The Virginia Theta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Lynchburg College was recently honored with four national awards at the Phi Delta Theta General Convention in Paradise Valley, Arizona.
The awards were for outstanding improvement, ritual, community service, and recruitment. "To receive one award would be quite exciting for all of us, and to receive four is a shock indeed," said Gregory Young '10, a marketing major from Lynchburg, Va. and alumni secretary of the chapter.
Chapter President Justin Klein '09, an exercise physiology major from Eden, N.Y., attended this international conference for all of the chapters of Phi Delta Theta.
John Eccles, LC vice president and dean for student development, said the chapter deserves the recognition. "The brothers really committed themselves to a higher standard this past year and it really paid off," he said. "They have the strongest numbers in years but more importantly the quality of members is outstanding as well. It is great to see the national organization recognize their work."
Phi Delta Theta was organized with three principle objectives: the cultivation of friendship among its members, the acquirement individually of a high degree of mental culture, and the attainment personally of a high standard of morality. These objectives, referred to as the "Cardinal Principles," have guided over 229,000 men since 1848 when the fraternity was founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.