History

OUR FOUNDING

Founded on Nov. 4, 1834, at Williams College, Delta Upsilon is the sixth oldest men’s college fraternity and the first to be founded as non-secret. A group of Williams students led by sophomores Stephen Field, Lewis Lockwood and Francis Tappan, consisted of 30 men (10 juniors, 10 sophomores and 10 freshmen) and met for the first time on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1834, at the Freshman Recitation Room of the West College Building to form what they would call the Social Fraternity. To these men, “social” did not refer to entertainment events, but rather an interest in life’s interactions among people and how society would better itself through group action. By 1865, a year after becoming Delta Upsilon, DU had grown to 15 chapters in the northeast. In 1898, DU became an International Fraternity, installing its first Canadian chapter at McGill University in Montreal.

Brief History of the Miami Chapter

May 13, 1868

Miami Chapter Chartered

The Miami Chapter’s origins begin in the fall of 1867, when John McCurdy Robinson transferred from Western Reserve to Miami University. Robinson had been initiated into the Western Reserve Chapter of Delta Upsilon and looked to expand the fraternity upon his arrival. In March of that year, the Miami Chapter of Delta Upsilon was established in Room 4 of South Dorm (now Stoddard Hall) with seven original members that then increased to 13 by June. It was at the Rutgers Convention in May of 1868 that the Miami Chapter was accepted by a unanimous vote.

1873

Miami University Closes

With the closure of Miami University in 1873, the Miami Chapter became an inactive chapter of Delta Upsilon for the rest of the century.

1908

Delta Upsilon Returns

Mr. Eltzworth discovered that the Miami chapter had not disbanded or withdrawn, but instead was just “inactive” due to the suspension of the school in 1873. Eltzworth knew from his experience in the State Senate that reinstatement of an inactive chapter required three-fourths of the votes at the convention. It was at the Swathmore Convention of 1908 that Delta Rho was granted a charter of Delta Upsilon. Since 1908, the Miami Chapter has been a continuous presence on campus.

January 31, 1931

Move-In at 400 East Vine Street

Contracts were let to the R. S. Crowl Company and the present house was built at the cost of $50,000 during the year 1930. The chapter moved into the house at the end of January 1931, and a dedication ceremony was held on March 15th.

May 22, 1949

First DU Tug-of-War

Frank Dodd is credited with organizing the first Delta Upsilon Tug-of-War event on Sunday, May 22^nd, 1949 across the Tallawanda near the Oxford waterworks bridge. The teams of ten men would compete until the anchorman had his feet in the water. More about Puddle Pull.

Summer 2006

Chapter House Renovation

Due to the stable increase of the chapter’s size in the 1990s, and the deteriorating condition of the house, a full renovation was needed. The project, which began in the late 1990s, was led by Mike Lopane and would take several years to approve plans and raise funds to start the work. The work began as soon as the Spring 2006 semester ended, and by the end of the summer, only three interior walls were kept from the old house, and the house received its occupancy permit in time for students to move in. More Info