Ryan ChartrandDelta Lambda Phi National Social Fraternity (DLP), an organization for gay, bisexual and straight men, started its colony phase at Cal Poly on April 14. It will take approximately one and a half years for the fraternity to become a full-fledged chapter at Cal Poly.
DLP president and aerospace engineering freshman Michael Dicato said having a fraternity geared towards gay and bisexual men is important for the Cal Poly community. Delta Lambda Phi will give gay students more exposure on campus and a more positive image in the area.
“A lot of people don’t realize there are gay people at Cal Poly,” Dicato said. “We are here; we exist.”
The colony at Cal Poly started as an interest group, gaining members through word-of-mouth and facebook. When it came time to apply for colonization, the potential fraternity had 14 interested members, while the colonization requirement only called for eight.
Dicato described the fraternity as “a safe, secure spot where (gay men) can meet other people like them.”
Although the Cal Poly Pride Alliance and LGBT Center offers activities and support for gay and bisexual students, Dicato described the experience with the Pride Center as very different from brotherhood.
The fraternity provides more activities, support and unity for members, he said.
Delta Lambda Phi has “brought us all closer together than the Pride Center ever could,” Dicato said.
Delta Lambda Phi was founded in 1986 with the goal of creating a fraternity that would provide gay and bisexual men with the same opportunity for involvement in greek life that is available to straight males.
Straight men are “more than welcome to join,” Dicato said. Having a straight male in the fraternity who is comfortable with his sexuality and who is there because he wants to meet some cool guys would be great, Dicato said.
DLP vice president and graphic communications sophomore Brad Purpura said Delta Lambda Phi could offer straight men “an opportunity to experience firsthand the whole gay culture that we have to offer.”
Although a social fraternity, Delta Lambda Phi encourages members to partake in community service projects. Volunteering helps form bonds between members, create opportunities for individual brothers and show the character of the fraternity to the community, according to the Delta Lambda Phi Web site.
The fraternity specifically encourages chapters to participate in a national service project titled, “Be Safe – Educate!” which encourages safer-sex education in chapter communities.
Cal Poly’s Delta Lambda Phi colony is putting on a safe-sex program Sunday in cooperation with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA) and with Fusion, a club for gay, bisexual and curious men ages 18 to 29 in San Luis Obispo.
Dicato said director of Greek Affairs Eddie Dominguez has been very supportive of the fraternity’s initiation into the Cal Poly community.
Although Dominguez warned that Delta Lambda Phi “might get some opposition in the future from other fraternities,” Dicato said, Dicato can’t imagine other fraternity members being opposed to Delta Lambda Phi after talking to its members and finding out who they are and where they are coming from.
“We’re no different,” he said.
Cal Poly’s Delta Lambda Phi colony will be rushing its founding alpha class this fall. All male Cal Poly students are encouraged to apply.