Traditions
The Fraternity Creed
If Delta Kappa does not do something positive towards making a man stronger, more virile, broad-minded, refined, educated, instilling a positive character, preparing him to better fill his place in the world and making him a better citizen, then it has not lived up to its standard nor justified its existence.
The Fraternity Concept
Look around you at this moment and see if you can identify a characteristic common to all of the individuals in your pledge class in terms of academic interest, extracurricular participation, physical characteristics, or humanism or social concern. Most probably you will not be able to extricate a trait indicative of all the individuals in this group because the fraternity no longer projects nor does it strive to project a representative image. Criteria for acceptance into our brotherhood has evolved because the fraternity has evolved. The fraternity does not strengthen its bonds through elite membership and intrinsic participation but now seeks to grow through interaction with the community, the school, Greek organizations, independent organizations, and individuals. Because of this involvement and social concern, the modem fraternity concept is one of seeking out and exposing the qualities of the individual and then adding them to the brotherhood and accepting them as its own.
Some say the concept of fraternities is an extinct one, that in this decade the fate of the Greek ideal can only be viewed with a degree of pessimism. Yet as the fraternity dies brotherhood will also die. Not the brotherhood of casual relationships, mundane favors, and discrete time limits, but the deeper intangible rapport that Delta Kappa brothers share throughout life. Ask a brother what his feeling is. Instead of answering directly, he may tell you about that pledge ride he was taken on and the experiences he had getting back to campus with his pledge brother, or the prank that his pledge class pulled that pissed of the brothers for three weeks, or the simple "thanks" he got from a boy at the reformatory after being taken to an I.C. Basketball game, or he may just tell you about his brothers and the way he feels about being in DK. In any case, the answer will be endowed with a quality that is currently rare in the social intercourse and that is sincerity.
Yes, nobody wants to force or falsely coerce you into our brotherhood because there is nothing false about the concept. During the pledging period you must tell us what you are, and we must tell you what we are. Hopefully we will accept each other in a mutual bond of truth and brotherhood.
Rushing and Pledging
Rushing is the process of perpetuating the brotherhood by finding men who will positively contribute to the fraternity. It is imperative that you remember that RUSHING NEVER ENDS and that BROTHERS INCUR THE SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY TO RUSH. It is an elementary realization that the fraternity cannot exist without a continual influx of ideas, manpower, and general motivation. As brothers you will be supplying these things yourselves and will realize how important these commodities are to the brotherhood.
Pledging is a period during which pride in being a Delta Kappa brother is instilled by learning that brotherhood is not a gift but rather something to be worked at and earned. Why must brotherhood be earned ? Because brotherhood is more than friendship, it is an unique and intense bond which is predicated on the sharing of heritage and culture of a formidable group of men and the conquering of the common challenge that is pledging Delta Kappa. For every moment that you pledge and every experience that you encounter, you will have that much more in common with hundreds of Delta Kappa Alumni and your brothers. Finally, during this time both pledges and brothers will find out exactly what significance the brotherhood holds for them as large amounts of time and effort must be expended on behalf of the fraternity.
Social Service
The social program as well as the social service program must be adequate for the needs and the desires of the chapter and must be planned and executed in keeping with the reputation and general standing of the fraternity. The personal conduct and decorum of each man must contribute to the dignity of the chapter. Helping the community and others is important in the growth of one's character and college education. Vital to a man inexperienced in socializing is the training in the social graces afforded by a well planned social program.
Delta Kappa men play an important role in community service. In pervious years, Delta Kappa men have worked with the local Red Cross and YMCA in sponsoring and participating in community projects. Delta Kappa has also worked with Camp McCormick, a local rehabilitation center for teenage boys.
Delta Kappa men also play an important role in the social life of Ithaca College. They have been involved with Fall and Winter Weekends, the Fraternity Spring Formals, Homecoming, and the Fraternity's Spring Weekend which is the time for the return of alumni. Delta Kappa has also participated in the intramural athletic program of the school. Delta Kappa contributes not only to the college but to the Ithaca Community as well.
