Many of the brothers of Delta Upsilon reside in the white house on 114 Professor’s Row. Â To get an idea of what they’re really like, we spoke with President Anthony Ferlan, the hard-working Junior who wants to show Tufts what Delta Upsilon is really all about.
Delta Upsilon Fraternity
Nickname: DU
Motto: Justice, Our Foundation
Colors: Old Gold & Sapphire Blue
Founded: 1834, Williams College
Established at Tufts: 1886
National Website: www.deltau.org
Physical Address: 114 Professor’s Row
                                             Anthony Ferlan
                 Â
Hometown: Litchfield, New Hampshire
Major: Political Science
Class: 2013
What made you want to join a fraternity?Â
My freshman year I played football. I don’t anymore. I was pretty skeptical my fall semester after hearing the stories and rumors about pledging, but I got a chance to meet all the brothers through the football team, and then I met a bunch of the baseball players. I liked all the guys, and we became friends even before pledging, so I kind of wanted to be a part of that.
Why did you decide to run for President?
It’s a combination of things. Last year I was Vice-President of Finance and I kind of worked with our previous President pretty closely. I understand how the house runs and how it should be run, and I think I can make a positive impact on DU for the future.
Is it a difficult job?
It’s extremely time-consuming. This summer I was kind of doing the President’s job, even though I got elected in October. Plus, being out of our house, that was a lot of work. I’m on the phone a lot talking to contractors, talking to our international, talking to our alums. I used more minutes on my family’s Family Plan than the rest of my family combined over the summer. It’s a lot of time, but it’s worth it when the end result is good.
Is DU the “football frat?”
We have football, baseball, and we have lacrosse players now, too. We’re trying to expand outside of sports. That’s our goal for spring semester.
What makes DU different from other fraternities?
Right now, we’re all athletic so that’s different. We’re very accepting of everyone and we’re not really selective. Especially in terms of parties. If you’re friendly with a brother or a friend of a brother, then we’re going to let you in. We want to open it up to everyone so they can meet us.
What do you think of Greek life at Tufts?
I think it’s good, I think it’s a positive thing for the campus. I know it has kind of a negative stigma around it. I talk with the Director of Greek Life, Sue, and she always says that a fraternity should be the safest place on campus for anyone on a Saturday night, and I think that’s true. This semester, especially, there’s been a lot less frat parties and the number of people who are getting TEMS’ed, at least in the papers, it seems like it’s up. I think they’re good for the campus.
Why does Greek Life sometimes have a negative connotation?
I think a few incidents from the past have been passed on, and that sheds a negative light. One bad incident can make all Greek Life seem like a very bad thing, but it’s not all like that.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about Greek life?
The biggest misconception, at least in terms of fraternities, is that all guys are frat guys who only drink, party, and do drugs all the time. And it’s not like that. You can walk into the library any day of the week and find a DU brother studying there, and we also have the community service aspect. We’re trying to expand that some more.
What is your philanthropic project?
So it’s called the Delta Upsilon Global Service Initiative. Every year our international fraternity center sends our brothers on mission trips. Last year it was Jamaica, and the brothers built a school there and hung out with the people in the town, interacting with the people there. Every chapter in the country is expected to raise $1000 for it.
How do you guys raise that $1000?
Last Friday during the Greek Block Party we had “Dunk a DU for Charity,” and it was cold so it didn’t go as well as it could have gone. We’re building on it, so we made $100 doing that.
What are you really excited about this year?
Our chapter is under a reorganization status, and we’re building DU at Tufts from the ground up. We’re pretty much starting over- bylaws, leadership, alumni involvement, and I’m really excited to see how that pans out. There’s a lot of national fraternity involvement in that. It’s exciting to be the ones changing everything. I have a really good feeling about it.
What is your advice for people going though the recruitment process?
Definitely go to the rush events, meet the brothers. Don’t be intimidated by the stereotype of a fraternity. You may think they’re just athletes, but our goal this year is to have at least one non-athlete pledge DU- someone who meets us and believes that they want to be a part of it, not just because of sports. So just go out there and meet the brothers and see what you like. Go to as many rush events as you can.