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Alpha Kappa Lambda (), commonly known as AKL or Alpha Kapp, is an American collegiate social
fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...
founded at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, in 1914. Today, it operates 25 active chapters and has approximately 28,000 living-initiated members.


History and tradition

Alpha Kappa Lambda was founded on April 22, 1914, by a group of young men attending the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
. Its birth, however, dates back to 1906 when a group of friends, the Los Amigos Club, discussed the "need of Christian men for a place to live and study that was within their inancialmeans." These eleven men celebrated as the Fraternity's founders, were: After assisting in the cleanup of the
1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 AM Pacific Time Zone, Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli inte ...
, four of the group re-addressed their desire to organize a house club during a
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
conference in Pacific Grove, California. They formed Los Amigos in , a house club named from the Spanish translation of "The Friends." Shortly after, seven more men joined Los Amigos. The club adopted its Greek letter name Alpha Kappa Lambda on April 22, 1914. The fraternity contemplated an early expansion program and adjusted its operational model into a more permanent fraternal association model. However, its growth was put on hiatus by
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. After the war, active members and alumni focused on expansion, establishing ''Beta chapter'' at
Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
, followed by chapters at several Midwestern universities. The fraternity joined
NIC Nic is a gender-neutral given name, often short for Nicole, Nicholas, Nicola, or Dominic. It is also a component of Irish-language female surnames. It may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Nic Dalton (born 1964), Australian musician * Nic En ...
in 1930. The
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
disrupted the geographic expansion of the fraternity until 1949 when it hired its first full-time employee. Expansion resumed with an aggressive plan in 1950. Alpha Kappa Lambda became a senior member of NIC in 1954. The fraternity has eliminated Hell Week, personal duties by pledges, and hazing.


Symbols

Alpha Kappa Lambda is a non-secret order with no pledges of secrecy in the ritual, grips, passwords, or other clandestine signs. Reliance upon honor and the "members' finer feelings redepended upon" to safeguard the ritual and meaning of the fraternity. The official badge of the fraternity is made of ten-carat gold. An and a rest in the background, covered with the flowers of a dogwood, representing Christian principles, and a that is raised, set with eleven whole pearls. The pearls represent the eleven founders of the Los Amigos Club. The badge is to be worn only on collared shirts, sweaters, or suit vests, and in the traditional position over the heart. It may only be worn by initiated members of the fraternity. There is also a pledge pin that is a small hollow diamond. The fraternity's colors are purple and gold. Its motto is ''Alethia Kai Logos'' which means "The Truth and the Word " in
Classical Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archa ...
; the motto's'initials are the same as the fraternity's abbreviated name.


National service projects


These Hands Don't Hurt

These Hands Don't Hurt is the fraternity's response to the sexual assault problem on college campuses and was founded in 1996 by the ''Beta Zeta chapter'' at
East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...
. The project fights sexual assault through education, service, and philanthropic fundraising projects. Members fundraise through a "Promise Wall" that is displayed in a high-traffic area of campuses. Students, faculty, and members of the community are asked to add their hand to the Promise Wall for a contribution of $1. By placing their hand on the wall they make a promise that their hand will not be used to harm others. In the spirit of "growing the movement," Alpha Kappa Lambda has allowed other student organizations from around the country to use the program as a way to raise awareness about domestic violence.From the THDH Program summary. See th
''These Hands Don't Hurt''
website, accessed 19 Feb 2021.


Cystic Fibrosis

The fraternity adopted
cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...
as a national philanthropy at the 1990 National Conclave. Chapter fundraisers provide financial support to local organizations, research, and individuals. Chapters also provide manpower to help local organizations' events.


Adopt-A-School

The Adopt-A-School program was endorsed by the National Executive Council during a 1994 Winter meeting. The program provides one-on-one relationships between local college students and local elementary students. It allows college students to give something back to their host communities while being positive role models for children.


Chapters


Notable members


See also

*
List of social fraternities Social, collegiate, or general fraternities in the North American fraternity system are those that do not promote a particular profession, as professional fraternities do, or discipline, such as service fraternities. Instead, their primary purp ...


References


External links


Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity
{{Authority control Student societies in the United States North American Interfraternity Conference University of California, Berkeley Student organizations established in 1914 Fraternities and sororities in the United States 1914 establishments in California