7 CORE VALUES of Lambda Chi Alpha

 

The Seven Core Values were adopted from the United States Military Academy. They are loyalty, duty, respect, service & stewardship, honor, integrity, and personal courage, which come together to form the acronym LDRSHIP.

 

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​1. Loyalty

Establishes the correct ordering of our obligations and commitments. Unswerving allegiance to the organization and its laws, ideals, and defining principles prevents us from misplacing our loyalties.

Our first, and most complex, value is rooted in the act of holding onto something with passion. It includes being loyal to friends (in and out of the Fraternity), family, education, your country; the list goes on. It represents a member who challenges the status-quo to make something better. It is sticking with an organization or person through trying times and providing guidance during the storm.

Lambda Chi Alpha Example: George Spasyk (Sigma, ‘47), former CEO of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
 

2. Duty

Delineates the sum total of all lows, rules, and customs that make up our organizational, civic, and moral obligations. Our values originate with duty because we expect individuals, as a minimum, to fulfill their obligations. We often expect individuals to exceed their duty, especially in ethical matters.

Following the laws and regulations of the country are only a drop in the bucket compared to the full definition of Duty. It challenges individuals to use their talents to the best of their ability and invest time in something greater than themselves. Taking ownership of their actions and decisions makes for a well-rounded man exemplary of Duty.

Lambda Chi Alpha Example: Dr. John E. Mason Jr. (Epsilon, ’12), spiritual leader of the Fraternity.
 

3. Respect

Denotes the regard and recognition of the absolute dignity that every human possesses. Specifically, respect indicates compassion for consideration of others, including sensitivity to, and regard for, the feelings and needs of others.

 The golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. Respect is considered to be one of the two bedrocks of the organization and forms the basis for the rule of law. It is what lead to our anti-hazing policy and influences the way brothers interact with one another on a daily basis. People are the greatest resource of all and acting with Respect improves the general well-being of members and beyond.

Lambda Chi Alpha Example: Wade Ramsey (Gamma-Sigma, ’75), crusader for preventing racial violence since high school.
 

4. Service & Stewardship

Service before self indicates the proper ordering of priorities. The welfare of the organization comes before the individuals. While the focus is on service to Lambda Chi Alpha and broader communities, the idea also incorporates the concept of stewardship, of holding something of value in trust for others.

 Working hand in hand with Duty, this Core Values challenges members to think about others in a proactive way. It suggests that it is not enough the throw money to an organization but to volunteer with them. Service and Stewardship makes for leaders in the organization through the thought of others and compassion for those in need.

Lambda Chi Alpha Example: Kappa -Upsilon Zeta of Bradley University’s assistance after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.

5.Honor

Describes the complex of all values that make up the public code of the individual. Significantly, honor provides the motive for action and demands adherence to a public moral code, not protection of reputation.

 As the second value representing the bedrock of our Fraternity, Honor is the overarching value to accompany the other six. Our actions and words are to be consistent with a personal creed and provides a moral compass for character. Choosing right over wrong, living in truth and creating a framework for connection.

Lambda Chi Alpha Example: David Gilkey (Alpha-Lambda, ’89), died in Afghanistan delivering photojournalistic news during the war.
 

6. Integrity

Encompasses the sum total of a person’s set of values – his private moral code. A breach of any of these values will damage the individual’s integrity. Integrity, closely related to the word integer, refers to a notion of completeness or wholeness.

 The structure for Integrity rests on the moral obligation to do what is right. No one is making them do anything, it is an act of principle on an individual’s part. It connects with the desire to make ethical decisions when it comes to others and themselves. In situations with extreme pressure, these individuals act without thought of doing the wrong thing.

Lambda Chi Alpha Example: Gen. Bruce C. Clarke (Epsilon-Omicron, ‘35), U.S Army retired veteran who spoke out against plagiarism in college students.

7. Personal Courage

Depicts the premier virtue that enables us to persevere despite fear, danger, or adversity. Personal Courage includes the notion of taking responsibility for decisions and actions. Additionally, it involves the ability to perform critical self-assessment, to confront new ideas, and to change.  

Our last Core Value is based on overcoming fear and doing what is noble for the good of a cause. Fear, in this case, is completely relative to the person. Whether an individual needs to deal with loss or public speaking, they both require personal courage.

Lambda Chi Alpha Example: Robert Cook (Alpha-Delta, ’07), skydiving instructor who gave his life for one of his first-time clients.

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Lambda Chi Alpha is ANTI-HAZING

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From the birth of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, this organization has prided itself on standing out from the rest. Throughout our history, we have taken strides to allow for all those who join to feel welcomed and like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Countless leaders have been shaped through the Lambda Chi experience, providing guidance for how to make Lambda Chi Alpha the premiere men’s leadership organization.

One of the most pivotal decisions made by these leaders was to abolish pledgeship and take a firm anti-hazing stance in 1972. From this decision, a culture of excellence, respect, and integrity that we now know today was set into motion.

Now, as an active member of the North American Interfraternity Conference, Lambda Chi Alpha supports the endeavors of the NIC and the Anti-Hazing Coalition in their work to champion legislation and increase education as it relates to eradicating hazing in the fraternity experience and elsewhere. We have committed to supporting the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform with a gift of $100,000.

The mission of Lambda Chi Alpha is to inspire and equip men to lead an ethical life of growth, service, and leadership. This gift acts as an exemplification of our legacy combating hazing in the fraternity experience and commitment to enhancing the co-curricular experience fraternities provide. In conjunction with our work with other strategic partners, we are confident our relationship with the Piazza Center will allow us to reinvent fraternities and continue to serve as the premier men’s leadership organization in North America.

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