This fall, the Demosthenean Chapter of Delta Upsilon (DU) has returned to campus with a recolonized pledge class of 20 brothers.

Delta Upsilon’s history at the University dates back to 1899 when the Demosthenean Chapter was first chartered. However, in the beginning, the Demosthenean Chapter was not an affiliate of Delta Upsilon, a national fraternity, until 1950. Originally, the chapter was known as Delta Sigma and operated as a local fraternity until it officially became a chapter of Delta Upsilon. According to the DU Back to Bucknell website, “In 1950, Delta Sigma affiliated nationally with Delta Upsilon. They choose Delta Upsilon based on the shared philosophies of education, brotherhood, and non-secrecy. The chapter was appropriately named the Demosthenean Chapter of Delta Upsilon.”

Throughout its history at the University, the Demosthenean Chapter has occupied various different houses on campus. The chapter resided at 518 St. George Street until 1940, when it moved into a larger house on Fraternity Road, which has since been converted into Hildreth-Mirza Hall.

The Bucknellian has previously reported that the University’s DU fraternity brothers created “Throw Pong,” a game very similar to beer pong in the 1970s, which led to the current version of beer pong played today. A picture of DU brothers playing “Throw Pong” during House Party weekend of 1980 is depicted on the Wikipedia page for beer pong.

In 2015, Delta Upsilon, in agreement with the University, decided to close the chapter because of continued inability to maintain and recruit members. The chapter continued to struggle to meet minimum member quota. Because the former house has since been renovated and repurposed, the University has built Delta Upsilon a new house in the South Campus. This year, the future house of Delta Upsilon is being used as an Affinity House; however, starting in the 2019 fall semester the house will be home to members of Delta Upsilon (contingent upon recruiting enough members to fill the house).

“It’s an exciting time for us as we welcome the return of Delta Upsilon. Preparations for this have been a few years in the making and represents a collective effort among DU’s devoted alumni, headquarters staff, IFC leadership, and the University,” Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Matt Ferguson said.

“The alumni have been crucial in recolonizing a storied fraternity here at Bucknell,” Rylan Forester ’21, a colonizing brother, said. “They have offered us a tremendous amount of support and we’re excited to start this new brotherhood.”

“With each new expansion, a group of students has the opportunity to start fresh, chart their path forward, and make meaningful contributions to our community,” Ferguson said. “Most importantly, these students are privileged to define their chapter’s future and leave a lasting impact at Bucknell.”