Kent State accepts gay fraternity

The Inter-Fraternity Council at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, voted Monday to accept the Alpha Psi chapter of national gay fraternity Delta Lambda Phi, according to a press release from Delta Lambda Phi.

The Kent State chapter of Delta Lambda Phi met with resistance in the spring when the chapter first petitioned for membership on the council, even though the group had been on campus since February 2000.

"We're very pleased with the IFC's decision," said Joshua Dudeck, president of the Alpha Psi Chapter. "I wasn't sure how the vote was going to go, to be honest. This is just the first step for us. We still have to apply to be an associate [fraternity], then after three semesters of associate standing in good standing, we'll be able to apply for full membership."

Delta Lambda Phi, founded in October 1986 in Washington, D.C., has 23 active chapters in 16 states and the District of Columbia, with recognized colonies in Indiana, Texas, and Washington State. The Kent State chapter is the second Delta Lambda Phi chapter in Ohio to be recognized by its local Inter-Fraternity Council; the other is the Alpha Sigma chapter at Ohio University in Athens.