Alpha Lambda Tau (ΑΛΤ) was a men's
collegefraternity founded in 1916 at
Oglethorpe University. For its first decade Alpha Lambda Tau permitted expansion only within the southern states. At the start of its fourth decade, in 1946, the national organization of Alpha Lambda Tau dissolved; the majority of its chapters affiliated with
Tau Kappa Epsilon.
History
Alpha Lambda Tau was founded at Oglethorpe University, of
Brookhaven, Georgia (a northeastern suburb of
Atlanta) on October 8, 1916.[1] The organization at Oglethorpe became Alpha chapter on March 27, 1921.[1] Being of southern origin, it was originally decided that the fraternity would not expand north of the
Mason–Dixon line. By 1927, the anti-northern expansion policy was met with disapproval at the fraternity's national convention. The policy was dropped in 1927, and a charter was issued to a new chapter at the
University of Illinois.[2]
Alpha Lambda Tau became a Junior member of the
NIC in 1928.
Merger with ΤΚΕ
In 1946, the national organization of Alpha Lambda Tau dissolved. Five of the eight chapters that were active in 1946 merged with
Tau Kappa Epsilon. Several chapters went to other national fraternities.[3]
Chapters
These were the chapters of Alpha Lambda Tau. Those active at the time of the merger are noted in bold, those inactive are noted in italics. Where chapters affiliated with ΤΚΕ their status is noted as "Merged"; where they joined other fraternities they are listed as "Withdrawn".[4][5]
^The name of the Western Colorado chapter is conjectural; no name is listed in Baird's Archive, only the school. This could also have been the Omega chapter (or colony), as Baird's Archive, normally noting chapters in order of formation, lists it after Psi. Still, its chartering occurred in the same year.
^
abTrine University was called Tri-State University until 2008.
^Through no fault of its own, after being granted the name Beta-Epsilon chapter of ΤΚΕ in March 1947, ΤΚΕ was forced by NIC rules to revoke Beta-Epsilon's charter because Tri-State was not (yet) accredited; the chapter then affiliated with
Kappa Sigma Kappa in 1952. In 1962ΚΣΚ nationally merged with ΘΞ, but due to the accreditation issue the chapter reverted to local status again, calling itself Tau Kappa Lambda (local) [possibly Tau Kappa Sigma, some records showed this as Tau Kappa Sigma (local), in what appears to have been a typo.] In 1966, once school accreditation was in place, it would become the Theta-Xi chapter of
Kappa Sigma fraternity, with that new name a coincidence having no relation to the national fraternity into which its former national merged. To complete the historical record, ΤΚΕ's Beta-Epsilon chapter was recolonized in a separate effort on the Trine campus in 1989.
^
abcdefghijAnson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VIII–2–3.
ISBN978-0963715906.
^The Kentucky Kernel of January 19, 1932, p1, notes this chapter's formation as local Phi Psi Phi on October 26, 1930 for the purpose of eventual expansion into Alpha Lambda Tau.