gamma xi and gamma lambda return to a strong presence in greek life

university’s new strategic plan for social clubs focuses on growth, service and collaboration.

abigail mcqueen & janel shoun-smith  |  12/02/2024

like the song says: “everything old is new again.”

that was certainly true this past fall as the inactive men’s social club gamma xi was resurrected by the office of student life and a group of passionate alumni and students.

to round out “the year of the gamma,” as assistant dean of student engagement landon parrish calls it, the women’s social club gamma lambda, which was on the verge of becoming inactive, was rejuvenated through targeted recruitment efforts.

these two clubs were the first beneficiaries of a strategic approach by the office of student life “to raise the perception and the esteem of social clubs on campus,” said parrish.

since 1967, social clubs have been a part of life at lipscomb. each semester, students “rush” clubs in order to make new friends and get more involved on campus. over the decades, many social clubs have gone inactive due to declining membership or unforeseen circumstances while other social clubs have sprung up.

however, during covid-19’s social distancing restrictions, social club involvement at lipscomb dropped more than usual. as other student organizations have grown in number and in members due to demographics and changing interests, pledge classes for social clubs became smaller than before the pandemic.

“i feel that when social clubs and greek life is a healthy growing system, it reflects in our campus as a whole,” said parrish. “i think collectively greek life can do a lot of good for our campus and the greater nashville area.

“these students are putting in a lot of hours, and they are dedicating their time to building their organization. there needs to be some pride in what they’re doing.”

so parrish’s goal is to bring back old clubs and expand the options for students who want to rush.

“i want to be able to serve every demographic of student. i don't want all the social clubs to look the same,” said parrish. “i’m challenging each of the clubs to really figure out what their brand is, what makes them different from the other clubs and what makes them special.”

gamma xi is a 46-year-old men’s club that went inactive in 2015. today, 16 members are working to elect officers, learn the club’s history, develop activities and prepare for rush in spring 2025.

gamma xi was a good choice for resurrection, said parrish, because it has a highly involved network of alumni, including lipscomb’s associate provost rick holaway (bs ’01, mba ’09) and lipscomb senior vice president of advancement keith hinkle (bs ’90).

“after looking at all of the different clubs, gamma xi stood out to me as a club where i could be heavily involved,” holaway reflected on his undergraduate years. “i enjoyed building friendships with the guys that were in the club at the time, and i liked their reputation on campus.”

some of his favorite memories include playing intramural sports and hosting “band party,” an event that doubled as an opportunity for students to hear good music and a canned food drive. he says that some of his best friends from college were other gamma xi members.

the leader of gamma xi’s revival is brock loyd, a senior acting major and club president. his main goal was to “create a space for guys on campus who feel like they don’t have a space.”

the new members of gamma xi have already received immense support from their alumni network.

“the biggest help we have received from alumni was through battle of the bucks,” says loyd, referring to lipscomb’s annual fundraising competition between social clubs. “we were one of the first clubs to reach our goal and we even went over that goal. we also have had help from our sponsor keith hinkle, and will waites, who let us borrow one of his jerseys.”

gamma xi raised the second highest level of funds in battle of the bucks at $1,350.

but there is one alumnus who especially means a lot to loyd and ultimately inspired him to revive gamma xi: his father, todd loyd (la ’90, ba ’94), known to many as one of the three hosts of impact, lipscomb’s summer spiritual camp.

“my dad was a member of the club back in the early ’90s, and i grew up hearing stories about how much fun he had when he was in it and how much he loved it,” he says. “he has probably been the biggest help because he is the whole reason we brought the club back in the first place.”

loyd describes that “one of the coolest feelings has been getting to wear his jersey around campus every thursday.”

todd loyd and holaway held a meeting this fall with new members to teach them about the club traditions, such as the wooden pledge books. additionally, gamma xi participated in the social club volleyball tailgate, where they debuted their new cornhole boards, and in the bisons weekend square fair.

“gamma xi can be whatever they want to make it,” holaway says. “my hope for them is that they make it better than it ever was. they can be a group that provides the types of relationships and experiences that i enjoyed during my time at lipscomb. plus, starting something ‘new’ is always fun. what is unique for them is that they can start something ‘new’ that actually has a long history.”

gamma lambda is one of lipscomb’s oldest social clubs and has many notable alumni, including lipscomb president candice mcqueen (bs ’96).

“in the ’90’s, gamma lambda was a very large club with many friendly girls,” says mcqueen. “they were also people of excellent character who clearly loved the lord and loved each other. this immediately drew me to the club as i could see myself enjoying the group of girls and having them as true friends.”

some of her favorite memories involved the club’s events including hayride, formal and performing in singarama. “these were opportunities to get dressed up and experience different places and each other in a unique setting,” she said.

as gamma lambda membership began to drop, senior joy stevens, the current club president, worked with parrish to recruit new girls through a modified rush process.

“we put out flyers and made sure people knew we wanted to rebuild the club,” says stevens. “it has taken a lot of effort, but the 15 girls we have now are amazing and are in this club one hundred percent.”

many of gamma lambda’s alumni have supported them monetarily, but they have also offered prayers and encouragement for the club. mcqueen has helped gamma lambda during battle of the bucks and supported their philanthropy work for breast cancer awareness.

stevens is excited to grow the club in spring with “a new foundation” of girls who joined during the modified rush process.

“the group of girls in gamma are so welcoming and fun to be around,” she says. “we are always covering for each other and being there when we need help. the perks of a growing, smaller club is that we are able to expand and add new traditions along with some of the older ones that make us more welcoming and fun. i want to grow, have fun and challenge one another as a club.”

mcqueen continues to support and encourage the club. “the sky is the limit for gamma lambda,” she says. “they are a club that continues to draw girls together to do good work. i love seeing their leadership in action and believe they have what it takes to continue to excel as a group that serves more and more students.”

this past fall at a newly established greek life kick-off, parrish debuted a new strategic plan to members of lipscomb’s social clubs, earning a positive response from students. the mission to grow, serve and collaborate, will not only enhance greek life on campus, but will also enhance connections between alumni and today’s students, said parrish.

“students in greek life are fully bought into lipscomb,” said parrish. “they feel the momentum. they feel the energy, and it’s cool to see that momentum going to another level as alumni are starting to hear about it and feel it and see it. i want to revitalize that connection so that when alumni come back to campus, they can see their letters on campus.”

mcqueen encourages students to get involved, saying, “social clubs provide a place for smaller groups to come together and have fun. they help students feel connected and provide social outlets and ideas that blossom, especially for new students to the community. i encourage our students to look at social clubs seriously. they serve as another place for connections, friendships and social activities among the many opportunities at lipscomb.”