A set of greek-lettered sweatshirts on campus took on more substantial meaning after this weekend.

Delta Chi became an official fraternity chapter Saturday night after receiving a charter proclamation at a ceremony at the Doubletree hotel, said Chris Jaikaran, the chapter’s public relations chair and a senior magazine and religion major.

About 125 people attended the event, including family members and friends of Delta Chi’s 35 active brothers. The ceremony included several speakers, fraternity awards and an official proclamation which granted the fraternity its charter.

A charter is an official document that transitions a fraternity from colony to official status.

The status change affects the fraternity on a national level more than on a university level, said Chad Davis, a sophomore public relations major and president of Delta Chi.

Once a chapter, fraternities are taken more seriously and receive more support from their national organizations, he said.

‘You receive more recognition,’ he said. ‘It’s just looked at as a really big accomplishment.’

A fraternity has to meet several university and national requirements to receive a charter. For example, at least five members have to live together in a house.

The biggest challenge for the fraternity to overcome, though, was meeting a 35-member quota, set by both the university and their national organization, Jaikaran said.

‘That’s really what we were striving to get,’ he said.

After initiating eight members this spring, the colony had exactly 35 members to meet the requirement.

Jaikaran, though, said he feels that the progressive nature of the chapter will keep it alive in the future.

‘(Delta Chi’s national organization) is trying to get rid of terms like pledge and rush because it goes back to a day when hazing was accepted,’ Jaikaran said. ‘The image of fraternities in the 1980s and 90s were like in ‘Animal House,’ and people weren’t joining greek organizations because of these stereotypes.’

Delta Chi was the first greek organization on campus to abolish Hell Week, the final week of pledging which is typically more intense than previous weeks.

Also, on April 14, the Office of Greek Life and Experiential Learning awarded the fraternity ‘Best Philanthropy’ for Chi Kicks, a March kickball tournament that raised about $800.

Jaikaran said that these two accomplishments made the colony’s bid for official recognition more solid.

Delta Chi is one of 18 social fraternities that are a part of the Interfraternity Council, a student-led governing body of mainstream fraternities.

‘Basically, (being a colony) is a probationary status to prove that they’re a good fraternity on campus,’ said Matt Goodman, vice president of communications for the IFC and junior newspaper major. ‘And because they were successful, they have a more permanent place on campus.’

The fraternity has worked to become a chapter since the university granted Delta Chi permission to start a colony on campus in October of 2001.

‘As a fraternity, it’s where you want to be,’ Davis said. ‘And it feels real good to be there.’

Published on April 25, 2004 at 12:00 pm