Mia Fischel & Carly Broseman, Features Editor & Special to The Denisonian—

Living in the basement apartment of the Sigma Chi house, Debbie Dalzell works as the “house mother” at Sigma Chi, serving as a security measure and a mother figure to the fraternity brothers. The job involves managing the house and its visitors, supporting the fraternity members and keeping everything in check.

Debbie’s husband, Jeff, also resides in the apartment, and has over 20 years of experience in education. Through a connection with a mutual friend, the job opportunity of “house mother” opened up.

“We had a home above our business, and our building was sold so we didn’t have anywhere to go. We went to a dilapidated farmhouse for two months,” Dalzell said. “I came up here and within two days my husband and I moved in… it was just kind of an answer to prayer.”

Entering the position at the height of COVID-19, the fraternity members wore masks and it was difficult to create authentic bonds. As more members now use Sigma Chi as a study and hangout space, Debbie strives to develop more personal relationships with them.

Jack Nimesheim ‘24, joined Sigma Chi in 2021, a year after Dalzell arrived, and respects her consistent politeness.

“I wore a light pink sport coat for our composite pictures, and typically everyone wears navy or black sport coats. I’m kind of a goof so I wore a light pink one, and she complimented it and I appreciated that,” Nimesheim said.

Traditional house mothers, like “Aunty Jack,” a beloved house mother of Sigma Chi in the late 1800’s, were much more involved in fraternity life and events. Dalzell is the only house mother left on campus.

Bill Mason ‘57, a Sigma Chi alumni who now works in the house and with the swim team, recalls the prevalence of house mothers in every fraternity during his time at Denison.

“The house mother was kind of the stabilizer, around all the time, and they interacted with kids. They knew everybody’s name,” Mason said. “She’d go to church with the guys, be at their various events, and during intramurals our house mother would be down cheering for our guys or cheering against the other house mothers.”

House mothers at Denison go all the way back to when the fraternity houses were all downtown in Granville. When other fraternities were sold to the university and then eventually  declared non-residential, Sigma Chi was the only fraternity that still functioned privately under the ownership of alumni. It still does, and Mason now manages the building.

They are the only fraternity with a designated chapter room, and the members also have free reign over the basement rec room, kitchen, memory room, and the dedicated Woody Hayes room. 

Most of the brothers pop in to study, and they hold a few gatherings over the year. Otherwise, the house is often booked out on weekends for graduation parties, wedding showers, baby showers, and memorial services. Dalzell uses the building to host Thanksgiving and Christmas for her family and friends.

The building requires extensive care and upkeep, which is a job split between Mason, who is the main caretaker, Dalzell, and the housekeeper. Dalzell often does walk-throughs to keep the noise down and the guys in check, but the most important part of her job, she says, is her constant presence. 

“I’ve cooked for them before, baked cookies for them. I’ve told them that if anybody has an issue or needs to talk to somebody, I’m always here and ready and willing,” Dalzell said.

At first, she was worried about encountering entitlement and disrespect, but claims that she has been treated with respect by a majority of students. 

“This one kid specifically, the first year I met him, I was like, ‘Okay he needs to get knocked off his pedestal’ and the more I got to know him, I completely changed my mind,” Dalzell said, “He’s just got a little bit of a cocky attitude but he’s a really neat guy.”

In her four years here, she has watched a full cycle of Sigma Chi members grow from freshmen to graduated seniors, and she hopes to stay involved in their lives.

“My kids are grown and out of the house, so as a mom you never lose that, you know, that you want to take part in somebody’s growing up time,” Dalzell said. “And yes, I do feel like you guys are still growing up. When they reach out to me that really means a lot to me.”