NDSU’s newest chartered fraternity

Surrounding the NDSU campus are multiple Greek life houses, all donning their respective letters and signature architecture.

However, NDSU’s newest fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, does not have a house where its brothers can live, but its members don’t think that’s a problem.

“Everyone says that in order to be Greek you have to have a house, but we almost don’t need that structure to make us a bonded, close-knit brotherhood” Aaron Tollefson, a senior majoring in agricultural economics and future student advisor for DTD, said. “We strive to be better, not because of a building, but because of what we stand for.”

After starting their journey toward becoming NDSU’s newest fraternity back in February 2011, DTD had to meet certain requirements in order to get their charter. After 14 months of hard work and dedication, DTD became an official chartered fraternity with 43 of their 52 members signing their charter on April 28.

The last time NDSU had a new fraternity join its Greek life was in 1970 for Delta Epsilon, which makes it clear that it is not easy starting a new Greek organization on campus.

“It takes a lot of other schools years and years and years before they can get their charter, but we just made it a priority to make sure we get everything as fast as we can,” Darius Montazemi, a junior majoring in marketing, said. “They want to make sure you are financially stable, and you have a good recruitment plan so you can keep everything going after alumni classes graduate. So for us to get it within 14 months is pretty impressive.”

DTD’s student advisor and former UND Delt, Scott Sinner, played a significant role in helping the NDSU chapter become its own. “Without Scott I don’t think we would have chartered. “He pushes us so hard to be leaders on campus,” Travis Mack, a sophomore majoring in public relations and advertising, said.

“I think he encapsulates everything it means to be a Delt. He is the greatest guy ever and is really involved with us,” Montazemi said.

The reason DTD was started on the NDSU campus was to break the typical Greek life stereotype: “They wanted a new group to kind of turn Greek life around and shake things up a bit,” Macksaid.

As with other fraternities on campus, DTD has to maintain a certain grade point average, volunteer a set amount hours and organize philanthropic events throughout the year. However, the brothers of DTD seemed to have exceeded those requirements.

Last semester, members of DTD led all of the fraternities in GPA. “Everybody wants to do well in school and holds academia at a high standard,” Montazemi said. “I think we go beyond high standard for the Delts.”

Along with being active within their fraternity, DTD members made it a point to help out around the Fargo-Moorhead community as well.

“The Fargo-Moorhead area has done so much for NDSU, so we want to do something to give back,” Mack said. The fraternity members were incredibly involved in The Big Event, where they helped volunteer around not only NDSU but also the F-M community.

“The volunteering thing comes natural for us, and we get a lot of enjoyment from helping others,” Montazemi said. “We want to establish that into our legacy and push those values and goals onto upcoming Delts.”

Most of the DTD brothers never dreamt of joining Greek life when they decided to join a fraternity: “I fell in that boat … I never thought I’d ever join a fraternity,” Montazemi said. “And those have probably been the same words that have left every single Delt’s mouth.”

Members of DTD stress that leadership and altruism define their brotherhood, and they want to make sure the future brothers of DTD also share those values.

“For recruitment, we look for guys who are driven and want to be leaders,” Montazemi said.

And leaders they are. Most of the DTD brothers are involved in other organizations, such as Student Government, College Republicans and Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF), among others. As of right now, four of the DTD brothers are on the executive board for Student Government.

“I still say that I don’t really care for Greek life, but I love the Delts” Montazemi said. “I can get something more out of it than just having a bunch of friends.”