1 July 2013 DELTA FRATERNITY & SORORITY Re Alumni Members Brethren/Sister: Mabuhay ka kapatid! I am sending you another letter to make some corrections to the first one I gave you regarding the brief history of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. New information about our beginnings was learned as shared by some of the elder members. In fact Sharine Barrera was one of those who contributed a new datum. It’s more accurate information of our history. Enclosed also are suggestions on the topics for the orientation of new recruits. Please read it carefully. You may add or delete some topics that you think may give favorable results. Lest I be misconstrued again acting as your leader, these are mere suggestions. We are not here to bid you to follow us but we are asking you to be with us. Tattletales have no place in our organization, the DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. Thank you so much in anticipation of your full cooperation. A united organization will never be brought down by anyone! For DELTA Fraternity & Sorority! DANNY CASANOVA, 74A DELTA FRATERNITY & SORORITY, NU CHAPTER DELTA FRATERNITY & SORORITY BRIEF HISTORY DANIEL G. CASANOVA, NU CHAPTER ‘74A DELTA Fraternity & Sorority is mainly a student organization based in different universities and colleges around the Philippines. Its mission is to prime its members to be worthy and honest leaders through education, guidance, and by exemplar through good governance in the direction of becoming upright citizens of the Philippines and of the world. Thus, the members of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority upon graduating are expected to be productive citizens of the country. But during those days documentation of the organization’s activities was not properly handled. Therefore, the history of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority is based partially to the constitution and bylaws at hand and chronicles from the personal experiences of the older members and mine too. Others are factual tales that was passed on from one generation to another. In the 1960’s, as a young man, Emmanuel UyGuanco felt that a student organization such as a fraternity not only help its members to have a sound academic background, he must have develop his social awareness for his community and for the whole country as well giving humanitarian services to those who are most in need. As a member of Beta Sigma Fraternity of the University of the Philippines (although some say it was the chapter of the University of Santo Tomas), back then, he did not see this from his organization. But his concept is persistently on his mind. As he graduated from the University of the Philippines, he went on to the University of Santo Tomas and pursued further studies. With him is a constitution and bylaws he wrote for a new organization. But before he pioneers a new student organization, he resigned from the Beta Sigma Fraternity. They parted ways peacefully and the friendship intact. On August 21, 1961, Emmanuel UyGuanco founded DELTA Fraternity & Sorority at the University of Santo Tomas. Consequently, the UST Chapter being the first to be organized is also known as the mother chapter. For ten (10) years, members of the UST chapter cultivated the organization’s mission and its vision be attained by its incoming recruits. To improve on the governance, they made some amendments to the constitution including the emblem. This emblem is the one we are using up to this day. These amendments were officially ratified by the majority of the members of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. According to one of our brethren, Conrado Amidar, a batch 1969 member of the UST Chapter, the emblem or the logo was redesigned sometime between 1969 and 1970. He personally witnessed it while it was being drawn. In 1971, another member of the batch 1969 of the UST Chapter, Pedro Casibang, transferred to National University in pursuit of his Engineering course. While there, he developed friendship with some of his classmates. He encouraged eight (8) of his friends to join the DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. Therefore, on August 23, 1971, the second chapter of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority was born. Pete as he is fondly called was the first Grand Emper (President) of NU Chapter. The declaration of Martial Law in September of 1972 affected the steady recruitment of neophytes on both chapters. With the declaration came the prohibition of maintaining existing school organizations. Students cannot even group together having a tete a tete just outside the campus. DELTA Fraternity & Sorority operated secretly in both chapters. Membership dwindled little by little. The NU Chapter was most affected. Aside from dwindling recruits, most of the members are graduating students. By 1974, they needed to re-organize. On September of 1974, young college students of National University were recruited, initiated and became members of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority by month’s end. These new members gave a revitalized energy to the organization. Aggressive recruitments of neophytes were done. Membership at NU Chapter grew. Meanwhile, the UST Chapter was having difficulty recruiting. The University itself had rescinded its recognition to all fraternities or sororities during that time. Membership at the UST Chapter declined. But Deltans continued despite going against school policies which may require expulsion. By the middle of the 1970s, the UST chapter with the NU Chapter jointly worked for the expansion of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. Thus, between 1975 and 1979 the expansion started. Several chapters from different universities in Metro Manila were formed. The FEU Chapter of the Far Eastern University was formed in late 1975. This was