This section of the website is for brothers only. It is governed by the ΔΚΕ Oath of Secrecy that you took when you became a pledge.
The menu on your right will allow you to pay dues and make gifts, submit news items for The Delta Chi Deke, find other brothers, network with other brothers based on your career interests, read past Delta Chi Deke newsletters, review our list of “lost” brothers, read past email broadcasts, and see our photo galleries.
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Virtual Reunion History Webinar, June 6, 2020
A review of Deke’s first 150 years.
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Priorities for Spring 2020
Our chapter’s top priorities and goals are:
- Complete our $1.3 million Building our Legacy capital campaign by June 30.
- Mentor our undergraduates, hold a joint alumni-undergraduate retreat, and work toward regaining our chapter charter from ΔΚΕ International.
- Complete our summer 2019 front-porch construction project and plan for the next phase of the physical-plant projects.
- Help undergraduates cope with COVID-19 epidemic.
- Engage alumni through the ΔΧ 150th anniversary events and special outreach to young alumni and to past Brother Betas.
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Undergraduate Financial Statement
Here is the July–December 2018 statement for the undergraduate corporation, showing our first semester back in the house.
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Undergraduate Strategic Plan for 2019–2020
Each year, the undergraduates complete a strategic plan and submit it to ΔΚΕ International. In April 2019, the undergraduates attended a weekend workshop led by Plaid LLC, where they worked through a mission statement and started drafting their latest strategic plan. You can read it here.
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Subleasing the House
From 2014 to fall 2018, we are subleasing the house to Campus Life Enterprise Services. The Memoradum of Understanding may be viewed here. ΔΚΕ receives all operating profits and can use the house during Reunion, for receptions during January formal rush, and one weekend night per year for initiation. (Paragraph 7). The terms of Vice President Murphy’s decision also impose certain conditions on the house as it restarts.
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Recolonization Schedule
We have retained ΔΚΕ International and Phired Up Productions, LLC, to recruit our new brothers. Our recruiting will fit into the IFC rush calendar, which prohibits rushing freshmen until after Columbus Day, Oct. 12. ΔΚΕ will be the only returning house rushing this fall.
| Nov 17–19, 2017 | Fall smokers to recruit freshmen. |
| Nov 2017 | Interview and contact freshman prospects also including the fall pledges in the rushing effort. |
| Jan 17–23 2018 | Formal rush using rented meeting space. Conduct two pre-arranged tours of Deke House Common spaces. |
| Jan 28 | Bid Day for Formal Rush – dinner for new members – assign alumni “big brother” mentors. |
| Jan 24–Feb 10 | One-on-one recruitment. |
| Feb 10–Mar 9 | New member education with alumni mentors and DKE Chapter Consultants. |
| Mar 9–11 | Initiation Weekend. |
| Mar–May | Team building and educational activities continue through Spring semester. Mandatory training re: drugs, alcohol, sexual assault, etc. |
| April 28 | Retreat with alumni at Glenora – elect undergraduate officers and assign each office his alumni mentor. |
| June 7–10 | Reunion Weekend: undergraduate sleep-over in house. |
| Summer 2018 | House closed for construction. |
| Aug 2018 | Reoccupy the house with brothers. |
| Oct–Nov | Turn over legal control of undergraduate corporation to undergraduate officers. |
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Changing Fraternity Environment
Cornell fraternities have changed since I was a student and have changed since we recruited our last pledge class. To account for these changes, we have talked to both undergraduate and alumni IFC leaders and with people involved in recent successful recolonization efforts. In this new environment, both Cornell and ΔΚΕ continue to emphasize freedom with responsibility. We want our recruiters and undergraduates to feel that they are building their own organization, while they also benefit as a part of a proud organization with a long history. While we want to afford our new brothers wide latitude in planning their programs and selecting their officers, your alumni board will set “guardrails” to ensure that the new colony is launched on a successful trajectory. The key will be to create a culture where each new brother gives his word to adhere to certain standards, and compliance with the rules becomes an important obligation of being a brother. We are asking all of our alumni mentors to emphasize this message.
Since we left the hill, many other fraternities were caught violating the rules, and our neighboring houses (as many others) are on probation, facing constraints similar to Deke. Also, since Dean Travis Apgar resigned in January, Cornell is not only conducting a national search for his successor, but also is studying a transfer of greek disciplinary issues to the Cornell Judicial Administrator.
Also, years ago, New York State adopted laws making hazing a crime, and ΔΚΕ International has a risk-management policy that also prohibits underage drinking and hazing. These policies are important, because Cornell is currently in the midst of multi-million dollar litigation over past hazing and sexual assault allegations. So, undergraduate fraternities have moved toward a higher standard of conduct.
New brothers will be recruited with the expectation that they are joining a group without hazing or underage drinking, and we will offer an attractive program to keep them engaged without getting into risky behaviors. We will also upgrade our furniture and living environment to reinforce a positive path. Alumni mentors, ΔΚΕ International, Cornell staff, and our live-in advisor will all interact with the students to encourage their successful launch.
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Our Goal
We will provide the next generation of Dekes with an exceptional living/learning environment that will attract top-notch Cornell students. These students will then benefit from our traditions and alumni network, as well as a live-in advisor. We seek to relaunch the organization with positive momentum that will sustain the chapter over time.
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Our Relationship with Cornell
In 1893, ΔΚΕ built our house on land leased long-term from Cornell. In 1961, ΔΚΕ agreed to sell our house to Cornell for $1 and the right to enter the Cornell Group Housing Plan. A dozen houses followed ΔΚΕ into the plan. Here is the current lease/agreement that governs ΔΚΕ’s occupancy of the house, dated June 5, 1964. Recently, a number of other fraternities have entered into leases that supersede the Cornell Group Housing Plan, but Cornell has not offered terms that would be a material improvement on our agreement. Please note that the rent under the lease is $200 plus direct expenses without any markup.
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Sign Up for Recolonization Emails
We also offer you the chance to opt-in to receive a detailed biweekly email on our recolonization progress by filling out this form: