 53 brothers, plus several recent LXA graduates, are now considered the founding fathers of Villanova’s Beta-Iota chapter. 

“The culmination of all our hard work makes our status as founding fathers even more gratifying,” said Albert Sydney Lyons IV, Intramural Chair.

Once LXA received notice that the national LXA board had approved its application, the brothers of Beta-Iota began planning their chartering banquet, where the official handing over of the charter occurred. 

“Organizing the banquet was stressful at times,” said Dennis Poggi, head of Alumni Relations. “In the end, it all worked out and everyone had a great time –– brothers, guests and alumni included.”

LXA held its chartering banquet at the Radisson Hotel in Valley Forge. Brothers were invited to bring both parents and dates. 

“I had a great night,” said Gina Cologero, who was present at the event. “It was really nice to see the brothers earn their charter after all their hard work.”

The night started with a cocktail hour and was followed by dinner and dancing. A series of speeches were made, most notably by LXA’s Alumni Adviser Michael Malter and LXA national representative Jim Bond.

Former LXA President, Michael Neely, accepted the charter on Beta-Iota’s behalf. 

“We’re proud that the chartering process is complete and we look forward to continuing the tradition of LXA at Villanova that has been present since 1971,” Venter said.

LXA was founded at Boston University on Nov. 2, 1909. 

Today, it is one of the largest fraternities in North America in terms of enrollment with over 270,000 initiated members and with approximately 200 chapters, which now includes Villanova’s Beta-Iota chapter.