One year after a series of violations put the Tufts chapter of the Delta Upsilon (DU) fraternity on probation, DU leadership and Greek Life staff say the group is back in its house and on track to regain its official status next month.
The fraternity is ready to move forward, DU president and Inter-Greek Council president Anthony Ferlan said, adding that it has already made plans for recruitment this semester and in the spring.
Ferlan, a senior, said DU will be participating in fall recruitment, although fall rush typically only results in one or two new members. During the more popular spring rush, DU is hoping to draw at least 25 new recruits.
The fraternity will also try to expand to include new members from outside of the football and baseball team circles they are known for attracting.
By encouraging current brothers to reach out to friends in their classes and by hosting dinners during rush week, Ferlan hopes to draw more non-athletes to rush DU.
Alumni involvement, including a planned reception after the Homecoming football game this month, is another part of the recruitment process, Ferlan said.
"Alumni will be really involved, which is a great draw for freshmen who want to be involved," Ferlan said.
Before these plans can move forward, however, the brothers of DU must prove their readiness to return to the Hill in full.
The fraternity was put on probation in May 2011 for violating a number of Tufts and national chapter policies.
Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Su McGlone cited a combination of party violations as well as an incident during Spring Fling 2011 involving an offensive t-shirt design.
"All of the Greek organizations on campus are founded with shared values," McGlone said. "There were a combination of things going on in [DU] - not living up to those values, and they needed to get back on track."
McGlone has been working with the fraternity to rebuild and face the issues that caused its probation. The chapter has worked on setting up a structure in line with both the national fraternity's standards and Tufts' standards.
Ferlan said the list of actions recommended by the national organization has included setting up a functional executive board and a separate board for regulating standards, writing a new constitution and getting alumni more involved in day-to-day operations.
The national organization has supported the Tufts chapter in these areas during the revamping process, according to McGlone.
It has also encouraged more DU participation in leadership conferences.
McGlone said Tufts has arranged for a peer judicial board to review DU's rebuilding process.
DU has organized training for its brothers on the policy regarding holding parties in the house, according to Ferlan.
"We want our brothers to be educated on loss prevention," he said.
DU has worked with the chapter's alumni association to pay for renovations to their house at 114 Professors Row and get its lodging license back after being evicted last summer by the City of Somerville Health Department for neglect, according to Ferlan.
Improvements to the house include new floors and smoke detectors.
The chapter moved back into their house on Pro Row on Sept. 1, according to Ferlan.
"I made it my goal this year as president to get back into the house," Ferlan said.
"They passed their inspection with the city on the first try," McGlone said.
"The city was very impressed. You could tell they're really working with their space."
Ferlan said that his hopes for a strong spring class are encouraged by the house renovations.
"We just want to show the difference between DU now and DU three years ago," he said.
"They've come a long way from where they were a year and a half ago," McGlone said. "They have the potential to make a really positive impact on this campus."
