Purple, Green, and Gold
Oct 1 1929
In the days when unorganized class rushes were traditional at Cornell University, the class of 1907 when sophomores attempted to prevent the freshmen from attending their banquet.
Local history
Articles about the local history of our fraternity, including Omicron Zeta, ISWZA, Eleusis, and New York-Gamma of Theta Kappa Nu.
Origin of “ISWZA”
When Lambda Chi Alpha chartered its thirteenth chapter at Cornell in 1913, it accepted a strong local society: Iswza.
From Mug and Jug to ISWZA
Omicron Oracle
This short history on the early history of the Iswza Society has been a frequent item in the Omicron Oracle.
Ithaca in the nineteen hundreds was quite different from the present seat of Cornell. There were few automobiles, no motion pictures, and co-eds were severely frowned upon.
The Founding of Eleusis
Relatively little is known of Eleusis, which became the New York-Gamma chapter of Theta Kappa Nu in 1935 shortly before merging with Lambda Chi Alpha in 1939.
One rainy day in the Spring of 1910 Moulton B. Goff stopped me on the stairway of our rooming house at 319 Linden Ave.
The Loss of Brother Carr
Mar 19 1919
Cuthbert Fraser '19, barred from military service on medical grounds he angrily disputed, proved invaluable to Omicron Zeta during and after World War I, coordinating communication of brothers scattered around Europe and North America and watching over 614 Stewart Avenue. Here he has forwarded a letter to the national secretary of Lambda Chi Alpha concerning Bro.
Auburn N.Y.
March 5, 1919
(Receipt acknowledged and information forwarded to [Bruce] McIntosh [at the National Office] 3/10/19)
The 1980s: An Observer’s Hastily Scribbled Notes
Omicron Oracle
Nov 1 1999
Editor's note: In 1999, our chapter house at 125 Edgemoor Lane will be 100 years old; we have occupied the building since 1920. To help celebrate the anniversary, The Omicron Oracle is asking certain alumni to recall life at 125 Edgemoor Lane over the various decades that it has housed our fraternity.
Editor’s further memo: I contracted with Bill “Veg” Noon at Homecoming ’98 to write up his recollections of Lambda Chi Alpha in the ’80s.
The 1970s: From Dissent to Disco
Omicron Oracle
Jan 1 1999
Editor's note: In 1999, our chapter house at 125 Edgemoor Lane will be 100 years old; we have occupied the building since 1920. To help celebrate the anniversary, the Omicron Oracle is asking certain alumni to recall life at 125 Edgemoor Lane over the various decades that it has housed our fraternity.
To some, the 1970s, like the 1950s, are regarded as “do-nothing” years.
The 1960s: Defying the Era’s Stereotypes
Omicron Oracle
Nov 1 1998
Editor’s note: In 1999, our chapter house at 125 Edgemoor Lane will be 100 years old; we have occupied the building since 1920. To help celebrate the anniversary, The Omicron Oracle is asking certain alumni to recall life at 125 Edgemoor Lane over the various decades that it has housed our fraternity.
The 1960s? You know the images: peace and freedom marches, love beads, draft-card burnings, marijuana and LSD, and campus protests.
Not, however, at Omicron. These clichés may have applied elsewhere during that turbulent decade, but for the most part, our fraternity— like many others at Cornell— was not a hotbed of unrest during the 1960s.
The 1950s: We Liked Ike… And Dixieland
Omicron Oracle
Mar 1 1998
Editor’s note: In 1999, our chapter house at 125 Edgemoor Lane will be 100 years old; we have occupied the building since 1920. To help celebrate the anniversary, The Omicron Oracle is asking certain alumni to recall life at 125 Edgemoor Lane over the various decades that it has housed our fraternity.
Ever explain your behavior to young whippersnappers by reminding them you are a “’50s person”?
Or if you’re from the “Vietnam Generation,” or are “30-something,” or a “Generation X-er,” or are an undergraduate— ever wonder why in the world people from about age 57 to 66 act the way they do? The answer is that they are ’50s people.