followed by three more chapters in 1976. These were the FEATI Chapter, PSBA Chapter, and Araneta (now called La Salle-Araneta) Chapter in that order. In 1977, UE Recto Chapter was organized. By 1979, three (3) more chapters were organized; UE Caloocan Chapter, NCBA Chapter, and MLQU Chapter. Before the decade ended DELTA Fraternity & Sorority had ten (10) chapters. Every time that there was a new chapter formed, the UST Chapter disseminated the information to the other chapters. It also formally accepted chapters that were formed by another chapter other than the UST chapter. In the early 1970’s, the fraternity and the sorority of DELTA functioned independently. It both had its own set of officers and conduct activities separately. They were two (2) separate organizations using one constitution. Although from time to time the two organizations jointly conduct humanitarian services. The year 1975, both the fraternity and the sorority decided to merge together and function as one. This was agreed by the majority of the members of both UST and NU chapters. At that time, there were only two chapters just yet. Amendment to the name was made, adding the “& Sorority”, thus, DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. As a result, the merger turned out to be the best move. It gave more depth to the organization in terms of improving the programs initiated by both the fraternity and sorority. It has been this way up to this day. Likewise, the marking at the center of the left back hand just below the wrist of the male resident members was started by the UST Chapter sometime in 1975 or 1976. They proposed this to NU Chapter and the latter agreed. It was also agreed that it will be voluntary for the already resident members but the first batch of neophytes after the agreement will have to be marked. From then on all neophytes who passed the initiation were marked. The markings of the fraternities on the hand started only in the early 1970’s in the Philippines. It became a trending that fraternities marked their members’ right after their neophytes passed the initiation until it became a tradition. DELTA Fraternity & Sorority male members joined the practice. At the onset of the markings cigarette was used, it produced a rounded scar. Ironically, there was another fraternity whose members had a rounded scar at the same place as ours. Thus, a galvanized wire shaped into a triangle was used in 1977. During the days when there were only two chapters, the DELTA Fraternity & Sorority and Beta Sigma Fraternity considered itself as sister fraternities. Friendship developed between its members. That lasted for quite some time until new members came in on both organizations and the old ones graduated. The treatment banished as a result although they were not hostile with each other until an incident happened between our UE Caloocan Chapter and Beta Sigma. The result was devastating for the UE Caloocan chapter of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority because they were just formed then and had very few memberships yet. The chapter was abolished. At the end of the 1970’s decade, Noel Cabañgos, a member of batch 1977 of NU Chapter transferred to St. Louie University in Baguio City. He then pioneered a chapter of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority, the SLU Chapter. The members had also organized other chapters from the different universities and colleges in Baguio City. Likewise, although the UE Caloocan Chapter was short lived, one of its members Lino Suñga went to a province in Mindanao and enrolled in one of the university there. While at it, he pioneered a chapter of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. Another member, Benny Serrano, this time from the Araneta (now La Salle-Araneta) Chapter also went to Mindanao in 1981 and organized a chapter at Bislig, Surigao. From then on the DELTA Fraternity & Sorority expanded to other provinces of the region until it reached the Visayas, particularly Cebu and Bohol Provinces. Unfortunately, the expansion to Mindanao and the Visayas was not properly coordinated with the UST Chapter. That is why, most chapters in Manila learned about it only in the year 2012. The lack of support from the alumni members made it more difficult for the school chapters in Manila to survive. It also made difficult to recruit new members because of the labelling of fraternities as a street gang especially during the early 1980’s. Deaths in some fraternity initiations only strengthened the belief of people especially from Manila. As a result, universities and colleges totally banned students from joining as such. Those caught were subjected for expulsion. Although the DELTA Fraternity & Sorority was not involved in any deaths during initiations and its members strictly adhere within the limits of the constitution, it was not spared from freely recruiting new members. The membership declined and the last chapter, the NU Chapter ceased from actively functioning as a school organization in 1996. At the turn of the twenty first (21st) century, the alumni members of the different chapters in Manila started to re-organize. Communication was made easy by new technologies. The members are now trying to find ways to re-activate the school chapters. Manila, the “Mother Chapter” of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority has awakened. By 2012, members have been communicating with other members from other chapters in the Visayas and Mindanao. When Manila is in the dark, the Visayas and Mindanao chapters kept the flame burning. That is why the DELTA Fraternity & Sorority is fifty two (52) years old this coming August 21, 2013. And it is going to be stronger than ever. ORIENTATION FOR NEW RECRUITS I. WHAT IS DELTA FRATERNITY & SORORITY? The DELTA Fraternity & Sorority is a fraternal organization for college students that mainly lead