At some point in most peoples’ lives there is a desire to build something permanent, something that they may be remembered by. Five students here at the UW have decided to revive a fraternity chapter with the hopes that it will be their legacy.

The Delta Sigma Phi, or Delta Sig, fraternity has not had a chapter on the University of Washington’s campus since the 1950s. There was no scandal or dramatic event that led to the demise of the chapter; it just slowly petered away. And when there were too few members left, the chapter closed its doors.

Nick Wallace, a junior studying economics, met two Delta Sig representatives on campus this past November and was offered the opportunity to breathe new life into the dormant chapter. He had never given much thought into joining a fraternity, much less starting one, but the idea piqued his interest.

“I met the reps on campus. Then two days later I watched ‘Old School’ and was like, ok I’ll do it,” Wallace said.

So far, the new Delta Sig chapter, Alpha Omega, has five members: President Kody Riddle, Vice President Nick Wallace, Treasurer Evan Tom, Sergeant at Arms Thai Ha and Secretary Cordell Torres. These five, in addition to pledge Cole Hamilton, as well as any others who join in this early phase, will be known as the founding fathers of the Alpha Omega chapter.

“This is a really unique opportunity to be in at the beginning of something and build it from the ground up,” Wallace said. “It’s a chance to leave a legacy.”

The five members live individually; procuring a permanent house hasn’t been easy.

“It’s hard to attract new members without a house,” Wallace said, “but it’s really hard to get a house without enough members to pay the rent.”

The members are hoping they will be able to raise enough funds from alumni and other fundraising efforts to rent a temporary house.

According to Riddle, Delta Sig has a strong emphasis on community service and diversity, and that was what attracted him initially.

“I was wanting to do something that would positively impact the community,” he said. “I thought if I could lead something that would do that, I would.”

Riddle has been leading his chapter in volunteering in the campus community, specifically at the UW arboretum. He is developing a volunteering program that will be mandatory for all members of the Alpha Omega chapter.

“The idea is that every member puts in a certain amount of volunteering hours in the community each month,” he said.

“First and foremost, we are a leadership fraternity,” Wallace said. “That means developing men to be leaders in their community. And Delta Sig’s commitment to diversity has been there from the very beginning. It was started over a hundred years ago by a Christian and a Jew in a time when fraternities were usually only one or the other.”

Tom, who is expected to assume the presidency after this quarter, is hoping that this commitment to community and diversity will attract plenty of like-minded new members.

“At the moment, we are recruiting for the founding fathers,” he said. “If anyone is interested in becoming leaders, developing and showing their skills, this is a great opportunity for that. People always think of fraternities as party houses, and while it’s true that there are parties, it’s only 1 to 10 percent of the time. The other 90 percent of the time is about a lot more than just drinking.”

Wallace said it hasn’t been exactly like the movie that inspired him so far, but he expects that eventually it will.

“We haven’t had any KY wrestling matches … yet,” he said.