On Saturday, March 12, 2016, the New York Lambda Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at St. John’s University was installed by General Council Member-at-Large Moe Stephens. The ceremony was held in the University’s state-of-the-art D’Angelo Center, a building that offers a view of the Manhattan skyline from the top floor. Chapter President Asher Thompson-Cohen humbly accepted the charter on behalf of all the founding fathers.
St. John’s University was represented by Associate Director of Community Development and Fraternity and Sorority Life Advisor, Leonard Breton. Breton kindly spoke and offered words of pride and encouragement on behalf of the University. From General Headquarters, Director of Expansion Tucker Barney, Puget Sound ’14, and Colony Development Specialist Dylan Berg, North Dakota ’15, led the procession of men into the installation ceremony. Several notable Phis from across the nation attended the ceremony including General Council Member-At-Large Moe Stephens, Southern Indiana ’99, Province President Chris Simeone, MIT ‘05, and CAB Chairman Bradley Shane, Emory ’10. Several representatives from New York Kappa (Hofstra University) were also in attendance.
Throughout the banquet, several meaningful speeches were made. General Council member Moe Stephens told a touching story about the powerful connections made through brotherhood, and Chapter President Asher Thompson-Cohen reiterated that New York Lambda must continue to be great as a chapter.
As time goes on, the New York Lambda Chapter aspires to always give college men the chance to become the greatest versions of themselves and live out the principles of Phi Delta Theta. The brothers would like to sincerely thank Dylan Berg, Tucker Barney, Moe Stephens, and all of the alumni in the area whose support and hard work made the installation weekend possible.
In accordance with Phi Delta Theta’s Strategic 10-Year Plan, Phi Delt 2020 and its growth initiative, Phi Delta Theta is currently executing expansion strategies that culminate in seven chapter installations annually and 200 chapters by 2018. The installation of New York Lambda was the first chapter installation of 2016, and the Fraternity currently has 183 active chapters and 10 colonies.
