Delta Tau Delta Closes U. of Virginia Chapter

[Coramoor]

We had a few legacies from the WVU Delts become brothers at my chapter. Their fathers put hundreds of thousands into that house after the first destruction back in 94 (I think). Then it got messed up again...and needless to say the Delts there lost a lot if not all of their alumni support this time.

It's a shame because it is such an old delt chapter and had a great location and strong alumni. Thrown away.

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by Coramoor

We had a few legacies from the WVU Delts become brothers at my chapter. Their fathers put hundreds of thousands into that house after the first destruction back in 94 (I think). Then it got messed up again...and needless to say the Delts there lost a lot if not all of their alumni support this time.

It's a shame because it is such an old delt chapter and had a great location and strong alumni. Thrown away.

If you go back to the very early days, it was one of our first chapters. In the official hisotry, the chapter is mentioned as one of the chapters present at the very first national gathering. It had been closed and then recolonized.

The alumni loss of support is much like the situation at Colorado. Local alumni had refurbished the really grand house to the tune of $1.5 Million. It was trashed within months, and the charter was pulled again.

Many local alumni have no interest in recolonizing at all.

That shouldn't surprise anyone -- but somehow it always does.

ETA This is also too bad since our next Karnea will the the 150th Anniversary of the Fraternity and will be held in Pittsburgh, not far from WVU and will include a pilgrimage to Bethany College, West Virginia, where we were founded in 1858, (formerly Virginia when Delt was founded) to the Founders House which still stands as a shrine to Delta Tau Delta.

[Coramoor]

Delts were at WVU before it was even WVU. It was called the Morgantown Academy.

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by Coramoor

Delts were at WVU before it was even WVU. It was called the Morgantown Academy.

Right. That's the school named in the history I spoke of.

Since I knew of the change in names, I tansposed them in my comments so as not to confuse anyone who might read them.

I hate to see any chapter of any greek letter society close, but it's obviously worse for me when it's one of ours. However, whether a Delt chapter or some other, in the long run, this is necessary for the survival of the fraternity system (including women's fraternities) as we know it.

The "good old days" are gone, and if organizations don't adhere to the rules and laws, we're history. Between the liability issues and more and more invasive legislation, I'm not optimistic about the Greek System if everyone doesn't receive a wake up call.

Tradition is important, but those who hide behind that word to continue hazing, etc., in my opinion, are being selfish and not looking at the welfare of their organization and future of their brotherhood. The rationalization that "we only haze a little and don't hurt anyone," doesn't cut it. Laws are laws and rules are rules -- even when they're ill conceived and, frankly, unfair. If you drive 1 MPH over the speed limit, a police officer can ticket you if he/she really wants to. Few will, but some might -- for whatever reason. The same applies to even very selective hazing.

The whole situation, on all of the sides of the argument, is sad.

[EE-BO]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

The alumni loss of support is much like the situation at Colorado. Local alumni had refurbished the really grand house to the tune of $1.5 Million. It was trashed within months, and the charter was pulled again.

Many local alumni have no interest in recolonizing at all.

That shouldn't surprise anyone -- but somehow it always does.

This is an issue I have seen play out more than once in the last few years.

Getting a charter pulled is bad- but usually there is room to come back.

Piss off the alumni, and you have a much tougher long-term problem.

It is tough to convey to the undergrads that there is a fine line between having a "guy's house" and needlessly destroying property that is paid for by others.

Seems like you have to graduate and enter the real world to appreciate just how expensive it is to buy and maintain a Greek House- and just what kind of income an alum has to have in order to be able to donate thousands of dollars to any cause, to say nothing of the millions needed to buy and maintain a house at many campuses.

It all goes back to recruitment I think. Why are people pledging? What do they hope to get out of the fraternity? What role does it play in their lives?

The guys who stay drunk through college and tear up the house are not usually the ones who are going to make it big in the real world and have the resources to pay for the next generation to destroy the place all over again.