I have been following with great interest, and ultimately great sadness, the recent developments of Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Fraternity that have made it to the media.
According to articles published in The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Hoya [9/7; 8/29], DPE, the nation’s first and apparently only professional fraternity for students interested in foreign service, is plagued with stagnant, problematic leadership and dissatisfied members. Its general secretary has been accused of sexism and xenophobia, and members from various chapters have essentially held recruitment boycotts.
I am not a member of DPE. I remember well the pledge pins of the young men who each semester would make their commitment to the organization. My own Alpha Phi Omega members used to hear rumors that DPE pledges would get “bonus points” for stealing one of our pledge books. I even had a little brother in APO who dropped from our process and joined DPE the following year. And every year, I looked forward to seeing the “staircase photo” of the new members of DPE in their tuxedos and sashes.