Many parents, even those who were in fraternities and sororities years ago, have mixed thoughts when they hear that their son wants to join a fraternity.  Much of the concern is based on the 30 year-old movie Animal House, and current media fascination with fraternity missteps across the nation adds to the trepidation.  We on the Alumni Committee want parents to know that we share your concerns and that the reason our committee exists is to make sure that your sons will be safe, that they will grow in unique and valuable ways that a small diverse group of young men can foster, and that membership in Delta Upsilon will be a positive addition to the education they will receive at UNC.

Delta Upsilon is unique among fraternities in that we have no secrets.  You and your family, for that matter anyone, can attend any of the DU’s events, meetings or rituals, such as initiation.  We, the alumni of the North Carolina chapter of Delta Upsilon, take as a serious responsibility the conduct and development of the young men who make up the membership of the fraternity.  We attend their full chapter meetings, we attend their executive committee meetings, and we regularly visit the house, checking on the needs of the young men and of the facility.  We are in contact with other fraternities and sororities on the UNC campus.  We are members of university oversight committees.  Two of our alumni advisors are members of the university faculty.  We are committed to your sons having a rich, rewarding, and safe experience as members of DU.

A few other things we would like you to know.  Hazing of any kind is not tolerated.  We expect DUs to perform at the highest academic levels.  We encourage them to engage in activities on campus and in the community.  The members of the fraternity make and enforce their own rules.  They set their own fees, establish their budget, collect money and pay their own bills.  We alumni work with them behind the scenes and are here to advise and assist them in whatever ways they might need.

We encourage you to visit the fraternity house at 407 East Rosemary Street.  You will be pleased with what you find.  Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact us right away.  Your sons are our fraternity brothers and as such are precious to us.

PS.  Many of us on the Alumni Committee have been asked, from time to time, why we are now “involved with a bunch of college kids?!”  Below is a paragraph from our fund raising brochure which sums it up quite well:

“When we arrived at Chapel Hill, we were 17 year old high school boys.  When we left, we were 21 year old men.  During those four years, we learned an awful lot.  And, much of what we learned was not in the classroom and the books.  During those four years, in every sense of the words, we “grew up.”  We were on our own for the first time in our lives, with no one to answer to but ourselves.  We made plans, hatched dreams, changed majors, and generally stumbled our ways to a college degree.  We learned about alcohol, we learned about women, we learned about others, and we learned a lot about ourselves.  We did all this with a close-knit group of friends who really were more like brothers.  Recently, I took part in the DU initiation ritual and I'd like to quote briefly from it; "This Fraternity will serve as your college home; those who dwell here will be your brothers, your counselors, and your protectors.  Their influence will help to mold your character and your future."  I now believe that is very true.  We didn't realize what was happening at the time, but those guys we "grew up" with truly did "help to mold our character."  Not knowing it then, and not even understanding it fully today, we formed deep and strong bonds with those guys that transcend the years and will never die.  If I live to be 100, I’ll remember with a grin on my face my days in Chapel Hill and the guys I lived them with.  That is why we’re rebuilding DU—with a beautiful new house and a bright new group of men.  We want to say “Thank You” for our DU experience and we want to ensure that it will be there to mold the characters and futures of young men for many more generations to come.

So, that is why we are so "involved with a bunch of college kids."