Alpha Kappa Lambda rejoins Greek community

Photo Courtesy of Drake Foster

The Greek community at Emporia State has a new member with the edition of Alpha Kappa Lambda on April 11.

“We have finally reached what many would call the pinnacle of success in our chartering ceremony,” said Jonathan Krueger, sophomore political science major and President of AKL. “I say that we have only reached the beginning.”

According to Krueger, AKL was originally founded at UC Berkeley as a house club in 1907. In 1914, it became a national fraternity in. There are five principles upon which AKL was founded, including Judeo-Christian Principles, Scholarship, Leadership, Loyalty, and Self-Support.

“We’re a very diverse group,” said Cody Pritchard, sophomore secondary math education major and Vice President of Operations for AKL. “We have guys from all sorts of backgrounds. We’re so involved.”

In 1949, the Lambda Chapter was founded at ESU. It lasted approximately 25 years. According to Krueger, AKL regularly won the coveted IFC Sports Trophy, Scholarship Trophy and once coveted and now lost Singing Trophy. In honor of the alumni of Lambda Chapter, there stands a falcon on the banks of Lake Wooster bearing the inscription “We Soared.”

In August of 2006, recruits met with alumni Gary Sherrer and Ron Siebold. In 2007, Lambda became a formal colony and signed the charter at the Sauder Alumni Center on campus. They signed 11 days before the national founding day of Alpha Kappa Lambda.

Members of AKL had several reasons for deciding to join the fraternity.

“One of my good friends was in the fraternity and I started hanging out with him more and more,” said Josh Smith, junior biology major and executive vice president of AKL. “I saw what it was about and I realized that this isn’t like any other fraternity on campus for the most part.”

AKL has become involved in several community service projects, including These Hands Don’t Hurt and helping out with Take Back the Night with SOS.

“Community service is a huge thing for me,” Pritchard said. “I was always involved in community service and that’s the biggest thing for me—being involved on campus.”

Since joining AKL, several members have had opportunities that will affect their future careers.

“I’ve met some pretty important people and had some great opportunities,” Smith said. “One of our alumni actually set me up to shadow a doctor that specializes in stem cells, so I’m going to do that this summer. I probably would have never gotten that opportunity if it wasn’t for the connection through him, through AKL.”

Members of AKL enjoy getting to know the other members and having time to bond as a whole.

“We do so much as a group,” said Joel Wilburn, sophomore secondary history education major and chaplain of AKL. “We’re always doing something. There’s hardly a night during the week where we’re not out having community service or a brotherhood event, and that helps me out. I would have been sitting in my room drinking a soda if these guys didn’t approach me and take me in.”

Krueger has many goals regarding the future of AKL.

“Alpha Kappa Lambda has diligently worked to develop men of character committed to making a difference,” Krueger said. “If we as fraternity men can help fellow students and community members to make positive differences in their lives and those of others, then we will be reaching that ultimate goal that was set forth 100 years ago. I am so proud to be a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda and to share the bond of brotherhood with so many of our alumni and with all of my current brothers.”