Founding Date

Feb 20th, 1982

In 1865, Asa Packer, president of Lehigh Valley Railroad, presented a $500,000 gift to build a university that would contribute to the “intellectual and moral improvement” of men in the Lehigh Valley. It was the largest donation of its kind to any educational institution in America at that time. The site that Packer chose for his university was a railroad junction across the Lehigh River from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a community founded in 1741 by Moravian missionaries. The site was selected in part because it was within walking distance for managers of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Packer and his associates designed the school to chiefly focus on mathematics and science education but provide pupils with a sufficient knowledge of classics. What began as a home for 39 eager young scholars is now a thriving university of more than 4,600 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students. The Epsilon Lambda chapter of Delta Gamma was established at Lehigh University on September 25, 1981. Women of the Beta Lambda-Gettysburg chapter assisted in the establishment. The new chapter of Epsilon Lambda jumped right in to chapter life, and by January 31, 1982 had successfully recruited the next member class. Epsilon Lambda was officially installed on February 20, 1982. A reception was held that evening at Rathbone Hall. The first few decades of Epsilon Lambda were successful. The chapter was consistently recognized for excellent academics on campus and was also recognized with a Province award. In March of 1983, the chapter held its first Anchor Splash®. Epsilon Lambda began to struggle in the early 2000’s. By 2012, the chapter had been in trouble with the University and Fraternity for several years. In 2013, Council voted to close the Epsilon Lambda chapter because of the chapter’s failure to follow Fraternity policy. The chapter officially closed on March 6, 2013. In 1982, the chapter moved in to their first chapter house on East 7th street known as the “Hillside House”. Short years later in 1987, the chapter moved to new on campus house that slept around fifty women.