The Wake

Among the beer keggers, loud music and heterosexual titillation that typically define a Saturday night on Frat Row at the University of Minnesota, one fraternity stands apart.

Delta Lambda Phi is the only national social fraternity for gay and bisexual men, says Tim Ortyl, president of the fraternity. Although they do not have a house, the fraternity hosts many social and service events.

The response from other university fraternities to Delta Lambda Phi so far has not been very inviting. “I feel like we’ve been a pretty isolated frat, but we’re trying to change that,” Ortyl says. The fraternity applied to become a member of the Inter-Fraternity Council/Panhellenic Council, and after working with them for a year, the council changed their rules so that Delta Lambda Phi could not become a member, says Alexander Vasquez, member of the fraternity.

Delta Lambda Phi promotes community service projects and social events much like other fraternities on campus. The fraternity has volunteered for the Minnesota AIDS Project by hosting an AIDS walk to raise money, says Vasquez. They volunteered for the Big Hair Project, a show with Margaret Cho, and helped with the Human Rights Campaign dinner, Ortyl says. The fraternity also volunteers at Grace House, which is home to people who are terminally ill with AIDS, Ortyl says.

The group has retreats in remote areas in order to get away from the city and bond with one another. There is a summer retreat usually at the Apple River in Somerset, Wis. and a winter retreat at an isolated spot in Minnesota, Ortyl says.

Members of the fraternity get to know each other through social events as well, such as parties and outings to downtown nightclubs, Vasquez says. “We generally have an organized brotherhood activity every week,” Ortyl says. Although Delta Lambda Phi’s parties might not be as wild as other fraternities’parties, they still have a good time. “We have fun, we’re safe…we’re our brother’s keeper,” Vasquez says.

Although somewhat isolated in the Greek community, the fraternity is very active in the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) community. Delta Lambda Phi is a member group of the QSCC (Queer Student Cultural Center).

The fraternity has a Lutheran Pride Festival during Spring Pride in April, that the members get extremely involved in every year, Ortyl says. This year, they plan to host the Central Regional Conference of the national fraternity April 21-23, which is during Pride Week. The fraternity is anticipating 70 to 80 attendees, Ortyl says.

Delta Lambda Phi has chapters across the nation, including southern states that are less accepting of gay men. “Minneapolis is pretty gay-friendly. In other cities, (the fraternities) are people coming together to try and beat the odds,” Vasquez says.

The fraternity recruiting for Spring Rush is in early February, and the frat is always recruiting new members, Ortyl says. The next meeting is Friday, Nov. 18. For more information, Delta Lambda Phi’s website is .