Syracuse Chapter REinstalled

More than 144 years after it first became a Delta Upsilon chapter, DU’s Syracuse Chapter has made its return to campus.

The Reinstallation Ceremony held Jan. 27, 2018, marks the second time the Syracuse Chapter has been rechartered into the Fraternity. DU’s 22nd chapter was first installed Nov. 14, 1873. Ninety-eight years after its founding, the chapter closed in 1971, then was reinstalled a few short years later on Nov. 6, 1976. The chapter would close again in 1996.

Despite the undergraduate chapter being dormant, the Syracuse Chapter alumni never gave up hope the group would make a return to campus. The alumni stayed connected to one another and the International Fraternity to ensure they would be ready for an opportunity to return. The alumni chapter continued to host events and send information, and The Dikaia Foundation, the chapter’s foundation, stayed active.

“Alumni have been working on our return for 20 years,” said chapter advisor Mike Whalen, Syracuse ’85. “Each year, more and more brothers got involved.”

According to fellow advisor Kevin Stein, Syracuse ’83, today, 50 alumni serve in an official capacity, including as members of a task force, trustees of The Dikaia Foundation, alumni chapter or housing corporation officers, or as members of the Chapter Advisory Board.

Delta Upsilon’s expansion efforts began in fall 2016, as Leadership Consultants came to campus to promote the Fraternity and recruit the group’s Founding Fathers. With the help of the alumni, the consultants (Jacob Ellis, Purdue ’16; Hayden Rahn, Oregon ’16; and Russell Harp, Kansas State ’16) quickly prepared the group for success. The Recolonization Ceremony was held Jan. 28, 2017, and the new colony set the goal to recharter within one year.

In the year between recolonization and reinstallation, the Syracuse Colony participated in or hosted a number of events to acclimate themselves to campus and the local community. The men participated in OttoThon, a 12-hour dance marathon to raise money for an area children’s hospital; cohosted a winter carnival with Alpha Epsilon Phi to benefit the Boys & Girls Club; held Delta Dodgeball to raise money for the Global Service Initiative; and more while continuing to recruit associate members and meet the operational benchmarks for reinstallation.

Chapter President Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiti, Syracuse ’19, attributes the group’s success to having a chapter of diverse men who embody what it means to be a DU, as well as tremendous alumni support.

“Hailing from all across the country and the world, our men live their everyday lives with justice as their foundation,” Al-Sulaiti said. “[Our alumni] set a perfect example of what brotherhood means. They guided us every step of the way, ensuring that our men would be fully prepared to take The Oath and become DUs for life.”

The alumni agree.

“We believe the new chapter’s success is the result of three key ingredients,” said Syracuse Chapter Advisory Board Chairman Ken Hyman, Syracuse ’88. “(A) Strong alumni network and support. (B) A proven blueprint from the International Headquarters for restarting a chapter in the current environment. (C) A terrific group of men with diverse backgrounds, yet a common set of core values consistent with DU’s Four Founding Principles."

The Reinstallation Ceremony, Rite II of Initiation and a celebratory reception were held Jan. 27, 2018, in the beautiful Hendricks Chapel on Syracuse’s campus. Nearly 100 Syracuse Chapter alumni were in attendance, along with roughly 30 friends and family members, including staff from the Syracuse Office of Fraternity & Sorority Affairs. The Ritual Team consisted of Executive Director Justin Kirk, Boise State ’00, as Master; Whalen as Examiner; Stein as Chief Marshal; Ellis as Chaplain; and International Fraternity Chairman Robert Lannin, Nebraska ’81, as Charge Speaker.

Prior to the evening’s festivities, Rite I of the Initiation Ceremony was held Friday, evening, Jan. 26. The chapter also celebrated moving into its new chapter house at 801 Walnut Avenue on Saturday afternoon.

According to Al-Sulaiti, the chapter’s goal for the future remains simple, yet strong: “We want to continue to perpetuate the diversity that makes our chapter so strong, ensuring that Delta Upsilon will continue to thrive and grow at Syracuse University.”