its members to have the right mind-set in academic education in order to have a better future. Aside from attaining good scholastic record, this fraternal organization is also into humanitarian services especially to those who are in need and enhance the member’s social awareness to the society. But the most important definition of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority is Family. II. WHY DELTA FRATERNITY & SORORITY IS THE BEST FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION TO BE WITH? DELTA Fraternity & Sorority is the best to be a member of. A Deltan, as members of this organization is called, will not rescind to his/her moral duty as a brother or sister when a fellow Deltan is in need. It is also the best because unlike other fraternal organizations, Deltans knows too well that a brother or a sister is family. Every member is in every member’s heart. While other fraternities or even sororities have two or more Greek letters for a name. DELTA Fraternity & Sorority is uniquely named for it has only one Greek letter. But we are the only fraternal organization whose name is very meaningful. From the name itself, this organization is already teaching you the characteristics of a Deltan, and develops your street-smart personality. D is for dignity; E is for equality; L is loyalty; T is trustworthy; and, A is for affable. Each letter represents the discipline of being a Deltan. III. WHO IS A DELTAN? You will know a Deltan, not of his appearance or the marking on his/her left hand but someone who despite of setbacks to any of his/her endeavour, his/her dignity is intact. For a Deltan will always accept the mistakes he/she made and hold his/her head up high for he/she knows he/she never wronged anyone. You will know a Deltan for he/she is surrounded by people coming from all walks of life. He/she respects these people despite of their shortcomings because a Deltan honors their friendship. You will know a Deltan for people respect him/her. And in return, a Deltan respects people equally based on their personality, intelligence, capability, and integrity. A Deltan never looked at one’s stature in life. You will know a Deltan because he/she is loyal. A Deltan protects the name of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. Just as he/she loyally defend his friendship with other people and his/her relationship with family. You will know a Deltan for he/she can be trusted. A Deltan knows that a task assigned him/her is always important to the organization and does it diligently. A Deltan is trustworthy for it is the character of being one. These characteristics; dignity, equality, loyalty, trustworthy, and affable (or friendly) are imbibed to every Deltan as soon as one becomes a member of the organization. IV. CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS The Constitution and Bylaws of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority have eighteen articles. These articles are guides for all of its members in order to have an organized and efficient fraternity and sorority. All Deltans are obligated to abide to the constitution and bylaws of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. In the constitution, there is a strong emphasis on education and social awareness. Members are expected to respect these provisions and become a well prepared person for the next phase of life. The provisions in the constitution are final and to be adhered to by all of its members unless otherwise amended and ratified by 2/3 votes of the members. But amendment to the constitution with the use of one’s common sense should be agreed by the leaders of all chapters of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority nationwide. Amending a constitution is of national concern. But any chapter can make their own laws provided it is within the limits of the constitution. They cannot expect other chapters to follow their local law. But if to enact laws of national interest, procedure must be followed with that of the amendment process. V. The NAME This school organization has only one name; DELTA FRATERNITY & SORORITY. Each member has moral responsibility that this name be respected at any time. It is their duty that no one will ever taint the name DELTA Fraternity & Sorority especially by a Deltan. VI. FOUNDATION The Father of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority is Emmanuel UyGuanco. He founded this student organization at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on August 21, 1961. Therefore, the UST Chapter being the first is sometimes called the “Mother Chapter”. These data are true facts as reflected on the constitution and provided by the Father himself. VII. ENSIGN The ensign is the flag of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. It is a rectangular cloth of white color and the emblem is red (see illustration next page). It is every Deltan’s duty to abide by the constitution and bylaws of DELTA Fraternity & Sorority. A Deltan gives his/her utmost respect to the founder, the ensign, the emblem, and the foundation of the organization. The ensign is different from a chapter banner. The size of the ensign must be bigger than the chapter banner. Example of the ensign (flag): White background The EMBLEM (back to back) The ENSIGN Additional notes: a. Discuss the full constitution and bylaws after the recruits passed the final initiation and before they take an oath. This is applicable for existing chapters. b. For new chapter organization, discuss the constitution thoroughly until the recruits will be familiar with. c. For Provincial/Metropolitan Chapter, a centralized orientation by the Educational Committee is better than done by the chapter’s resident members. d. All Education Committee must prepare and collect materials for the orientation.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 04:48:32 +0000