Chapter History
At the beginning of the 1980 spring semester, the expansion team at Sigma Alpha Mu International Fraternity decided that Northern Illinois University would geographically be an excellent selection for an expansion effort. Situated within about an hour from existing chapters in Iowa and Chicago made Gamma Lambda attractive to SAM Field Rep Ronn Tulman. He set out on finding the right group of men to start the chapter. Choosing names, seemingly randomly from a phone book, Ronn found that several men were actually quite interested in hearing about the opportunity SAM offered. Excited about the positive response, Ronn quickly organized a meeting to discuss the possibility of a SAM colony at NIU.
While several men attended the first meeting, 6 men went on to start our colony. On April 1, 1980 they were presented with the candidate materials and became the first class of Sigma Alpha Mu, Gamma Lambda Chapter at Northern Illinois University. While proud new colonists, the men truly had little idea of what to do next. Early meetings were held in members dorm rooms in Lincoln Hall. The idea of creating a new fraternity chapter seemed like a daunting task. The 6 men, which later became 4, often joked about what it would be like to be able to return to NIU 10 years down the road and see what, if anything, the chapter would look like. Little did they know how truly momentous their dedication would be.
As the beginning of the Fall Semester 1980 rolled around, the “Founding Fathers” realized that recruitment would be key to their success. They advertised in the Northern Star, held informationals, and brought anyone they knew to chapter recruitment events. They started small, attempting to bring their close friends into the organization. Membership started to grow, albeit slowly at first, to a strong core group of members. Members would hold social events on their dorm floors, and take road trips to Chicago. As the year rolled on, it was soon decided that in order to take the next step, the members would need a housing solution.
While several options were considered, eventually the members decided on a property just off campus. While considered the “Old Greek Row” neighborhood, 230 Augusta Ave was chosen for its size, proximity to campus, and because of its affordability. Nearly 20 members moved into the house in its first year. With membership growing, a strong group of good friends, and an adequate housing facility the chapter continued to grow.
In February 1982, Gamma Lambda Colony was officially Installed as Gamma Lambda Chapter. While the national Fraternity had strong roots to Jewish culture, the chapter opened up its doors to members of all kinds. In direct contrast to many of the existing organizations at the time, new members were recruited without regard to a members religion, race, or creed. Sammy soon became a home to members of all kinds. While remaining a small, tight knit group of members dedicated to excelling academically, enjoying the social aspects of college, and participating in the University experience, they continued to thrive.
By 1983 the membership decided to move into the “New Greek Row” which proved to be vital to the chapters' overall success. The chapter moved to 11 bedroom house at the east end of the block, 829 Greenbrier Road. From 1984-2007 the chapter would call this building home. While membership continued to remain around 25-30 members throughout many of the years, the chapter continued to initiate men of high moral character without regard to race, religion, or socio-economic status. While considered a “small” fraternity for most of its history, over 500 men were initiated into the chapter in its first 25 years.
In 2007 the chapter took its next big step. The chapter pursued moving into a much larger chapter house in the heart of Greek Row. At nearly 3 times the size of the former facility, it allowed for a significant amount of growth and expansion. Within just a few months, the vision started to take hold. Starting with just 16 residents, the members used the new house to usher in new era in SAM history at NIU. Refocusing recruitment efforts paid huge dividends, and soon the rooms filled. The chapter quickly swelled to nearly 70 members. We remain poised, with out current growth rate, to soon be among the top 2-3 fraternities in terms of membership within the coming years.
As the next generation of Sammy's begins their year, we look forward to continuing and improving the legacy of those alumni who set out to build a “different” fraternity chapter at NIU, through humble beginnings, nearly 30 years ago, both now and beyond.