Guelph’s Underground Fraternities

Fraternity life at Guelph may be misunderstood; there is more to Greek life than just partying

“TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!” chants John Belushi’s belligerent party animal character in the 1978 film “Animal House.” The film is perhaps the most iconic representation of life at a fraternity, portraying American college life as a never-ending party, with academics as an afterthought.

When fraternities make the news, it is usually with a shocking headline. Horror stories abound, ranging from abusive hazing rituals, to binge drinking and subsequent drunken injuries, to instances of alcohol poisoning and universities being faced with lawsuits.

Fraternities have also been criticized for being elitist, promoting sexism, misogyny, and homophobia, and for incidents of sexual assault. (Sororities don’t tend to draw the same level of criticism, although they are subject to stereotypes and misconceptions as well).

In the United States, fraternities and sororities play a much larger role in the social scene of college life than they do in Canada. They are woven into the fabric of the identity of many institutions, and tend to dominate student culture.

In Canada, fraternities and sororities do exist, but they are typically independent from the university campus from which they recruit. Students may be surprised to learn that Guelph is home to a few Greek organizations, with chapters including Delta Upsilon (the oldest non-secret fraternity in North America, founded in 1834), Alpha Epsilon Pi (the Jewish Fraternity founded in Guelph in 2003), and one sorority, Pi Beta Phi.

Perhaps because of their distanced, and at times conflicted relationship with the university administration, Guelph fraternities and sororities often fly under the radar, though not by choice. In fact, members of the Guelph chapter of Delta Upsilon assert that their group faces undue discrimination.

Nick Longo, former Rush Chair of Delta Upsilon wrote to the Guelph Mercury in 2011 to address discrimination the fraternity reportedly faced when, “During the homecoming game at the University of Guelph … members of the Guelph chapter of Delta Upsilon were forced to leave by campus police for having displayed a banner which read ‘Building Better Men,’ which was intended to aid in their recruitment process.”

Brenda Whiteside, Associate Vice-President of Student Affairs at the University of Guelph, noted the university’s policy on fraternities and sororities:

“When the university formed in 1964, the Board of Governors passed a motion denying fraternities and sororities. The reasoning was that the restrictive nature of these organizations are not in keeping with our values of inclusion…There has been no formal challenge to the Board of Governors to this motion and thus the university position remains.”

I met with Ryan Collette, Delta Upsilon’s VP of Recruitment, and marketing major, to discuss what fraternity life entails.

The Delta Upsilon frat house is located on a quiet residential street near downtown Guelph. Five fraternity brothers live in the house, with other members scattered around the city, for a total of 30 members. Next year, they are aiming to move into a larger house to accommodate 10 people.

I get a quick tour of the house, with no empty beer bottles in sight. Its level of cleanliness is on par with (if not tidier than) most student houses. There’s a back patio adjoined to the living room, jokingly referred to as a “frattio” (the guys acknowledge that the potential for “frat” puns are endless). The sense of camaraderie between the brothers is undeniable. They are aware of the stereotypes that abound in the media and are seeking to dispel common misconceptions, and establish their reputation as a group devoted to enacting the fraternity’s core values.

According to the Delta-Upsilon website, “Delta Upsilon is the premier men’s fraternity committed to “Building Better Men” for a global society through service, leadership development, and lifelong personal growth of our diverse membership.” Their core values are: the promotion of friendship, the diffusion of liberal culture, the development of character, and the advancement of justice.

Collette is quick to object to the idea that frat life is all about partying: “That is one of the biggest misconceptions, I’d say, about us,” said Collette.

“The idea is we kind of help guide [members] in a direction that is going to benefit themselves and the community around them,” Collette explained.

Since the group is unable to officially recruit on campus, they have turned to social media to advertise and recruit new members. They rely on spreading awareness through word of mouth.

They hold two recruiting sessions, one each in the fall and winter semesters. Though they do offer a variety of different rush events – pool nights, golfing, philanthropy events – one of the largest and most popular events is the rush party.

“You’re trying to find out if these guys are just here to party, or if they actually want to be a part of this,” said Mac Aird, VP of External Relations. “And then from there, after rushing, we extend bids to guys that are willing to pledge, and then from pledging it’s sort of an 8 week process where they kind of prove to us why they should be in the chapter, and then from there they’re initiated and an active member,”

Delta Upsilon claims to be a “non-hazing fraternity,” and pledge tasks are based on showing why those who pledge would be a solid fit for the group.

“I think the other problem is people don’t really want to hear so much about just the standard fraternity things, like all the good we’re doing. They want to hear about these huge college parties, these huge ragers, and they want to hear that extreme, [it’s] just what seems to appeal to people more,” said Aird.

Collette also pointed out that the group has grown and improved in the past five years. When he initially joined, membership was low and the group was in debt.

“They thought that we were going to fold, but we made a huge comeback. We overhauled ourselves. We definitely dedicated ourselves to building a good, positive public image, especially doing things with the city, [and] doing things on campus,” said Collette.

“I think our plans next year will be to get more involved with whatever student group’s doing philanthropy.”

Aird added that Delta Upsilon will “just try to build more positive relationships with the groups that have this dislike of us … [through] improving our public image, [and] improving inter-Greek relations, and I think if we do that it’s going to, in the future, again, work towards us growing and having a stronger presence on campus.”