By Jaime Winston

When Donald Dunn told his mother he wanted to join a fraternity at the U, her answer was simple: “No.”

“She had some preconceived notions and misconceptions on what greek life is about,” said Dunn, former chairman of the Utah Democratic Party. “She was thinking it was going to be like ‘Animal House,’ or maybe I’d be hazed, or worse, I wouldn’t even be accepted.”

Dunn, a 1993 U graduate, asked his mother to attend an information session before passing judgment on the greeks. After the gathering, she encouraged him to go through rush week.

“First she was telling me over her dead body I should join a fraternity, and now she’s got the nerve to tell me which fraternity to join,” he said.

The group in which Dunn was interested, Sigma Phi Epsilon, was the same one his mother recommended.

“My story is probably no different from those who came before me and those who came after, but what I know is because of the greek system,” Dunn said. “I’ve been given opportunities that have helped me both personally and professionally.”

He said connections with other greek students helped him build a support network.

Dunn, who works for Internal Medicine at the U, shared his experiences in networking, politics and greek collaboration in a speech to kick off Greek Week. Students from all U sororities and fraternities were invited to the Skaggs Biology Building on Monday night to attend the presentation.

“If the greek system as a whole sticks together, success at the Beta House means there is success at the Sig Ep House,” Dunn said. “If there is success with Kappa, it means there is success with Pi Phi.”

Jay Wilgus, assistant dean of students and a former greek, said that when one chapter does well, it reflects on other chapters. Onlookers don’t always notice the divisions between the houses and often judge them collectively, he said.

“It also has the effect of increasing morale and giving people a positive attitude of what they’re doing,” Wilgus said.

After graduating from the U, Dunn landed an internship at the White House during Bill Clinton’s first term and worked on Clinton’s reelection campaign in 1996. The networking and teamwork he learned as a greek gave him an advantage in difficult situations, he said.

In 1998, Dunn was arranging a conference in Turkey that was supposed to feature a speech from the president of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze. Because of an assassination attempt, Shevardnadze couldn’t attend. Dunn’s boss told him to make it work anyway.

“I needed to be resourceful, and I started calling upon my network,” he said.

By calling various contacts he had established, Dunn was able to reach a broadcaster in Moscow who fed the Shevardnadze’s speech via satellite from Georgia to Turkey. When Dunn ran for congress in 2000, he called on his fraternity brothers nationwide for assistance. At a national fraternity conclave, one of Dunn’s counterparts asked for his help getting a position at the White House. With Dunn’s help, the young man began working for Clinton.

Interfraternity Council Vice President and Greek Week organizer David White said many of Dunn’s experiences have been similar to his own at the Beta Theta Pi House.

“I’m a political science major, so it was kind of cool to see him speak,” he said. “It seemed like it went along with what I’ve experienced this year.”

Greek Week events will occur throughout the week. Greeks will take children from the Neighborhood House to the zoo Wednesday and will hold a party Friday night at Squatters Pub Brewery.

“It’s a booster for the Greek system as a whole, and hopefully it will bring everybody together,” said John Tieso, a sophomore member of Sigma Nu majoring in sports management.

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Carlos Mayorga

Former Utah Democratic Party chairman Donald Dunn kicked off Greek week with a speech about his experiences as a Greek when he was attending the U.