New Member Period

After accepting a bid to become a member of Delta Tau Delta, you will go through the Formal Pledging Ceremony. This ceremony provides you with an in-depth view of our Delt Creed and solidifies you as a new member of Delta Tau Delta. There is then a 6-week period as a new member before becoming a full, initiated, active member of Delta Tau Delta.

As a New Member, you will participate with other new members in weekly meetings. These meetings allow you to interact with other new members as you begin to learn more about our history, values, and procedures. These are not tedious meetings. They typically last about an hour. There may also be an activity to complete for that week that relates to the lesson you learned at the meeting. There is also an online module once a week. These are short 15-20 minute videos about the fraternity and our expectations.

There are other experiences you may participate in while in the new member process. You will receive a big brother, an upperclassmen active member, who will help you as a peer mentor and assist you in adapting to college life. Typically each new member class completes a New Member Class project. Similar to a senior class project, new members will decide what they can do to improve the Chapter House. There may also be opportunities to visit other Delt chapters near Lincoln and learn what it means to be involved in an international brotherhood.

Near the end of your 6-week journey, you will take a final test online that encompasses all you have learned about the fraternity’s history, procedures, and values. If you pass the test the initiated members will review your qualifications to determine whether you have exceeded our expectations related to academics and honorable conduct and vote to accept your membership.

If you are accepted by vote of the chapter, you will go through two amazing ceremonies. The first is called the Rite of Iris. This beautiful ceremony teaches you about man’s duties to himself and each other on the journey toward excellence. This is a public ceremony and there may be an opportunity to share the completion of your new member period with your family.

Finally, there is our Initiation ceremony. This is a secret ceremony, usually held in a room in the Student Union, where you become a full member of Delta Tau Delta and bind yourself to a lifetime commitment to our values and mission. You will see how our history shaped our values and impact our lives moving forward. This is a special event because it is all about you.

Once initiated you are a full member of Delta Tau Delta and permitted to participate in chapter leadership positions and possess the full benefits of membership.