RUSH DU Fall 2023 A message for prospective members and their parents

Gentlemen: Supercharge your career, make friends for life. Check out DU.

Looking at the success of Clarkson DU’s alumni, it is no surprise that a 2017 Union College study[1] showed that joining a fraternity raises your career income potential by 36% as compared to not joining. You may have heard that 85% of Supreme Court justices since 1910 were members of fraternities or sororities, or that since 1825, every US President but two were members and 85% of Fortune 500 lead executives were members[2]. While your classes teach you hard skills, a fraternity teaches soft skills which the Union study described as building “social capital”.

There doesn’t have to be a choice between grades and enjoyment, DU brothers have on average a higher GPA than the all-college average[3], we are proud of our grades and want all the brothers to be successful in college.  Many brothers participate in sports and other clubs as well, all contribute their time to charitable causes in the community. We look to recruit similar men who have a purpose in life and want to better themselves. In fact, our tag line is “Building Better Men”.

Talking about alumni, many of our over 700 alumni are or have been company presidents, CEOs, owners of major corporations, tech moguls, military and civic leaders. Some are adventurers: one sailed around the world solo, another explored Antarctica. One built a factory in Japan and moved it on barges to the Amazon rainforest; he came back to campus a few years ago to tell the story. Many have earned the University’s highest honors such as membership in Phalanx or serve on the Board of Trustees. A number have earned All American honors. Nearly all stay in touch with their fraternity brothers throughout their lives, often vacationing together late into retirement. We share each other’s joys and sorrows and help each other when we are down. Alumni in their 80’s look to those still in their teens as peers and as brothers. It is a unique experience that is hard to put into words as it has to be lived; and Clarkson is the perfect place to live the full expression of a positive fraternity life and Clarkson DU is the fraternity where all of this is possible.

Look at the DU house, or “Theme House” as Clarkson calls it. Compare it to the others, notice how unique and grand it is? Of course, Clarkson owns it, and when we asked them to build it, a call went out to the alumni to help fund improvements. Over 70% responded with individual donations of up to $50,000 to fund a total of 23 single bedrooms, porches, spires, study rooms, a trophy room and other improvements. There is even a workshop in the basement. It is now our “home” at Clarkson and it can be your home too.

The Greek letters Delta Upsilon stand for a Greek phrase which means “Justice, our Foundation”. An international fraternity founded 186 years ago in 1834, DU was the first Non-Secret fraternity. There is no hazing and hard alcohol is not allowed.  We try our best to live out the ideals of DU and were recognized as a finalist in the best chapter sweepstakes, taking home trophies from the international convention two years running. You may also see the letters “LI” for Lambda Iota, which is our heritage as well. Lambda Iota was founded at Clarkson over 100 years ago in 1919 with the intention of being the best fraternity on campus and “Tops Scholastically”. The brothers still love the Lambda colors and the owl crest.  Our shared history and ideals are what binds us together through generations of Clarkson men. We have an active Alumni Corporation, you will meet many of them through alumni events, or connect with them on LinkedIn. Many brothers got their first job through an alum. Some tell stories of working on an ice sculpture with an alum late into the night before receiving a job offer by morning.

Want to learn more? First, check out the events on the RUSH calendar and get to know the brothers. Check out our website to get a sense of our history and ideals. In the news section, you will see a copy of our Chapter’s newsletter, The Hoot. Follow @Clarksondu on Instagram. Check out the DU International website, deltau.org as well. We encourage you to include your parents in the discovery process, and invite them to campus to visit the House. The recruitment process, known as “RUSH” happens at the beginning of the semester and is regulated by Clarkson as to timing and methods.

Be a Better Man, build your social capital and then come back in twenty years to meet your younger brothers (and maybe hire a few as well ;-). RUSH DU

[1] Mara, Jack and Davis, Lewis S. and Schmidt, Stephen, Social Animal House: The Economic and Academic Consequences of Fraternity Membership (April 2018). Contemporary Economic Policy, Vol. 36, Issue 2, pp. 263-276, 2018

[2] https://education.seattlepi.com/impact-fraternities-education-1164.html

[3] 2019 statistics