By Esra Sardag
Contributing Writer
The brothers of Delta Upsilon Fraternity wrote, directed and performed in their 92nd annual Demie Play, entitled “DU Goes to Frat Camp,” on April 14 at 8 p.m. The comedy, a philanthropy event to benefit the Charles Pollack Memorial Scholarship Fund and Global Service Initiative, told the story of the brothers being sent to “Frat Camp,” a fraternity rehabilitation camp, after getting caught breaking many campus rules during a night of hazing. The brothers went through several challenges such as a trivia game to prove that they learned the true values of brotherhood and save themselves from the embarrassment of getting kicked off.
“When writing this year’s Demie Play, the writing team strove to draw out many of the controversies surrounding the Campus Climate Report and the administration’s reaction to it,” John Fowler ’14 said. “The report has been one of the biggest topics on campus, and we wanted to display our reaction to the report in a comedic fashion.”
Donations have historically gone to the Charles Pollack Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is awarded every year to students at the University who have demonstrated financial need. It was founded by Pollack’s wife, Gayle Pollock, to honor his memory. Pollock was widely regarded as a role model in his leadership positions at the University as Assistant to the President, Vice President for Student Affairs and Vice President for External Relations. Pollock also impacted Delta Upsilon fraternity’s successful reinstatement to campus on during the 2006-2007 academic year.
“We raise money for philanthropy through two methods. The first way is through traditional ticket sales. The other is by selling ad space in our playbill,” Jason White ’12 said.
Donations also went to the Global Service Initiative, Delta Upsilon’s national philanthropy organization. Members engage and fundraise to help developing nations while uniting their actions with the principles of the fraternity. For example, brother and playwright Connor Beach ’14 will be participating in a trip to Jamaica to be building extra classrooms for a local school.
The brothers showcased their various talents in the performance.
“We have many talented actors, writers and set designers who just need an event that they can work toward,” Matthew McAnear ’13 said. “We had a decent showing at this year’s play, but we’d love to expand the tradition into the future.”
The brothers of Delta Upsilon fraternity were pleased with the result and are hoping for an even better turnout in the future.