Rick Holland's Colonization Speech
Brother Rick Holland '83 was unable to attend the Recolonization Ceremony and there is nobody who wanted to be there more.
Rick passed along some words to be read at the Ceremony and Brother Mike Whalen read them eloquently. Rick often has exactly the right words for exactly the right time and the Colonization Ceremony was no exception. Here they are...
To my Syracuse Delta Upsilon Colony brothers:
Don’t be fooled by outward appearances.
The DU alumni who have travelled to be with you; to celebrate YOU this weekend, may appear to be adults, dads, senior citizens … or some cases homeless vagrants.
I can assure you, however, that most of them suffer from arrested emotional development, so while they may LOOK ancient on the outside, on the inside, when it comes to maturity, they are each about 11 years old.
They are also the MOST OUTSTANDING PEOPLE I’ve ever met.
This weekend is (and should be) all about celebrating friendship and brotherhood when the sun is shining; when times are good; when the possibilities are all ahead and endless.
But we all know that life’s sweet spots are countered by its sadnesses. So, amidst all the celebrating this weekend, just know that friendships in DU work TWO ways – they make your good times so much better, but they also make your tough times so much easier. I know these things from personal experience.
You’ll go to weddings and you’ll go to funerals in your life … your DU brothers will be with you at BOTH.
Congratulations on your journey to this point, and I look forward to seeing you at the chartering ceremony!
Fraternally,
Rick Holland '83
Ken Hyman's Colonization Speech
Good evening everyone. My name in Ken Hyman. I became a DU Brother my freshman year at Syracuse and graduated in 1988. I lived in the house for two years, was honored to be the President, and am now honored to be the Advisory Board Chairman to the new Colony Members.
I’d like to start by inviting everyone to the Reception the alumni are hosting in the Hall of Languages immediately following the Ceremony. It will be held in Room 500.
I want to give a shout out to our Brother Rick Holland. Rick’s contributions and impact on Delta Upsilon throughout his life is nothing short of remarkable – he was a staff member at DU Headquarters after graduating from SU and has been the Fundraising Chairman on the Task Force for the past 2.5 years. Rick is an amazing guy and really epitomizes what it means to be a DU. We wouldn’t be here without him so while Rick is back home kicking cancer’s ass we ask you to please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
I also want to thank Michelle Marchand, Jacob Ellis, and Hayden Rahn from Delta Upsilon International Headquarters. They have been instrumental in our comeback and Jacob and Hayden have done a fantastic job recruiting this quality group of men. Jacob, your leadership has been extraordinary.
To give some perspective on this night, you have to go back almost one and half centuries when Syracuse University was founded. The year was 1870, and at the time, the entire University operated out of the Hall of Languages. The light bulb hadn’t even been invented yet - and for that matter neither had indoor plumbing!
Just three years later, on the evening of November 14, 1873, in the very same building where we will hold the reception, the Syracuse University Chapter of Delta Upsilon was started. It was a national fraternity founded on non-secrecy, justice, friendship, character, and culture. At that time, Delta Upsilon was the second fraternity to arrive at SU - so if you hear people say that DU is a new fraternity on campus, that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve been here from the start and each one of you is helping us restore our rightful and traditional place on campus.
There are many things that make Delta Upsilon special but I want share some of the most important ones:
First and foremost, we are a non-secret fraternity. Just look around you, we are assembled here tonight in one of the most public and visible buildings on campus. Having this ceremony in Hendricks Chapel has deep meaning for all the alumni gathered here because it’s in this building that each of us took our Oath to become a DU Brother. We hope it will also be the place that all of YOU take that Oath as well.
We are also don’t believe in hazing. Most of the alumni in this room joined DU because we believe – like you - that a man shouldn’t have to endure humiliation or abuse to prove himself. We believe that true Brotherhood is based on trust, and mutual respect and we feel strongly that men at Syracuse should always have the option to join a non-hazing fraternity. It’s one of the main reasons we’re so passionate about getting DU back at Syracuse - because we want to give all of you the same opportunity that we had.
We’re also a Fraternity that cherishes friendships. 30 years after graduating Syracuse, most of my closest friends are my DU Brothers and there are dozens of them in the audience tonight. I have no doubt you’ll also develop lifelong friendships based on shared core values of justice, diversity, respect, loyalty, and honor.
We also embrace and celebrate our diversity. We believe that having a Brotherhood with men from different backgrounds, races, and religions make us stronger and that men of character don’t have to look the same to share the same beliefs.
I’m talking about some serious stuff so I want to stress - we also have a ton of fun! You see all these wrinkles next to my eyes? They were caused from decades of smiling and laughing with my Brothers. After a night with the guys my heart feels warm and my face is sore from laughing so much. We could tell you stories for hours - and if you get us going later on, we likely will!
The alumni here strongly encourage you to take advantage of the all the things that DU has to offer. I can personally attest to the fact that what you put into DU will come back to you in spades and that your time in DU will not only enrich your college experience, it will enrich your life. So take on a leadership role, start a new tradition, help your community, or simply mentor a Brother who is struggling in a class. Whatever you do, get involved and have fun with it.
You’re also encouraged to attend one of the many award-winning leadership conferences, seminars, and global service initiatives offered by DU International Headquarters. Over the past two and a half years, your alumni have held numerous fundraising events throughout the country and established scholarships to honor brothers we have lost. In the end, the alumni donated a quarter of a million dollars to create an educational endowment so you can attend leadership training and become stronger DU Brothers and better men.
In closing, there are over 900 Syracuse DU alumni and hundreds of them made donations. About 50 of them have made the trip to Syracuse in the middle of winter to be here. This night has been years in the making so on behalf of all of us, I want you know that we’re absolutely thrilled to be here, witnessing this historic event.
We want to congratulate each and every one of you. You are now part of a tradition that dates back 144 years and we’re so happy that you’ve chosen to be a part of our historic comeback.
Each of you will be Founding Fathers to future generations of DU’s at Syracuse. Our hope is that in 150 years from now, there will still be DUs assembling in this building taking the Oath of Brotherhood and thanking YOU for restarting a legacy that will be here long after we’re all gone.
And please remember that while your college education at Syracuse University will prepare you for a career…
Delta Upsilon will prepare you for life.