The group working to reestablish the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Lafayette College cleared a key hurdle on Thursday, gaining provisional status as a college fraternity chapter and earning participation in formal fraternity recruitment this fall, according to the head administrator of fraternity and sorority life.
After an extended recognition process, the newly-designated “interim chapter” gained approval from the supervising committee and now sits as a non-voting member of Lafayette College’s Interfraternity Council — the student-led governing body of campus fraternity chapters — according to Associate Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life Jake Bates.
Chapter president Tyler Beck ‘27 described the news as “tremendously satisfying.”
“We were ecstatic,” Beck said. “We worked almost two years now on this project, and it’s been really something special.”
To gain full college accreditation, the Kappa Delta Rho chapter will undergo a “final status review” at the end of the fall 2025 semester, though the review could be deferred for an additional two semesters if appealed, according to Bates. During this interim period, the group must remain alcohol free and regularly provide progress updates, as per college guidelines.
The group’s approval follows its formal presentation to the recognition committee last month, its second attempt at the step after the first was failed and appealed. The committee — made up of several campus administrators and Greek life student leaders — delayed its final decision to clarify additional questions.
After submitting an additional document clarifying its vision, mission and goals, the Kappa Delta Rho interim chapter — currently consisting of three members — was approved. Bates declined to comment on the vote split.
President of the Interfraternity Council William Gutiérrez ‘27 — a recognition committee member who previously said he was “unimpressed” by the group’s presentation — said that the resubmission had more effort and “significantly more detail.”
The interim chapter’s chief priority is preparing for recruitment in the fall, where Beck noted the group hopes to recruit 10 to 15 new members. He said that the chapter is brainstorming “unique” rush events to engage new potential members and mentioned skydiving as a possible activity.
Since the original chapter’s disbandment, the former Kappa Delta Rho chapter house — now a dormitory known as 635 High St. — has been sublet to the college by the fraternity’s alumni corporation, which owns the building.
While the chapter would “love to be in the house as soon as possible,” Beck said that any decision would come from talks between the alumni corporation and the Office of Residence Life.
Robert Kiser ‘74, the president of the alumni corporation, wrote in an email that he had not yet connected with the Office of Residence Life, but “plans to work with the college for the building to again become known and used as the KDR House.”
Interim Director of Residence Life Julie Mule and Traci Eschbach, the assistant director of residence life who currently oversees the building, did not respond to requests for comment.
Kappa Delta Rho has not been active on campus since 2011, after misconduct issues led the national fraternity organization to halt chapter operations and place it under alumni control. The Lafayette reported at the time that the national fraternity had suspended the chapter’s charter for five years, though there has been no official effort to revive the chapter until last year.
Beck said that, above all else, he hopes that Kappa Delta Rho will “offer a really safe space” while improving the relationships among fraternities on campus.
Isaac Reynolds ‘26, the president of Lafayette’s Chi Phi fraternity, wrote in an email that he wishes the interim chapter “all the best in their future endeavors.”
When the campus fraternity community grows, “whether it be in the amount of recognized chapters or the amount of positive impacts on the campus community it is beneficial for all fraternities,” he wrote.
The presidents of the Delta Upsilon, Delta Tau Delta, Zeta Psi, Phi Sigma Chi and Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternities did not respond to requests for comment.
Benjamin White ’27 contributed reporting.