THE FOUNDING OF DELTA UPSILON CHAPTER

On March 28, 1925, the Delta Upsilon chapter of Delta Delta Delta was established at Ohio Wesleyan University. One hundred and fifty Tri Deltas were present at the banquet. They represented the other Ohio chapters: Mount Union, Miami, Ohio State, Cincinnati University, the Wooster chapter, and the Dayton Alliance. The Sigma Chi Fraternity very kindly gave the use of its house for the tea in honor of the guests.

Sororities at Ohio Wesleyan have had interesting experiences from a historical viewpoint. "In the early eighties" (of the 1800's) there were a few sororities at Ohio Wesleyan with very short-lived chapters, on account of adverse faculty legislation. Although the women's organizations were thus frowned upon, the men's fraternities were allowed to continue their existence and as a consequence of this unfair situation the women revived sorority organizations and existed sub rosa for about fifteen years. In 1912 the women disbanded their sub rosa organizations for two reasons, first, because they felt that success could not come to them under such conditions and, second, because it seemed more probable that they might ultimately be permitted to revive recognized chapters. In June 1922, due to the growing desire of the women for fraternity life, the trustees of the institution decided in favor of permitting national sororities to re-enter the college. The policy of the trustees and the faculty of this institution was somewhat unusual when in pursuance of their decision, they decided to urge the immediate chartering of more than a dozen chapters, selecting after careful investigation the organizations of approved national standing.

By December of the same year seventeen locals had been founded. Ten of these had the support and names of the old sub rosa organizations. Others became organizations of different names. In June 1923, a petition was presented to Tri Delta to the National Council at Ann Arbor, Michigan. After several authorized inspections by appointees and the urgent endorsement of the Dayton Alliance, the charter was finally granted. News of the granting of the petition arrived on February 5, 1924.