Jeff Cucchi ’94 followed in his brother’s footsteps into Lambda Chi Alpha, a bigger brotherhood that had a lasting impact.
“I was initially attracted to Lambda Chi because of my older brother, Vinny Citarelli ’91, who joined Lambda Chi during his sophomore year. He introduced me to many of the brothers while I was attending another university. The brothers were so welcoming and open to me, even though I was not a PSU student. After I had transferred and attended University Park, it was a no-brainer for me to rush and become a part of the brotherhood.”
Jeff joined the chapter at a time when significant changes were occurring in the fraternity and across campus. “At the time, Lambda Chi was going through a transition and we were the leaders in changing the ‘pledge’ process. We were also making the hard decision to become more responsible with alcohol during social events,” Jeff explained.
“The national office made the decision to outlaw kegs in all of the houses. This was a big challenge for our house during this time, as other fraternities were not changing with the times. We successfully navigated these challenges and grew our membership over the two years I was a brother.”
Jeff believes this is due to the lessons passed on by the fraternity. “The core values that Lambda Chi taught me are ingrained in my everyday life,” he said. “Loyalty, duty, respect, service and stewardship, honor, integrity, and personal courage are all traits that I continue to pursue in my life today. When life starts to get hard, I focus and embrace those words and they help in the roller coaster that is life.
“Fraternities today are very different than they were 30 years ago,” Jeff said. “The world changes around us and we need to adapt to those changes. During my time at the house, we faced a challenge of maintaining recruitment when mostly all other houses could do social events very differently.
“Today, liability issues, social media, and university scrutiny are all major concerns for active members. The house can no longer be just a social place. The members need to be focused on creating bonds and relationships beyond the parties and football games,” he said.
“They need to know why the relationships they establish are important to their future as leaders in this world. They must trust that the brothers with whom they share the chapter room today will be the men sitting next to them through all their life’s challenges,” Jeff explained, emphasizing the effect Lambda Chi had on him as a person.
“Lambda Chi impacted my life immensely,” he said, “as the relationships I built during my time in the house have continued to this very day. I am still in communication with many of my brothers. They were there for my wedding, my son’s birth, and for the loss of a few of our brothers over the years.”
Jeff recalled some other life lessons he learned through the fraternity: “Without Lambda Chi Alpha, I would not have been as successful as a husband, father, community, and business leader. Everything I learned during my time at Lambda Chi has shaped me to be who I am at this moment in my life.”
In addition to the more weighty life lessons, Jeff also reflected back on festive occasions. “One of my most fond memories at the house was Homecoming 1992,” Jeff explained. “I had never seen a group of men work so hard for one goal as much as I saw that year. It was such a pleasure to see brothers working with associate members as well as the sorority to put together a great float and, I believe at the time, earned a third place finish! There was such a sense of brotherhood during that week, where all the members helped and supported each other.”
Jeff works at Transtreme as the chief financial officer. “Transtreme partners with physicians, medical networks, and payors to deliver the high-quality healthcare services that patients demand and deserve,” he explained. “Transtreme partners with physicians, medical networks, and payors to deliver the high-quality healthcare services that patients demand and deserve.”
Jeff has been married for 28 years and has a son, Jeffrey, who is a junior at Penn State.
“Without Lambda Chi Alpha, I would not have been as successful as a husband, father, community, and business leader. Everything I learned during my time at Lambda Chi has shaped me to be who I am at this moment in my life.”