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CJ Gibson, Zander Doan, Sebastian Sandoval and Luke Novak were the recipients of the top fraternity award at the annual Leadership Institute in Atlanta, Georgia.
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WIU's Delta Upsilon International Fraternity Earns High Honor

October 16, 2024

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MACOMB, IL -- The Delta Upsilon International Fraternity announced that the Western Illinois University chapter received the 2024 Sweepstakes Trophy, the highest honor bestowed upon a DU undergraduate chapter.

This is the second time in the WIU chapter's 50-year history that it has received the honor, having received it in 2022. The award was presented during Delta Upsilon's annual Leadership Institute, held Aug. 2-4 in Atlanta, GA.

The Delta Upsilon Sweepstakes Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953 to acknowledge chapters whose achievements surpass all expectations. Each year finalists are selected, as well as a top chapter. This year marks the fifth time the WIU Chapter has been named a Sweepstakes Finalist, also earning the honor in 1994, 2010, 2022 and 2023.

During the 2023-2024 academic year, the WIU Chapter had 28 members, which is above the average fraternity chapter size at WIU, and initiated 11 new members during the year.

The chapter ranked first among campus fraternities in grade point average, boasting a chapter average of 3.369. Service and philanthropy were highlights of the chapter calendar, with brothers averaging 54 service hours each for the year.

The chapter also raised $2,500 for the Global Service Initiative, Delta Upsilon's international service project and philanthropy and $500 for the Macomb Salvation Army for their local food pantry. Earlier this year the Chapter received recognition from the International Fraternity for its Fraternity Excellence Plan which included Campus and Community Involvement, Fraternity Operations, Academic Excellence, Health, Safety and Prevention, Associate Member Education and Recruitment.

Delta Upsilon's Chapter Excellence Plan (CEP) is a program to guide chapters toward success. CEP is broken into seven categories, with required and optional criteria that help chapters become well-rounded and operationally sound. The WIU Chapter completed all CEP criteria — 75 different items — in 2023-2024 and was recognized for completing the most criteria in each category, as well as with the Overall CEP Excellence Award.

In addition to the Sweepstakes Trophy, the WIU Chapter was recognized as the Delta Upsilon International Fraternity Alumni Chapter of the Year. As part of the alumni program, the chapter hosted its 50th Anniversary this spring hosting 200 alumni who returned to WIU to celebrate 50 years of Delta Upsilon on the campus of WIU.

"Delta Upsilon's WIU Chapter continues to be one of the Fraternity's top chapters. This chapter continues to excel in all areas of chapter operations and has a strong, close-knit brotherhood that enhances the DU experience. This friendship carries well into alumni life, and we are proud of the support the undergraduates and alumni provide one another. The continued success of our Western Illinois chapter is remarkable," Delta Upsilon's Executive Director Justin Kirk said.

Established in 1834, Delta Upsilon is an international men's college fraternity with 68 chapters and colonies across the United States and Canada. The Fraternity, founded at Williams College in Williamstown, MA, is the oldest, non-secret, Greek-letter society and is committed to Building Better Men for a global society through its four founding principles: friendship, character, culture and justice. More than 145,000 men have joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity since its founding more than 189 years ago.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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