Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Ability

The 2020 Advancement Committee took upon itself to answer a call we perceive to have been left unanswered. The committee brought forth initiatives it believes should bring Delta Tau Delta up to par regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The committee emphasizes these recommendations are the first steps the Fraternity should undertake in order to truly adhere to our core beliefs. For the Fraternity to truly live our fundamental principles of Truth, Courage, Faith and Power, the Fraternity’s work on DEI must go beyond this committee, must go beyond this report and realize that this work does not end. The work must change, adapt and evolve to truly reflect a brotherhood that genuinely ensures it is a great day for EVERY Delt. The following items are excerpts from the report of the committee.

Item 1: Creation of Committee on IDEA

The Committee recommends the formation of a standing committee that addresses the Fraternity’s issues, logistics, resources and planning centered around inclusion, diversity, equity and ability (IDEA) with an emphasis towards brothers who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and/or have mental/physical disabilities. Through the Committee on IDEA the Fraternity must foster, help and encourage chapters to plan educational and mutually beneficial events with BIPOC student unions, culturally specific fraternities and sororities and other inclusion-based organizations operating within campus and/or local municipalities. Chapters must work with chief diversity officers, chairs of equity and inclusion or other senior level equity offices within their respective campuses.

Item 2: Contextualization of Delt History as it Pertains to Race, Prejudice and Bigotry

The Fraternity must produce complete historical research and analysis of the foundation and history of Delta Tau Delta and our Founders. The Fraternity must conduct comprehensive research of racist, bigoted, prejudiced and discriminatory practices of Delta Tau Delta and our chapters. As an organization, it has two choices. It can continue to hide them and continue to ignore the problem or it can embrace contextualization to continue our pledge of lifelong learning and growth. As a values-based organization, Delta Tau Delta must be able to face this racism head-on and pivot our past into empowering learning moments for our ever-changing and evolving brotherhood.

Item 3: Updates on 2016 National Task Force on Diversity Report and Follow Up on its Recommendations

The committee was pleased to review the 2016 National Task Force on Diversity Report and would like an update on where the Fraternity stands on its recommendations:

• Review the wording pertaining to the inclusion of transgender individuals seeking membership within the Fraternity
• Adding the term “disability” to the non-discrimination clause
• Formally adopt language that clarifies members’ responsibility in preventing discrimination during the recruitment of new members and engagement with all members of the fraternal, campus and global communities.
• Consider the diversity ranking of institutions and actively investigate expansion opportunities to universities with high levels of diversity.
• Promote and Foster BIPOC/GBTQ+ membership
• The Fraternity awards process should add a graded category under Miscellaneous Operations for diversity programming. (The committee recommends that this be made a mandatory category.)

The committee asks for an update during the next division conferences. The committee echoes and reinforces the recommendations of the 2016 National Task Force on Diversity Report.

Item 4: Facing Race Issues on the Chapter Level

The Fraternity must encourage and mandate chapters engage in diversity appreciation, cultural engagement, racial awareness and social justice education. Our brotherhood must learn to embrace and respect all cultural and sexual identities. Our brotherhood must champion inclusive excellence and to fully understand the system of oppression that has existed to suppress BIPOC and the LGBTQ+ community.

Our approach to inclusive excellence must have the same importance and priority as our continued work towards alcohol/drug abuse, hazing and the prevention of sexual assault. The chapter’s engagement to race issues must be worked into the chapter accreditation process and made mandatory. Race and discrimination issues must be addressed along side with white privilege and micro-aggressions in programming such as New Member Education, The Charge, The Road, Ignite, division conferences and Karnea.

The Fraternity must create language and bylaws that specifically answer questions from brothers being racially attacked, discriminated against, belittled and dehumanized from verbal, physical, emotional trauma or creating a hostile environment based on race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or transgender status and disability.

Item 5: Facing Race Issues on the International/Central Office Level

• Recommend repercussions/discipline for alumni who act unbecoming(racist and/or homophobic)
• Empower the Member Discipline committee (national level)
• Add training for advisors and alumni volunteers to talk about race and diversity
• Commitment to no racism at a national level with clear consequences
• Create pipeline of BIPOC brothers to create diversity in senior leadership and make diversity a priority for Central Office positions
• Taskforce to identify BIPOC brothers and pay for flights/registrations to to attend Karneas, conferences and leadership retreats
• Prioritize hiring BIPOC/LGBTQ+ speakers/facilitators at leadership retreats, division conferences and Karneas

The Fraternity must broaden its brotherly love out to other organizations so it is able to sustain them, while they can work to sustain Delt. We charge Delta Tau Delta to foster, cultivate and maintain partnerships with NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) and NMGC (National Multicultural Greek Council) groups on an international level. Most of these organizations were founded by men and women in response to white dominated, long established Greek-letter organizations. We must bridge this gap and create leadership summits, workshops, conferences, fundraisers and philanthropies which would mutually benefit all organizations.

Item 6: Replacing the Word “Colony”

The act of “colonizing”, assumes to have a Western civilization interrupt a native culture, promote power and privilege, and become the dominant leader of the land. But that’s not our goal. Rather, we promote positive change and growth within the entire community on campus.

For many groups, particularly indigenous peoples, they feel the following definitions: “a group of people of one nationality or ethnic group living in a foreign city or country” or “a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country.”

The Fraternity can do better to describe a group of aspiring men who want to start a Delt chapter. The committee and several other Delts have come up with several options the Arch Chapter can consider:

• Crescent Chapter
• Crescent Society
• Aspiring Chapter
• Chapter Candidate
• Associate Chapter

Item 7: Alumni Database/Program for Job Shadowing, Mentoring and Connections for Upperclassmen and Recent Graduates

The committee recognizes a major motivation for men to attend college and join a fraternity is to gain job prospects and increase earning potential. The Fraternity must be able to provide job shadowing, mentoring and connections for upperclassmen and recent graduates as a way to promote and increase the Fraternity’s value of lifelong membership.

The committee recognizes we must be able to crawl before we can walk. We recommend creating a more robust LinkedIn community where undergraduates and recent graduates can at least make connections to our alumni pool without having to create a platform from scratch. But ultimately we would like to see Delts integrate a national strategy for professional development.

Item 8: Official Statement of Support and Pledge for Action

The committee finds it important for the Fraternity to create a statement on its efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Conclusion:

The committee would like to reiterate that this is a beginning. We expect the Fraternity to continue to be an inclusive organization in perpetuity. We understand that policies might change quickly enough, but the change in the hearts and minds of our brothers and fellow Americans will be a long and a constant battle. This work requires our constant diligence.

Our Founding Fathers started Delta Tau Delta because they were judged and treated differently. No matter how much honor they deserved, the Bethany Neotrophian Society did not recognize them justly and systemically dismissed their work with a rigged election. They, too suffered inequality. Our foundation story is relevant today. We hope the work we started today places us on the right side of history. 

Read the full Advancement Committee Report.