Delta Upsilon - Syracuse University

S yracuse is an incredible school, and for Marcello Lattuca '90, Delta Upsilon made it even better. He made lifelong friends with his brothers as they learned to work and play hard, enjoying intramural sports and parties like the Reggae Bash, all while making sure everyone had a safe and fun time. "Losing the chapter after we graduated was sad, and for a number of years I sort of lost touch with the campus," Cello recalled. That changed in a big way when his son, Doug '23, joined the newly colonized Syracuse Chapter. "I didn't want to join the fraternity just because of my dad, and I was a little hesitant about Greek life," Doug said. Not many of Doug's fellow broadcasting majors were in fraternities due to the time commitment, but on the final night of recruitment, he had a change of heart at Delta Upsilon. "The chapter was actively communicating their anti-hazing values, and they were just nice, genuine people. Everyone really wanted to get to know me." Once Doug announced his choice to his father, Cello was thrilled to call his fellow alumni and say, "Can you believe it? He's always been my son, and now he's also my brother!" UNIQUE PATHS TO LEADERSHIP Although Cello never lived in the house and thus couldn't hold formal leadership roles, he found his niche in the chapter's intramural sports, leading the softball team to four championships. Doug (whose time living in-house was delayed by COVID) started his leadership path as VP of external relations, running the chapter's online March Madness pool for charity. After that, Doug became VP of loss prevention (risk management), and worked closely with the Executive Board on major decisions and important programming. His brothers encouraged him to run for president, and Doug proudly served for two semesters. "It was stressful, but fun and rewarding, to serve all the guys in the house." "I would get texts from alumni saying what a great job Doug is doing and how much it means to the fraternity to have someone as invested as him," Cello added. It was special and humbling to see his son lead the chapter that he has loved all his life. When Doug joined DUSU, the chapter was still finding its footing. "People tell me today that the brotherhood in spring/fall 2022 was likely the strongest since recolonization. That said, I continue to be impressed with the achievements and close relationships of the guys who have joined since then." CONTINUING OUR STORY Doug has attended the Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) meetings since graduating, and soon he'll be a board member as well! One of the CAB's big priorities is encouraging alumni to visit the chapter more regularly. "The undergraduates really enjoy getting to meet them and hear their stories, and I think the alumni love it too," Doug said. (Cello and his cohorts certainly do!) Both father and son are amazed at DU's renewed success story at Syracuse and know their fellow alumni will like what they see as well. They also strongly believe the chapter will truly thrive once we have secured a permanent house once again. Twenty years from now, Doug hopes to see Delta Upsilon remain a top fraternity on the SU campus, filled with quality men who really care about one another. "The fraternity was so strong in my college years because of the alumni who came before me, and it's impressive to see a new generation building it back to that level," Cello added. "Life is full of ups and downs; having brothers there to support and celebrate with you is what's really important." You can reach Marcello at celito68@hotmail. com and Doug at douglaslattuca@gmail.com. Delta Upsilon 2 "Ed Johanson '78, Walt MacVittie '78, and Tom Evancie (not a Delta Upsilon but close to several brothers) have been best friends for over 45 years and have shared a cabin together on Lake Tahoe (Carnelian Bay) for over 40 years. The fact that they have all remained close friends is a true testament to their experiences at DU as well as the SU men's rowing team. (Tom was captain of the '78 National Championship men's team and has been Ed's business partner for over 35 years.) We have all surprisingly come up with names of various DUs and stories like it was yesterday. Lots of fun." –Tom Darling '81 Alumni News THE LATTUCA FAMILY PROVES DU IS FOR LIFE Like Brother, Like Son Mid-January 2024, four alumni met up for lunch in Reno, Nevado. From left: Tom Darling '81, Walter MacVittie '78, Dan Hanavan '79, and Ed Johanson '78.

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