Our History 

Undergraduate members of Eta Lambda Chapter acquired a house in 1976, affectionately known as The Ranch.  It was built as a private residence, and a group of undergraduate men convinced a local bank to sell it out of bankruptcy to the fraternity. The house was unfinished at the time of purchase, and through the brothers’ ingenuity and initiative, they finished construction and furnished the house themselves. 

The home became an icon for many alumni who took great pride in the young chapter’s ability to acquire and transform the residence into a fraternity house. The chapter has continually occupied The Ranch, serving more than 1,000 members of Eta Lambda Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity over the last 44 years. 

The Challenge 

We are pleased that the chapter is doing well both socially and academically.  We do, however, face challenges with the physical structure of the chapter house: 

  • Maximum occupancy is 12 brothers, according to the local Fire Marshall.  
  • City codes restrict increased occupancy based on capacity of the well and septic systems.  
  • Even with careful attention and maintenance, the infrastructure is nearly 50 years old, and time has taken a toll on our beloved Ranch A number of items have worn out, including the HVAC system, doors and doorframes, flooring, kitchen equipment, plumbing and drainage.  
  • The House Corporation could not charge market rates for rent due to the condition of the facility.  The Ranch simply cannot match the upgraded living conditions and amenities that new residence halls, apartments, and the local house rental market offer. 
  • In fact, the house was in such bad shape at the end of the last school year that the undergraduates notified the House Corporation that they simply could not live there due to health and safety concerns.  

The challenge was clear: to remain a competitive option in the Greek system, the chapter’s housing required immediate attention before it materially impacted the health and safety or our members and our recruitment effectiveness. 

Options 

The House Corporation’s Board of Directors, led by Mike Irwin (’84), considered and evaluated several options that would address Eta Lambda’s housing crisis: 

Option 1: Sell The Ranch. Pay off the loan balance and operate Eta Lambda Chapter without a house.  The House Corporation rejected this concept fairly quickly, because we could not remain competitive with other fraternities without a physical structure. Furthermore, recent zoning laws would have prohibited us from purchasing another house in Christiansburg or Blacksburg. 

Option 2: Build a new house on Oak Lane. The only place to build a completely new house would be on Oak Lane, where the majority of Greek houses are now located.  The House Corporation saw both positive and negative aspects to building a completely new house in this location: 

  1. Positive: We would have a house among many of the other Greek organizations at Virginia Tech. 
  1. Positive: The quality of housing for our undergraduates would dramatically improve. 
  1. Positive: The University would maintain the new facility.  
  1. Negative: The university requires their approval for all of the décor and decisions about the interior of the facility. The chapter would need approval from the university for all items hanging on the walls, such as  composites, and the university would bill the House Corporation for all work completed. 
  1. Negative: The chapter would be “under the thumb” of the University, in terms of operations and conduct.  
  1. Negative: The university would own the facility; Eta Lambda would have no equity or ownership position and no voice in how the house is used. If the chapter were to be suspended, the university could lease the house to another organization and there would be no guarantee that Eta Lambda could return to the house once the term of the suspension was complete. 
  1. Negative: If there is a room vacancy, the chapter is responsible for paying the university the “lost rent” from its operating budget. 
  1. Negative: We would need to raise at least $1.3 million to achieve University matching funds to build a competitive house.  

Option 3: Save The Ranch. The Eta Lambda House Corporation would launch a capital campaign to complete a multi-phased renovation on the chapter house and eliminate a small loan balance from an earlier renovation.   

This effort would also include funding for two types of scholarships.  These would be endowments to provide awards in perpetuity, named for/by the donor, for the benefit of our undergraduate brothers: 

  • Need- and merit-based academic scholarships – these awards will help with the ever-increasing cost of attending school at Virginia Tech. 
  • Leadership scholarships – these awards would help brothers attend programs hosted by Theta Chi National Fraternity, including Officers’ Leadership Academies, the School of Fraternity Practices, and the National Convention. 

You Are Needed  

Brothers, the success of the 50th Anniversary Campaign depends upon all of us.

Each of us has been a part of the history of Eta Lambda Chapter, and will be part of its future as we move into our next 50 years on campus. You now have an opportunity to participate in the next phase of our Chapter’s growth and success with other alumni in making an investment in this project. Please join us in ensuring that this vision endures, and that Eta Lambda Chapter remains an active and steadfast supporter of academic & leadership building at Virginia Tech.