Delta Tau Delta - University of Oklahoma

Delta Alpha Chapter I Delta Tau Delta Fraternity I University of Oklahoma I Fall 2015 Sooner Delt The B rotherhood is not only for four years; it is for life. For Forrest Klein '11, this could not ring more true. Very few have the opportunity to become part of something bigger than themselves or create lifelong friendships, and Forrest is thankful to have found these opportunities in Delta Alpha. He says, "I knew from the start that Delta Tau Delta would become my home away from home because the moment I met the members, I felt like I was already part of the team. Every member I connected with during summer recruitment made me feel welcome, and you could tell they all wanted the same thing for the house, which was success in every aspect of life on campus." Throughout his undergraduate career, Forrest demonstrated tremendous leadership in Delta Alpha as secretary, external vice president, and recruitment chairman, all of which have allowed Forrest to develop critical skills and professionalism that he utilizes in the workplace every day. His dedication to F or over 93 years, Delta Tau Delta has been a proud and respected member of the University of Oklahoma campus community. Since our founding in 1922, hundreds of young men have bonded as brothers and learned to live lives of excellence. Delta Alpha, which is the largest chapter in Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity, continues to grow both in numbers and in stature. We now have more than 220 active undergraduate members and over 1,500 active alumni. I think most of us would agree that Delta Tau Delta has had a significant impact on our lives, both during and after our time at OU. Because we build such strong friendships as brothers, we all leave Delta Tau Delta with high hopes of keeping our fraternal bonds intact. Unfortunately, we quickly find that many new interests—careers, families, and civic activities— can create valid diversions. The day-to-day activities of life take over and, before you know it, we fall out of touch and begin to wonder what happened to our brothers. Without a solid alumni relations program in place, our members lack the means for staying connected to the fraternity. With this in mind, our new alumni relations program is designed to help our members stay in touch and to cultivate awareness and involvement in Delta Alpha. For the first time in many years, we will be mailing a newsletter focused on communication with alumni. We will mail newsletters each semester containing alumni news, spotlights on alumni from various decades, information on upcoming events, and reports on chapter activities. We want to give you an opportunity to reach out to brothers you haven't seen or talked to for far too long, and we think this will encourage you to reconnect with them. In addition to learning more about our own pledge brothers and alumni, it also is important for all of us to stay informed about the collegiate chapter and hear about what our younger brothers are accomplishing. These stories will encourage you to lend your support to Delta Alpha and help our young men remain leaders on campus and in the community. For example, you may have heard that there is a "building boom" taking place in the Greek community at OU. FIJI, ATO, and Kappa Sig recently opened impressive new houses. The Sigma Nus have broken ground on their new house and our rivals, the Betas, are nearing the completion of a multimillion-dollar renovation and massive expansion of the Beta house. With new houses next door to us, and others on the way, we have to start looking at our own Shelter, which opened 46 years ago. We need to take steps to make sure the Delts remain in the upper echelon of OU fraternities. With this new communications program, our goal is to keep all alumni informed about current projects and future plans, and to give all of our Delt Brothers an opportunity to get involved. Hopefully, our efforts will remind you that we are all Delts for life, not just during our college years. Our motto, "More Delt, Less Self," is still very meaningful. I encourage you to contact me if you would like to become more involved in the future success of the Delts. It is a great time to be a Delt! Fraternally, Fred Gist '73 House Corporation President fgist@hallestill.com Delta Alpha Launches a New Alumni Relations Program House Corporation and Alumni Secure Chapter Success (Continued on page 2) Now Is the Time to Reconnect! T his summer we sent the first mailing of our new alumni communications program, an alumni records update request. Did you receive your copy? If you haven't done so already, please fill out the form and drop it back in the mail to us. We value your responses as they will help us build con- tent for future issues of The Sooner Delt and deepen our database. We encourage you to stay connected with the fraternity and your brothers and hope this program helps you in doing so! Continuing a Tradition of Excellence Forrest Klein '11 Gives Back to Delta Alpha as Recruitment Advisor

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