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New ISU fraternity open only to gay, bisexual men
The Cedar Rapids Gazette ^ | December 10, 2004 | Associated Press

Posted on 12/10/2004 1:32:31 PM PST by newgeezer

AMES, IA -- A new fraternity has formed at Iowa State University, limited to homosexual and bisexual men. Formation of the Delta Lambda Phi chapter, approved unanimously last week by Iowa State's Interfraternity Council, happened quickly.

Brian Olechnowski, 22, of Long Island, N.Y., arrived as a graduate student in August. He was initially skeptical about the interest level of ISU students. But by September, the group had 11 members. By October, the group had raised the $600 petitioning fee and was recognized by its national fraternity.

"There are definitely people not in overwhelming support of the fraternity," said Olechnowski, the group's president. "One gentleman who is part of the gay community, he was very upset about the group being started up. He thought we were trying to be separatists or revolutionaries."

Delta Lambda Phi is a growing national fraternity with 2,000 initiated brothers, 20 chapters and 12 other groups working to become a chapter.

Delta Lambda Phi is open to gay and bisexual men, and allies, considered "progressive men." The group is now a "colony" at ISU, working toward full status as a chapter.

The fraternity will not get money from state government or student fees, and does not yet have a house. But it has all the rights and responsibilities of a fraternity, including representation on the Interfraternity Council and support from the university.

"They're a part of us. They're working with us," said Shawn Eagleburger, 22, an ISU interior design major who is president of the Interfraternity Council. "We're very excited to have this group. There's not a whole lot of opposition to it."

Dusty Garner, a vice president on the national board for Delta Lambda Phi, said this is a first for Iowa. An attempt by ISU students to form a chapter of Delta Lambda Phi four or five years ago failed. A chapter in Mississippi fought for two years against anti-gay policies before being recognized.

"It's a big deal that the Interfraternity Council was open-minded enough to say, 'Yes, please, come along,"' Garner said of Iowa State. "That shows a really great step forward in general in the Midwest for an open-minded society that probably wasn't there a few years ago."

Delta Lambda Phi, launched in October 1986 by three men in Washington, D.C., is expanding quickly in the Midwest with colonies forming in Toledo, Ohio, Raleigh, Mo., and Manhattan, Kan., Garner said.

"The news has been all positive that we've heard," said Phil Hernandez, vice president of ISU's Delta Lambda Phi, who described ISU as a friendly campus that doesn't discriminate. "Everything has been going well."

It will take between one semester and two years for Delta Lambda Phi to become a full-fledged chapter at ISU, which has 30 fraternities and is considered one of the predominant Greek systems in the state. The new fraternity is being mentored by those from the University of Minnesota.

The University of Iowa in Iowa City has 20 national men's fraternities but does not have a chapter of Delta Lambda Phi and does not plan to add a chapter in the coming years, said Jason Pierce, an assistant director in Iowa's Office of Student Life.

"We haven't had student interest," he said. "Students have not come forth in saying, 'This is something we need and want."'


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: cyclones; dontdropthesoap; eltonjohn; gayagenda; highereducation; homosexualagenda; iowastate; iowastateuniv; isu; lavendermafia; sodomites
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To: Semper Paratus

No, the Bidet Rodeo.


41 posted on 12/10/2004 2:35:52 PM PST by massgopguy (massgopguy)
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To: newgeezer
The new fraternity is being mentored by those from the University of Minnesota.

'Don't worry boys, we here in your brother fraternity at the University of Minnesota will be behind you all the way.'

42 posted on 12/10/2004 2:36:06 PM PST by Free Vulcan
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To: newgeezer

Delta Lambda Phi ....Interesting choice!

43 posted on 12/10/2004 2:37:27 PM PST by OSHA (Actual DUer-I am so proud and excited! Let the recount and Inauguration of President Kerry begin!)
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To: Sthitch

That would be Lambda Moo.


