Delta Tau Delta - Cornell University

2 DTD THE CORDELT COMMITTING TO OUR FUTURE To Sankha Lahiri '02, Delt Is for Life T his fall, Sankha Lahiri '02 and his family spent a weekend away in Ithaca. He especially enjoyed showing his children around the Shelter where he once lived, including his old bedroom and the composites from years past. "I told my kids how, when you're a Delt, you're a Delt for life," Sankha said. "How you can knock on the door of any chapter, tell them you're a Delt and do the secret handshake, and you're accepted as if they've known you forever." Then and now, Sankha's Delta Tau Delta bonds are by no means limited to Beta Omicron. His brothers visited several other Shelters in their undergraduate years, and his Delt network has only grown in the years since. At Wells Fargo (where he's currently CFO of corporate risk), Sankha discovered that the new colleague two offices down is a fellow Delt. "There's an inherent network that you can leverage socially, professionally, and personally—in many different ways," he said. "That's been a very happy outcome from Delt." Forming a Brotherhood The Shelter is particularly special to Sankha because Beta Omicron didn't have it when he came to Cornell. Having lived in India until his teenage years and skipping a grade, he hoped college would provide the social platform he had yet to fully develop in the U.S. He got to know his future brothers not in a traditional fraternity house, but in annexes and off-campus residences—making friends who had a great time together despite the pressure of rebuilding a chapter and regaining their home. "That rebuilding effort turned out to be a great learning experience," Sankha said. "From recruitment to the social and finance sides, it was like running a startup business with your friends for the betterment of everyone." Serving as the recruitment chairman and guide in his later college years, in which he welcomed a new pledge class to their reclaimed Shelter and taught them of Delta Tau Delta's history and traditions, Sankha developed an even deeper connection to the fraternity. Learning to be a leader and create positive changes in that setting paved the way for Sankha's professional success. Just as those skills stuck with him, so too have the friendships made from that Delt foundation. One such brother, Dan Sher '94, was instrumental in helping regain the Shelter and regrow the chapter. Dan and Sankha became even closer friends as alumni living in New Jersey, with their children becoming friends as well. Once a year, Sankha hosts a fall party at his house with Delts from all over gathering and catching up. Preserving Our Roots Finding these unconditional bonds of brotherhood and support— close friends you can always talk to and ask for advice—is what Sankha calls "almost an unintended consequence." In the Shelter, his class always had older brothers and alumni to share advice and model a successful life, not unlike the professional mentors he found in his early career. Sankha tries to pay this forward, being part of that safety net for fellow Delts and colleagues. "It's nice to be on the other side of the coin." Today, Sankha also pays it forward by supporting the Shelter itself and working with Sonny Sonnenstein '90 on the campaign board. The building has struggled in recent years, and he's passionate about restoring the home he once helped Beta Omicron reclaim at Cornell—about giving future Delts a place to make the most of their college years. "I'm 47 now, and I want to come back at 77 to share those memories and composites with my grandkids," he said. "I encourage everyone to participate and contribute what they can." Sankha lives in Roseland, New Jersey, and enjoys spending time with family, such as sharing his love of the New York Giants with his children (his oldest son was born a week before Eli Manning's Super Bowl victory over the Patriots). His house has an open-door policy for Delts who want to catch up or need a place to crash. "I really enjoy being part of that fabric." You can reach Sankha at sankha.lahiri@gmail.com. "Living at the Delt annex at 504 Stewart Avenue with eight other fifth-year engineering students." –John D. Braun '55 "Shared experiences; developing friendships; great meals." –John W. Edsall '57 "Pledge activity; snowing through sleeping room window; Charles Bentley '56 calling me on antics (in slippers and robe)." –Peter Vandenberg '58 "Old house but homey; Sundays to movies; house parties." –Francis P. Sullivan '58 "Meeting my wife at a Delt party. Married 61+ years!" –D. Brad Franklin '60 "Close friendships. Moving into a brand-new Shelter in 1965." –Gregory J. Melkonian '70 "Life in a quad with three older brothers; social events; helping the community (tutoring, cleanup/fixup); living with others and learning to compromise for the good of house." –Larry D. Zamojski '76 "Brotherhood continuing strong 40+ years past graduation." –Paul L. Bechly '80 "Connection happy hours; hockey (men's and women's) at Lynah Rink; Delt Ice Times at Lynah; formals; football games in tube room." –Ralph A. Brozzo '85 What are your favorite memories from living at the Beta Omicron Shelter What are your favorite memories from living at the Beta Omicron Shelter and/or spending time with Delta Tau Delta brothers at Cornell University? and/or spending time with Delta Tau Delta brothers at Cornell University? "I want to come back at 77 to share those memories and composites with my grandkids."

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