If Delta Kappa does not do something positive towards making a man stronger, more virile, broad-minded, refined, educated, instilling a positive character, preparing him to better fill his place in the world and making him a better citizen, then it has not lived up to its standard nor justified its existence.
The Fraternity Concept
Look around you at this moment and see if you can identify a characteristic common to all of the individuals in your pledge class in terms of academic interest, extracurricular participation, physical characteristics, or humanism or social concern. Most probably you will not be able to extricate a trait indicative of all the individuals in this group because the fraternity no longer projects nor does it strive to project a representative image. Criteria for acceptance into our brotherhood has evolved because the fraternity has evolved. The fraternity does not strengthen its bonds through elite membership and intrinsic participation but now seeks to grow through interaction with the community, the school, Greek organizations, independent organizations, and individuals. Because of this involvement and social concern, the modem fraternity concept is one of seeking out and exposing the qualities of the individual and then adding them to the brotherhood and accepting them as its own.
Some say the concept of fraternities is an extinct one, that in this decade the fate of the Greek ideal can only be viewed with a degree of pessimism. Yet as the fraternity dies brotherhood will also die. Not the brotherhood of casual relationships, mundane favors, and discrete time limits, but the deeper intangible rapport that Delta Kappa brothers share throughout life. Ask a brother what his feeling is. Instead of answering directly, he may tell you about that pledge ride he was taken on and the experiences he had getting back to campus with his pledge brother, or the prank that his pledge class pulled that pissed of the brothers for three weeks, or the simple "thanks" he got from a boy at the reformatory after being taken to an I.C. Basketball game, or he may just tell you about his brothers and the way he feels about being in DK. In any case, the answer will be endowed with a quality that is currently rare in the social intercourse and that is sincerity.
Yes, nobody wants to force or falsely coerce you into our brotherhood because there is nothing false about the concept. During the pledging period you must tell us what you are, and we must tell you what we are. Hopefully we will accept each other in a mutual bond of truth and brotherhood.
Rushing and Pledging
Rushing is the process of perpetuating the brotherhood by finding men who will positively contribute to the fraternity. It is imperative that you remember that RUSHING NEVER ENDS and that BROTHERS INCUR THE SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY TO RUSH. It is an elementary realization that the fraternity cannot exist without a continual influx of ideas, manpower, and general motivation. As brothers you will be supplying these things yourselves and will realize how important these commodities are to the brotherhood.
Pledging is a period during which pride in being a Delta Kappa brother is instilled by learning that brotherhood is not a gift but rather something to be worked at and earned. Why must brotherhood be earned ? Because brotherhood is more than friendship, it is an unique and intense bond which is predicated on the sharing of heritage and culture of a formidable group of men and the conquering of the common challenge that is pledging Delta Kappa. For every moment that you pledge and every experience that you encounter, you will have that much more in common with hundreds of Delta Kappa Alumni and your brothers. Finally, during this time both pledges and brothers will find out exactly what significance the brotherhood holds for them as large amounts of time and effort must be expended on behalf of the fraternity.
Social Service
The social program as well as the social service program must be adequate for the needs and the desires of the chapter and must be planned and executed in keeping with the reputation and general standing of the fraternity. The personal conduct and decorum of each man must contribute to the dignity of the chapter. Helping the community and others is important in the growth of one's character and college education. Vital to a man inexperienced in socializing is the training in the social graces afforded by a well planned social program.
Delta Kappa men play an important role in community service. In pervious years, Delta Kappa men have worked with the local Red Cross and YMCA in sponsoring and participating in community projects. Delta Kappa has also worked with Camp McCormick, a local rehabilitation center for teenage boys.
Delta Kappa men also play an important role in the social life of Ithaca College. They have been involved with Fall and Winter Weekends, the Fraternity Spring Formals, Homecoming, and the Fraternity's Spring Weekend which is the time for the return of alumni. Delta Kappa has also participated in the intramural athletic program of the school. Delta Kappa contributes not only to the college but to the Ithaca Community as well.