44 posted on 12/10/2004 2:40:42 PM PST by Buckeye Battle Cry (The Measure of a Man is the Willingness to Accept Responsibility for Consequences of his Acts.)
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To: newgeezer

And, I suppose to join, one would have to prove his credentials?


45 posted on 12/10/2004 2:41:14 PM PST by Old Professer (The accidental trumps the purposeful in every endeavor attended by the incompetent.)
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To: newgeezer

Hell Week in this place is gonna take on a whole new meaning!


46 posted on 12/10/2004 2:43:05 PM PST by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace (Michael <a href = "http://www.michaelmoore.com/" title="Miserable Failure">"Miserable Failure"</a>)
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To: OSHA

I would have guessed Phi Alpha Gamma.


47 posted on 12/10/2004 2:44:04 PM PST by Buckeye Battle Cry (The Measure of a Man is the Willingness to Accept Responsibility for Consequences of his Acts.)
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To: newgeezer

My kids AND my money will DEFINITELY NOT be going to that school!


48 posted on 12/10/2004 2:44:04 PM PST by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace (Michael <a href = "http://www.michaelmoore.com/" title="Miserable Failure">"Miserable Failure"</a>)
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To: Bikers4Bush
>If they ever have a house it'll have to be burned to the ground when they're done with it.

But it will be clean,
well furnished and have nice drapes
before the big fire . . .

49 posted on 12/10/2004 2:44:40 PM PST by theFIRMbss
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To: newgeezer
"Only open to gays and bisexuals"? Something tells me the fraternity doesn't have to worry about heterosexual guys angrily demanding admission...
50 posted on 12/10/2004 2:46:13 PM PST by utahagen
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To: newgeezer

Great, the school I graduated from is really trying to catch up to the University of Iowa in wackiness.


51 posted on 12/10/2004 2:52:49 PM PST by HereInTheHeartland
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To: newgeezer
-- I've seen Animal House a few times --

...a pledge at Delta Lambda Phi house was heard sreaming "thank you sir may you pump me another"

52 posted on 12/10/2004 2:55:43 PM PST by reagankid
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To: newgeezer

How about a fraternity for people who like to have sex with animals?


53 posted on 12/10/2004 2:55:54 PM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: newgeezer

"The real question here is, why are you so intolerant toward this thread?"

Because I believe your reason for posting it was so that you could lampoon it. Get all of your FRiends together and have a good laugh at the gays.


54 posted on 12/10/2004 2:56:12 PM PST by pnome
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To: newgeezer
Can you imagine having the residence next door during hell week? I'm thinking the day they get a house will be the day property values droop <g>.
55 posted on 12/10/2004 2:57:04 PM PST by so_real (It's all about sharing the Weather)
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To: bayourod

perhaps there will be a sorority for f*g hag liberal women. (future spinsters of america)


56 posted on 12/10/2004 3:03:40 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
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To: pnome
Get all of your FRiends together and have a good laugh at the gays.

Laugh at gays? You betcha...but most of the time they just disgust us!

57 posted on 12/10/2004 3:04:24 PM PST by reagankid
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To: pnome; newgeezer
Because I believe your reason for posting it was so that you could lampoon it. Get all of your FRiends together and have a good laugh at the gays.

Then you're kind of superficial in your thinking. Go deeper and you'll see why this is indeed news. Each one of us deals with it the way we want to ... and cracking a joke is certainly a valid way of dealing with frustration and disgust. It happens in death and divorce (whenever the apple rots from the core really) all the time - draw the parallel. Next topic.
58 posted on 12/10/2004 3:07:44 PM PST by so_real (It's all about sharing the Weather)
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To: newgeezer

Eeew, I can just imagine what the "Little Sisters" must be like.


59 posted on 12/10/2004 3:09:00 PM PST by dfwgator (It's sad that the news media treats Michael Jackson better than our military.)
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To: pnome

Welcome to Free republic...and by the way, we laugh at Libertarian secularist too!


60 posted on 12/10/2004 3:09:27 PM PST by reagankid
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