Kappa Sigma and VCU
The Lambda-Zeta Chapter of Kappa Sigma stood as a leader in Greek Life at VCU for nearly 40 years. Our commitment to enriching the lives of our members, the VCU student body, and the community extends beyond the hosting of social events. It can be best seen in our history of giving, which includes but is not limited to:
The Will Sheffey Kappa Sigma Endowment which provides annual scholarships to deserving VCU School of Business students who have displayed both academic excellence and an exceptional commitment to community service.
Helping kickstart the Phi Mu Sorority
We were instrumental in helping establish VCU’s first Interfraternity Council.
Annual service events for the university and local charities that included; Stew Stirs, Dance-a-Thons, Rock-a-Thons, Ball Bounces, manning the phones at VCU Annual Giving Program Phone-a-thons and more.
The Michael & Larissa Chaney scholarship fund — in perpetuity, at the VCU BrandCenter and VCU School of Business.
Spearheaded the creation of VCU’s first Greek Alumni Network to benefit all VCU Greek Alumni.
We were the first Greek Organization to purchase property and make a long term commitment to VCU and diversity of membership. (see below)
An interactive, more detailed timeline covering our work through the years 1961-2018 can be found online.
We no longer own 1110 West Cary Street, but we hope the new owners appreciate all our hard work.
The chapter maintained an active and engaged presence at VCU until 2009. In the following years, the Lambda-Zeta alumni partnered with VCU’s faculty and administration towards re-establishing a colony/chapter on campus. We have done this through the continued promotion of our core values and continued support of the university.
To date, Lambda-Zeta has recruited more than 60 pledge classes, and initiated over 500 young men into the brotherhood. The Kappa Sigma Lambda-Zeta Alumni Association currently engages with over 400 registered alumni worldwide.
We encourage you to continue the proud history of Kappa Sigma at VCU by joining the brotherhood and committing yourself to the Four Pillars of The Kappa Sigma Fraternity. The first step is to attend a Rush event. Visit the Rush page of this website to see upcoming Rush events.
Fellowship
Want to get more from your college experience? Kappa Sigma makes it happen. Joining Kappa Sigma provides opportunities for fellowship, fun, and personal growth that you simply can’t get elsewhere. Over 280,000 men have joined and enjoyed the unmatched experiences, involvement, and lifelong brotherhood that Kappa Sigma offers. There is no secret…our goal is to build better men.
Leadership
Take the lead. In Kappa Sigma, brothers learn to get involved in their communities and take the lead when something needs to be done. Countless brothers, including senators, governors, and CEOs, have said Kappa Sigma gave them the leadership skills they needed to succeed.
Scholarship
You’re in college for an education. From its earliest beginnings in Renaissance Italy, Kappa Sigma has promoted scholarships among its members. Since its inception, over $4.5 million in scholarships have been awarded by the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund to brothers who excel in academics, campus involvement, and leadership. At the chapter level, brothers help you learn about the campus, provide advice on professors and classes, and help you study for those important assignments.
Service
Helping others is part of being a Kappa Sigma. Brothers spend thousands of hours working in their communities and raise thousands of dollars for worthy causes each year. From organizing park clean-ups to serving as Big Brothers to organizing charity rock concerts, Kappa Sigmas work hard for their causes. College is fun, but only service gives you the great feeling of knowing you’ve helped someone and made a difference.
Around the year 1400, at the University of Bologna, Manuel Chrysoloras and his disciples formed a society for mutual protection against physical attack and robbery by the unscrupulous governor of the city of Bologna, Baldassarre Cossa. These students devised secret signs, words, and forms - a ritual - to protect their ranks from penetration and betrayal and to ensure the’ members’ safety. It was these rites which transformed their association from a protective guise against the ruthless Cossa into something much more important. Their ideals, embodied in a ritual, transformed them from a group of men to a true brotherhood – the Fellowship of Kappa Sigma.
Tradition holds that Cossa practiced extortion and robbery against the students. He levied fees from students traveling from other cities, and Cossa’s agents preyed on those students when given the opportunity. Chrysoloras and his disciples stood against those forces on the strength of their bonds in Kappa Sigma. Born to a family of sea pirates, Cossa later usurped the Papacy under the name John XXIII after leaving Bologna.
Modern-day Kappa Sigma was founded in the fall of 1869, as five students attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville gathered at 46 East Lawn. In William Grigsby McCormick’s room, they planted the seed of brotherhood. For weeks the bonds of friendship drew these five together. It became clear that a formal structure was needed to contain their feelings. The Founders formalized their association, but they also created a fraternity. A fraternity steeped in the traditions of the past and dedicated to the pursuit of learning. The new brothers recorded their bond in a Constitution and in an Oath that set forth the ideals and principles that form the core of all Kappa Sigmas today.
