OUR HISTORY
Delta Upsilon at San Diego State
DU in the Sixties
From the start, Delta Upsilon attracted a diverse group of men. The new fraternity had no trouble attracting members and with the help of DU alumni residing in San Diego, the local chapter was able to purchase a new house at 5606 Hardy Avenue. The location was close to the University and strategically situated right atop Aztec Bowl where the San Diego State football team held its games.
Most notably was the size of the property. It was perfect for events and Friday afternoon social gatherings—the TGIF’s.
Our Founding
Appealing to college men who wanted to be part of something new and different, Delta Upsilon colonized at San Diego State in 1966 with ten original founding members.
DU was a different kind of fraternity. The casually dressed men were more open and social than most fraternities of the day and had no secret signs or handshakes. Meetings and rituals were open to the public. They connected well with the growing anti-institutionalism of the nineteen sixties.
Initially holding meetings in a nearby garage, the colony eventually moved its meetings to the Alpha Phi sorority house until they could secure their own property.
To learn first hand about our founding, watch the video here.
1968: The Duck Becomes our Mascot
That’s right. The Duck as the mascot for Delta Upsilon began in San Diego in 1968. Of course it did. Leave it to the unique individualism and oddball charisma of our local chapter to add such character to a Greek fraternal organization.
Let it be known that it started with three carefree bros from San Diego, an over-the-line tournament and the white sands of South Mission Beach…
Click Here to Get the Full History of the Duck
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DU in the Seventies
Having won several sports banners, the Homecoming Chariot Race and taking the University by storm, DU was just getting warmed up.
The seventies saw Delta Upsilon get bigger and stronger, winning even more sports banners and quickly becoming one of the leading fraternities at San Diego State. Our numbers swelled and with it, the TGIF, socials and the popularity of Delta Upsilon.
During this time the ducks were as laid back and full of character as the seventies themselves. Our identity as a major fraternity with an off-center personality solidified in the seventies and we attracted men that exemplified that character.
Little Sisters
Women love to have fun and as more and more of them were drawn to the fun-loving character of the DU’s, the fraternity found it advantageous to step up its Little Sister program.
Little Sisters of the Seven Stars began in the sixties, but became almost as important to the fraternity as the bros during the seventies. They had their own meetings and joined the fraternity at many of the social functions. Many became sweethearts and even wives.
In addition to being some of the most beautiful women at a University already saturated with beauties, DU little sisters were often as full of character as the bros. They joined us on road trips, sporting events and were often dates to some of the biggest parties of the year.
If you ask most bros, they’ll tell you that some of their fondest memories of college were due in large part to the presence of the little sister program.
The Unpledge
Our non-secrecy became a primary recruiting tool in the seventies. Friends, parents and faculty members could be invited to our initiation and installation ceremonies, something unheard of with most other fraternities. We continued to attract young men who wanted to be a part of something during college, yet did not see the appeal of traditional fraternities.
As the soft drink company 7Up became known as the Un-Cola, so did DU become known as the Un-Pledge.
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DU IN THE EIGHTIES
In the 80’s, Delta Upsilon recruited some of its largest pledge classes and hosted its biggest parties. The TGIF parties were now just TG’s and a place for students to go to unwind after a long week of classes and mid-terms. We continued to win championships in intramural sports. Laguna Percebu – just outside of San Felipe – became our favorite place for Spring Break. Aztec football moved to Jack Murphy Stadium (now Qualcomm) and Section B3 was the place to tailgate before the game. The DU Luau was the biggest party of the year.
THE LUAU
The annual Luau became the most anticipated event of the year as the house transformed itself into a tropical paradise with wall-to-wall palm fronds, huts, ponds and plenty of sand.
DU saw its last luau in 1987 when a tragic injury of a nonmember nearly cost the chapter it’s charter. For the next 4 years San Diego members would have to “show cause” to the international organization why the chapter should not be shut down.
The membership was cut, parties were curtailed and the international organization sent consultants to oversee our progress.
The late 80’s party era had come to an abrupt end. It became a time to rebuild and re-focus attention to grades, quality membership and the development of leadership skills.
But through all of it, DU never lost it’s character and individualism.
THE TG
Students across campus often started their weekend with Delta Upsilon’s TG.
At the time, the fraternity could charge entrance fees and cross promote with beer companies. It was a party atmosphere and for better or worse, the TG helped to lead SDSU to No. 3 on Playboy Magazine’s list of party schools.
Our keg provider, Beer King, acknowledged that DU was its second largest consumer of keg beer, just behind Jack Murphy Stadium where the San Diego Chargers, Padres and Aztecs played.
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DU in the Nineties
The 90’s started off well with improved GPA’s and pledge classes of 30 to 40 members. We dedicated ourselves to becoming a stronger member of IFC and hosted mixers with other top fraternities and sororities. The tradition of Laguna Percebu persisted and we painted the house green for the annual Saint Patty’s Day party. It appeared DU was back and as good as ever.
The Chapter Shuts Down
Unfortunately in 1996, a gradual decline in numbers and a deteriorating chapter house led to a temporary shut down of Delta Upsilon at San Diego State. The alumni, with the help of the international association as and the University, closed the chapter. In a brilliant move, DU alumni negotiated to retain the charter, allowing us the option of returning to active status at a later date.
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The Millennials
The opportunity came in 2000 when brothers John Orendain, Ron Zappelli and Bill Deering helped to secure a new property across the street from 5606 Hardy Avenue. The University needed the old location for college apartments so deal was negotiated for a new property at 5545 Hardy Avenue. With cash in the bank and a chapter house that was all ours, we begin the effort to rebuild the chapter. Led largely by Brothers James Corlew and Ron Zappelli, a new class of DU re-installed the chapter and became our new founding brothers.
Re-Colonization
The chapter was smaller throughout most of the two-thousands and a different kind of DU emerged. These young men had just as much fun as the older generations, but were able to balance it with the pressures of an increasingly demanding international organization and university system.
Their connections were stronger and unique bonds of brotherhood were forged in a way that only a small group could achieve.
Competing with fraternity chapters three times their size, the brothers of this era held it together and relentlessly pursued their goals of building better men. By never wavering to recruit men who did not meet their standards, the success the chapter today is due largely to the men of this era.
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2010 extraordinary
Today we are building a new chapter house. As an alumni association, we have never committed to a project of this size without the assurance that the chapter was in good standing and large enough to justify the cost of construction. It is the men of the last several years who have brought us where we’ve been trying to go for almost three decades. The men of the twenty-teens have been steadfast and diligent. For the first time ever, the San Diego chapter has won multiple awards such as Chapter President of the Year, Chapter Advisor of the Year and Outstanding Alumni Association of the Year.
Indeed, DU at San Diego State has changed over the decades, but that change has brought us to a wonderful place. A place where we have a history, present and future to be proud of.