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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1978)
Jewels Diamond Pen dants to twinkle at a pretty throat with all the shimmering excitement of the season. From an imaginative collection. Shjftmaizoufe -vsc htmuftfui for <rm»nir 0(H1A Jewelers Keepsake Comer Vaile> Rwer Center 484-13&3 '5 3M Wt JM JAY DONALDSON for IFC Tie Curate Shakespeare As ^/ett Like It by Don Ntgro No*mtw 3. 4. 9.10. tl. 16. 17.18 Wwnity Tfcwtre The un-Greek Delta Upsilon eschews secret frat ceremonies, seeks to increase ‘diverse and mellow’ society By JOHN CROWLEY Of the Emerald “Animal House' not withstanding, frater nities sbll have a mystique to them, and secret passwords and arcane initiation ceremonies are still part of the trappings at most frater nities. Not so at Delta Upsilon, a non-secret fraternity that s trying to survive in the competi tion for new members The original Delta Upsilon was founded at Massachusetts' Williams College in 1834, with its goal to promote brotherhood while oppos ing the exclusive societies that were spnnging up on and off campus. The secret societies of the time had invited the reaction. One celebrated case occurred in 1826 when William Morgan disclosed the se crets of his fellow Masons He was abducted and murdered, ushenng in a decade of anti secret society sentiment. Secrecy had always figured significantly in fraternities. North Amenca s first Greek letter fraternity. Phi Beta Kappa, started the trend in 1781. They introduced the oath erf secrecy, the Greek and Latin mottoes, the elaborate and secret ceremonies, and the special hand clasps which subsequent fraternities adopted Although they later abandoned these ac coutrements. Phi Beta Kappa s example had taken hold. But Delta Upsilon. alone among the fraternities, began as an anti-secret or ganization. T oday they continue their open pol icy. although they now describe themselves as simply non-secret Active on campus until 1970. Delta Upsrfon dropped out of sight for a few years, emerging agan in 1974 as a colony — a reorganized group petitioning the international order for chapter status. To achieve this, they need to maintain a roster of fifty members. Currently (hey have 22. “We pnde ourselves on being non-secret." house president Don Pope explains In terested people can come over and talk with us. aid we H tel them anyttung they want to know. ’ There are no secret rites, handshakes or passwords: all members and pledges enjoy voting privileges, because, as Pope says, we don't believe in taxation without representa tion.” They do bdtieve in laying it on the line. A visiting prospect need only ask to receive Delta Upsilon's pledge manual. This contains a his tory of the fraternity as well as helpful informa tion on such worrisome concerns as “study”, “ckinking ’, and "etiquette . “We don't keep you in the dark,” explains member Stewart King. "Whatever there is to know, we tell you up front." While apparently enjoying their non-secret status. Delta Upsiton has been hard-pressed to lure prospects away from the traditional se cret fraternities Its the secret dub mentality that attracts many guys to fraternities. " King observed. It's basically a tnp that six-year-olds are into, but that's what sells, I guess. Rick McCfoskey of Kappa Sigma likes his fraternity's secrecy "I'm comfortable with it, he says. It's kind of neat to have something nobody else knows about. House brother John Bradley agrees: “If all houses had no secrets, we d all be the same We d be like Philadelphia House (a Christian cooperative). Nevertheless, secrecy holds a strong attrac tion for some. Mike Bsenberg of Sigma Phi Epsilon defends the secret ceremonies of his group. “Yes. we d rather have secrecy. It adds to the sensationalism “We see rtasan enhancer of ideals—ideals of hkjh positive standards, community stan dards. brotherhood,” Eugene Walker elabo rates. "R might seem childish out of context, but the ceremony involved helps give the proper frame of reference. It's something to be respected." Even so, Sigma Phi Epsilon members will not allow outsiders” to observe their rituals This ® a process that builds brotoertiood. Etsenberg says. "Strangers walking around might ruin toe process ’ “An open-minded observer might be okay.” Walker added, but those who disagree with what we re doing might impede toe process Its possible to get misconceptions about it. What we have to transmit to pledges can t just "It’s the 'secret ckjb' mentality that attracts many guys to fraternities," Delta Upsiton member Stewart King observes. ‘‘Its bast caMy a tnp that six-year-olds are into." he adds be explained. An explanation es far weaker than a personal realization The men of Delta Upsilon aren t worried, either, but they are concerned. They near the fifth anniversary of their reorganization, and have yet to muster the fifty members needed to become an official chapter. "We want to stress that we re a diverse youp. King said. We see ourselves as open, honest, mellow people. We try not to be elitist or restricted to one social group on campus VOTE TODAY DUSTY I RHODES Law evaluations to be debated Pubbc access to student evalu ations o# law courses mull be de bated and voted on at today s law faculty meeting. The proposal, initiated by Stu dent Bar Pres. Tom Carter, would allow law students to examine evaluation results in the Saw li brary. Carter says the computer summaries would assist many law students in selecting their courses. Students would take evaluation forms more seriously when filing them out, Carter suggests rf they knew they would have access to the results. ‘Snatchers’ shown The original verson of the sci ence fiction film "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" will be shown tonight in 123 Science a! 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Admission to the film is $1.25. Statistical results of law school evaluations are currently used by the school's dean and personnel committee for promotion and ten ure recommendations Although Chapin Clark, Law Dean, also supports releasing evaluation results to students, Carter expects today s vote to be dose The issue of student access to course evaluation information was raised at the November Uni versity Assembly meeting by a faculty committee Today s de bate continues over whether evaluations should be made pub lic. The Assembly wiB hear several recommendations concerning student access at its December meeting, but today s Law School decision wil stand independent of the University-at-large Scott BASSETT for INCIDENTAL FEE COMMITTEE
