Young Chapter, Big Impact

Posted by: Jack Kreman - October 8, 2015

Growth is the key to sustainability. Expanding the Fraternity’s reach and recruiting men of excellence is vital to the success of Delta Tau Delta.

It is also vital to the communities and campuses where the Delt flag is planted. New colonies and recently-chartered chapters across the country are making waves on their campuses and in their communities. The Lambda Chapter at Vanderbilt University re-chartered in the spring of 2014, and the effect on Greek life has been immediate.

“Delta Tau Delta has played a tremendous part in the success of Greek life,” said Kristin Torrey, Greek life advisor at Vanderbilt. “We’ve had more men joining and seen a growth in interest, and they’ve been excellent in their commitment to diversity and inclusion both in the chapter and in the Greek community.”

This commitment to diversity helped instigate the IFC inclusivity agreement signed by all fraternities on campus. The agreement is a written pledge and proverbial welcome mat to all the students of Vanderbilt, regardless of background.

“To have something like that on paper and in writing is the first step toward having it in spirit and in practice,” said Sam Mallick (Vanderbilt University, 2014), founding father and chapter advisor of the Lambda Chapter. “We want everyone to be a part of our community, we don’t want to exclude. We want Greek life to be a place where people come together.”

For Mallick, joining the Delt Colony at Vanderbilt in the fall of 2012 meant joining the charge to set a new standard of excellence for fraternities on campus.

“We want to be the right kind of fraternity and push everyone else here to be that kind of fraternity too,” said Mallick. “We’re people who care about our community and we bring value to it. We’re living up to the standard of excellence we say we are.”

One month after chartering, the Lambda Chapter was named IFC Chapter of the Year. One year later, the Lambda Chapter took home the top spot again.

“I think it’s a little bit of a wakeup call, hopefully, to other organizations that the status quo has been changed,” said Mallick. “The things this community now values in a chapter of a fraternity are things like making an impact on your community and being the most involved men on campus.”

The young chapters and colonies of Delta Tau Delta are making impressive strides to improve the communities in which they reside, and are the resounding champions of challenging the negative stereotypes that plague the Greek movement.

“We’re sending a message to the university that we’re not just a bunch of frat boys,” said Mallick. “Through our brotherhood, through being in fellowship and encouraging one another, we’re able to do more good together than we would as individuals.”