Delta Lambda Phi, Syracuse University’s first gay, bisexual and progressive male fraternity, has spent the past year attempting to re-establish itself on campus and last week those efforts paid off.

The Multicultural Greek Council recently approved the fraternity for colony status on the SU campus. The fraternity already has a small pledge class and hopes to provide a space for men on campus who identify as gay, bisexual or transgender. In addition, the organization aims to separate its members from stereotypes often associated with gay men.

Delta Lambda Phi, which is a national fraternity, held elections a few days ago, said Aaron Goldsmith, a junior information technology major who has been working to re-establish the fraternity for the past year. He will serve as pledge master.

“I never really thought about quitting, because I had already put in so much work,” Goldsmith said. “I think this is something the SU community could really use.”

Moving forward, Delta Lambda Phi’s current pledge class of six hopes to expand its reach in the spring, recruiting new members, achieving chapter status and eventually, focusing on the important philanthropic side of Greek life. In the short term, however, members just want to make their presence known on the SU campus.

Former graduate student Paul Mercurio, who helped with the original establishment of the fraternity in 2003, assisted Goldsmith in working to re-establish the frat. After it was established in 2003, a lack of motivation to recruit new members caused the fraternity to close after three pledge classes.

Therefore, Goldsmith and Mercurio took steps to ensure long-term sustainability. Instead of enrolling with the Interfraternity Council, they choose to place their fraternity under the Multicultural Greek Council. Though they are considered a social fraternity, Goldsmith wanted the autonomy to have a separate rush process.

“We thought that doing pledging our own way might help with recruitment,” Goldsmith said.

The process of establishing a fraternity can be a challenge, said Ivan Rosales-Robles, a senior and the newly-elected treasurer of Delta Lambda Phi. A group must submit a lengthy petition to the fraternity headquarters asking for colony status, he said. After that step is complete, current members work with alumni mentors to facilitate progress and grow the fraternity. After three pledge classes, a colony can apply to become a chapter.

Rob Lydick_­, chief communications officer of the national Delta Lambda Phi organization oversees and approves many of the petitions. He said a group must prove that they can be sustainable.

“That organic interest had to be there,” Lydick said_­.

In addition, the establishment of Delta Lamba Phi is important because it helps to break stereotypes of gay men, Lydick said. Greek culture in general is very dominated by masculine stereotypes but Delta Lambda Phi doesn’t have these stereotypes, he said.

Rosales-Robles agreed and said he hopes the fraternity can create a separation between its members and the stereotypes of gay men.

“We are very multifaceted, multidimensional. You can’t just box us into one type of person,” he said.

Goldsmith said he hopes the fraternity will provide a safe space for gay, bisexual and trans* men across campus and be “a brotherhood to those who don’t have one,” he said.

Published on October 14, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Hanna: hrhorvat@syr.edu