Coming to a place like Cornell can be intimidating—the necessity of forming new friendships, the elevated difficulty of academics, feeling like you have a place on this ever-expanding campus. Greek life here at Cornell offers a remedy to all of these problems, and Delta Kappa Epsilon stands proudly as the epitome of what Greek life has to offer. With a history dating back to 1870, ΔΚΕ has perfected its role as a model fraternity, offering brothers a sense of belonging, an academic support system, and diverse campus involvement, always giving you the leg up. With 33 active brothers, we are looking to expand our membership with sociable, respectable, and academically driven men who will become an integral part of our fraternity. In joining ΔΚΕ, you will gain some of your closest friends in college, an endless supply of exciting and fun social events, competitive pricing for room and board, and a truly unforgettable college experience. We look forward to seeing you during spring rush and sharing this truly special experience.
We welcome you to give Delta Chi of Delta Kappa Epsilon your careful consideration during the recruitment process. We have thrived on the Cornell campus since our founding in 1870, and we look forward to having you as the next link in the long chain of brothers who have made Deke a valuable part of their Cornell experience. Deke has always attracted men who embody the characteristics of a gentleman, scholar, and jolly-good fellow. Dekes are a diverse set of brothers from hometowns around the nation, who are enrolled in any of Cornell’s undergraduate colleges. While Deke provides a set of friends and an important support group for your Cornell years, Dekes have also been active in campus activities beyond the house.
Housing and dining costs at Deke are very competitive with other on-campus housing. For 2018–2019, a room is $8,000 per year and the meal plan is $3,960 per year, about the same as neighboring fraternity houses and slightly below the cost of a double room in the West Campus dorms. However, Deke delivers much more value, with single rooms, more common areas, a great meal plan, full Cornell RedRover broadband access, and an ideal location next to the law school, engineering quad, and Willard Straight Hall.
As outlined on our scholarship page, Deke has a significant, peer-selected scholarship program whose purpose is to reward brothers who have given of themselves to support Delta Kappa Epsilon and advance its objectives. These awards are named for Robert Trent Jones and William E. Simon. Our scholarship fund has reached $840,000 and is invested as a part of Cornell’s endowment.
Joining Deke now provides a rare opportunity to create a start-up with an annual budget of over $400,000. Although Deke has a proud history and an active alumni association, we are looking for leaders to invent a new organization that will survive into the future. Our Rush Chair, Zachary Bolotte (ztb6@cornell.edu), is leading our recruiting effort. He will be available for the rest of the school year to help the chapter. The new brothers will hire a full-time chef and select a fifth-year student or graduate student to serve as a live-in advisor. The brothers will have a full-service accounting firm and an alumni-relations firm under contract to help implement their programs.
Deke has a very strong and active alumni association, which creates many alumni networking opportunities. Cornell and Deke alumni have committed to refinishing and upgrading the interior spaces as we convert our house back from a dorm into a fraternity lodge. One important opportunity is the redesign of spaces on the lower level. Brother David Preusch, a noted architect, will work with the new brothers to plan these common areas to meet the needs and programs of the new Deke. The new brothers will also play a role in selecting furniture and finishes for their new home.
The Deke House is both a registered Ithaca and national landmark. Although the building is not available for house tours, you can and take a virtual tour below.