Pi Lambda Phi was founded on March 21, 1895 at Yale University.

The Founders of Pi Lambda Phi sought to create a "college fraternity on lines broader and more liberal than those employed" at the time. It was their purpose to establish

"a fraternity in which all men were brothers, no matter what their religion; a fraternity in which ability, open-mindedness, farsightedness, and a progressive, forward-looking attitude [would] be recognized as the basic attributes."

In 1895 at Yale University, a group of men were denied the right of admission into college fraternities because of their religious and racial backgrounds. The leaders of this group were three gentlemen, Frederick Manfred Werner, Louis Samter Levy and Henry Mark Fisher-our Founding Fathers. Werner, Levy and Fisher had a vision of a fraternity where neither sect nor creed shall ever act as a bar to admission for any man. This is how Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity was established.

The Chapter at Vincennes University was founded April 19, 1993. It was given the chapter designation Indiana Epsilon Gamma. A man by the name of Phil Harmon transfered to VU from Indiana State University in Terre Haute in the Spring of 1992. Phil, who's nickname was Phildo, was already a brother from the chapter at ISU known as Indiana Alpha Delta. Phil began to stir interest in starting a Pi Lambda Phi chapter around campus here. In the Spring semester of 1993 Pi Lambda Phi was started with the first pledge class known as the Founders pledge class. When the Founders class was initiated 19 men became brothers of Pi Lambda Phi. The 19 names of our Founders are:

Phil Harmon- "Phildo"; Craig Koepke- "Gerber"; Frank Tejera- "Heavy"; Jeff Miller- "Lite"; Spencer Giles- "Smuckers"; Eric Brown- "Darkman"; Darin Porter- "Pugs"; Chris Ridner- "Yogi"; Jason Ryker- "Dutchboy"; Dean Wilson- "Deano"; Donnie Couch- "Borris"; Chris Maines- "Rooster"; Jay Smith- "Unit"; Brian Grissom- "Gus"; Rick Strassmeier- "Boomerang"; Paul Rodgers- "ASOP"; Stacy Gunther- "Healy"; Shawn McCarter- "GQ"

Following the Founders pledge class, Beta class was put threw. It was the largest pledge class we have ever initiated in our chapter, initiating over 30 guys. That year it was the second largest pledge class of all the chapters.

Three years later we finally went from colony status to chapter status. December 16, 1996 we received our Charter and became an offical chapter. Brother Dan Klaker, the Rex at the time, was responsible for getting the work done for getting our Charter.

Our chapter has continued to initiate new brothers threw out the years, following traditions set by our 19 Founding Fathers and traditions set by our 3 Founding Fathers over 110 years ago. In the Spring of 2004, our chapter completed the greek alphabet of pledge classes initiating Omega class. In the Fall of 2004 the new pledge class was named Beta Alpha, starting over the alphabet.

FOR A LIST OF ALL THE PLEDGE CLASSES AND THE BROTHERS IN THEM PLEASE CLICK HERE