Like many college students before her, junior Anne Ware hoped to find a home within the Greek life community while at Lipscomb.
After being invited to join Phi Sigma last spring and leaving Phi Nu’s rush process this fall, Ware said she finally felt what God had been placing on her heart all along.
“I was actually in my interview for Phi Nu,” Ware said. “They asked me if there was anything holding me back from joining the club and I just had word vomit and ended up saying ‘I want to start my own club.’
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t need to do something about it; God put it on my heart.”
Ware, the club’s president, met with Laurie Sain and Sam Parnell of the Student Life department last semester to discuss what it would take to start another female social club on campus.
During the meeting, Sain and Parnell offered the idea of reviving an old club on campus – Gamma Lambda. The club died out roughly five years ago due to dwindling membership and increased popularity among newer clubs.
Gamma Lambda was founded in 1967 and was among the first 28 original clubs founded on campus. The club’s mascot is a lady bug, the flower is the iris and the colors are green and navy.
Gamma Lambda embodies the motto ‘A friend isn’t always a sister but a sister is always a friend.’
“We reached out to the alumni to make sure it would be okay with them to start it up again, since it’s their club too,” Ware said. “They were so supportive and happy to hear that a group of girls wanted to bring it back and have the club on campus again.”
Sophomores Hillary Reader, Katie Holliday and Jessica Brennan serve as the chapter’s vice president, rush chair and chaplain, respectively.
Other charter members include sophomores Alanna Hudy, Charley Benefield, Haley Scarbrough, Jenny Muesing, Kaleigh Ligon, Maggie Greenleaf, Morgan Jameson, Savannah Blaylock, Shona Gozmao and Tori Cherry. Lori Ligon and Jennifer Holliday are the group’s sponsors.
The club will participate in the rush process this semester but will not go through a full pledge week until fall 2016.
“We’re still going to take what would essentially be a pledge class but they’re just going to join our charter members,” Ware said.
Ware said the charter members will be looking for girls who want to be involved on campus, want to be a part Greek life, desire to be a leader and love Jesus.
Anyone is invited to talk with Ware and Gamma Lambda’s other charter members at the Greek-wide Perspective on Jan. 22 or visit them when open rush begins on Jan. 30.
“A Gamma Lambda girl wouldn’t really fit into another club,” Ware said. “Every club has their own niche and we’re satisfying a niche on campus that hasn’t been tapped into yet.
“All the girls that are currently apart of Gamma Lambda are really excited about being a part of Greek life because it’s something they each looked forward to coming to Lipscomb and now they get to be a part of it.”
Photos courtesy of Anne Ware