The associate program is one of our strongest aspects and sources of pride. It is very different from a pledge program. Our associate program provides an associate member voting privileges at chapter meetings. An associate may represent our organizations by wearing letters as well as holding an office in the fraternity. The associate program also ensures the new members that there will be absolutely no hazing. The only difference between an initiated member and an associate is the understanding and knowledge of rituals. The advantages of an associate program are numerous, and it is becoming the trend of the future for all fraternities. Some other fraternities with traditional pledge programs segregate their pledges into a subordinate group which don’t give them any rights or decisions, but not Lambda Chi. Lambda Chi Alpha has not had a pledge process since 1972 when the Associate Member process was initiated. Here at Lambda Chi we believe that we are here to create better men, and equality, not segregational hazing is one of the key aspects to achieve that statement.

Hazing

We're sure you've heard all kinds of stories about the types of hazing that go on behind closed doors to pledges. You may even have a roommate or friend going through it. Although hazing is portrayed in a funny light in movies such as Animal House and Old School, the truth is that hazing can be extremely hazardous to your health. Most fraternities will tell you that they don't haze. But how is "hazing" defined? Our definition is by far the broadest--hazing is "any action taken or situation created intentionally to produce physical discomfort or mental discomfort by embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule." That's one of the reasons that we got rid of pledging; pledgeship is a program that dwells on the separation of initiated members and pledges with a primary emphasis on subservience. Such a separation cannot be allowed because it comes into direct contradiction with the very goal of our fraternity--brotherhood unity.

In Lambda Chi Alpha, all members share equal rights and responsibilities. In everyday chapter terms, this can mean:

• No separate work responsibilities for associate members
• No associate member "class officers"
• No kidnapping of any members
• No walk-outs, associate member retreats, or other activities which separate the associate members from the initiated members
• No verbal or physical abuse of members by other members

In truth, there are very few distinctions between the initiated member and the associate member; those that do exist are natural ones that come about due to age and years in school. In Lambda Chi Alpha, all members share equal rights, privileges, and responsibilities. One thing that makes Lambda Chi unique is its Associate Member program. All members are treated as equals from the day they join. As a man goes through the Associate member program, he learns first-hand what it's like to be a brother. Associate members are allowed to hold office, attend meetings, and vote on nearly all matters that come before the chapter. At Lambda Chi Alpha, we believe "that it is the duty of every man to make of himself a man, and that he can do so through his own effort, with the help of God and his fellow man" (taken from the Associate Member Ceremony.) In furtherance of this ideal, Lambda Chi Alpha has a long-standing anti-hazing policy:

When a man gets a Lambda Chi bid, he can be assured that he was invited to join because of who he is. We are not interested in breaking people down to a sub-human level so that we can build them into a brother. At Lambda Chi, Associate Members grow very close to their class and the chapter. In the end, the Associate Member program fosters a sense of acceptance, unity, security, and true brotherly love.