The History of Kappa-Upsilon

Aside from the IFC (Inter Fraternity Council) itself, Lambda Chi Alpha can be considered the oldest Greek-Life organization on Bradley University's campus, though it has not been active for the entirety of its one-hundred-seven-year history at Bradley. Aside from its long life at Bradley, Lambda Chi Alpha is possibly one of the most history-rich chapters on campus. 

The Bradley University Sophist Club is officially recognized as the earliest existence of Lambda Chi Alpha on Bradley University's campus, founded back in 1916. However, the Sophist Club wasn't really Lambda, was it? While Lambda Chi Alpha has existed since 1909, our campus history may be a bit more confusing. Just as Bradley University was once "Bradley Polytechnic Institute", Lambda Chi Alpha went under a few different names during its time on campus. 

During this time, the list of other Fraternal and Sororital organizations included the now defunct ΣΧΓ Sorority, ΛΦ Sorority, ΔΚ Sorority, ΣΦ Fraternity, ΒΦΘ Fraternity, ΨΔΩ Fraternity, ΑΠ Fraternity, ΒΣΝ Fraternity, the Adelphic Literary Society, ΦΣΠ NHS, and ΠΓΜ social science NHS. 

Luckily, a separate up-and-coming Fraternity, founded in 1909, by the name of Lambda Chi Alpha sought this as an opportunity to expand and merged with Theta Kappa Nu. The last Bradley Yearbook (the Polyscope) with the Theta Kappa Nu fraternity in it was published in May 1939, and LCA took control in all the years to follow. Many references to Theta Kappa Nu still exist within the fraternity, such as the crest which uses the Lion Rampant and the motto "Vir Quisque Vir", or the example of the associate member pin which was created by layering the original anagram badge of Lambda Chi Alpha over the badge of Theta Kappa Nu.

In the late '80s, Bradley's chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha (Kappa Upsilon) was plagued by low membership and declining organization-wide GPA. On the twenty-fourth of august, 1989, two men in suits knocked at the door of the LCA chapter house. By the next week the house stood abandoned, waiting to be redeveloped for a Bradley University housing project (the construction of College Hall, the Delta Tau Delta house, and the Pi Kappa Phi house). Now unchartered, Lambda Chi at Bradley seemed as though it was doomed to die.

After the initial shutting of LCA's doors on campus, there were two attempts to reorganize. The first, in 1992 (only three years later) lasted through the end of 1993. For the next fourteen years, Lambda Chi would sit dormant. 

By 2007, the National Organization of Lambda Chi Alpha became interested in re-instating a chapter at Bradley University. After a dozen letters to top student leaders at Bradley, Lambda Chi Alpha was reformed as a colony during the fall of 2007. By December, under the teachings of another Illinois chapter, over twenty-five associate members were inducted into Lambda Chi Alpha (dubbed "Founding Fathers"). A little over a year later, on the twenty-first of February, 2009, Lambda Chi Alpha was officially chartered once again on Bradley's Campus, reclaiming the Kappa-Upsilon zeta and celebrating with a banquet in the Hotel Perre Marquette ballroom (the same ballroom where the Initiation of the Sophists to Theta Kappa Nu was held).

Since re-obtaining our original charter in 2009, the Kappa-Upsilon chapter has won a host of rewards and grown substantially, fond of our history, and the work we've done to get to this point.

For historical clippings from the Bradley student news papers and supporting evidence, please click here.