Traditional values have landed an ISU fraternity a top-ranking slot among the country’s greek community. 

The Delta Tau Delta chapter of Iowa State has received 22 Hugh Shields Awards, ranking the fraternity highest in the country for the chapter.

Truth, courage, faith and power are the pillars that make up the Gamma Pi chapter of Delta Tau Delta, the oldest fraternity at Iowa State.

“We try to give back to the community when we can and when we get recognized for that, we do really appreciate it,” said Corey Anderson, president of Delta Tau Delta and senior in mechanical engineering. “It spurs on more commitment and dedication to some [of] our causes.”

Hugh Shields Awards are presented to the top 10 chapters in the nation. Rankings are determined by the chapter’s academics, general finance standings, recruitment, philanthropy and membership education. The education includes professional development and leadership training. Other than the four core values, Delta Tau Delta also lives by its motto: Brotherhood sustains us.

“That’s to remind us that that is why we are all together,” said active of Delta Tau Delta and sophomore in Kinesiology, Kellen Bohn.

“Brotherhood is a little higher up than friendship, I believe. We’ve been through similar instances and we can all help each other out and improve. Instead of being an individual, we can become like a team and be a little bit better.”

As a team, Delta Tau Delta members volunteer for multiple organizations, including Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Youth and Shelter Services of Ames.

The fraternity also encourages members to individually participate in other clubs and activities.

While Delta Tau Delta continues to get involved in the community, it also continues to grow.

“The biggest change is we are just getting bigger,” Anderson said. “With Iowa State in general, everybody feels that growing experience. It’s different managing 110 guys than even 85. We definitely try to incorporate as many people as we can into some of the programming events that we have.”

Fraternities do the most recruiting in the summer months. Recruitment takes a casual approach, allowing prospective members to tour facilities, have dinner with the active members or go to a movie to find out if their goals align with that of the fraternity.

“It’s almost like, for lack of a better term, speed dating for men,” Anderson said.

Because of the Hugh Shields awards, expectations for Delta Tau Delta have risen over the years.

“If we continue to strive for excellence, then we will definitely grow and become that much better,” Bohn said.

“Iowa State has more than one top-performing greek facility on campus,” said Sam Kammermeier, Interfraternity Council president and senior in nutritional science.

“I know a lot of our fraternities at Iowa State are considered the best nationally, so it’s really cool to get to work with chapters that are really high level,” Kammermeier said. 

While ranked highly, Delta Tau Delta still hopes to improve, especially with philanthropy.

“I would like to see a bigger partnership with the Ames community and the Iowa state community with Greek life at Iowa State,” Anderson said.