Frequently Asked Questions
We know that you and your parents may have many questions about joining a fraternity, and we here at Tau Kappa Epsilon understand that. Here is a list of some of the most frequently asked questions we get during each semester.
Why should I join a fraternity?
People join fraternities for many different reasons which I have detailed here.
What makes TKE different than everyone else?
Since our founding in 1899, Tau Kappa Epsilon has always seen itself as different from other social fraternities. This perception has led TKE to become the world's largest international fraternity. Our founders felt that fraternities had degenerated from institutions of scholarly attainment to mere social clubs. Our founders started an organization "whose avowed purpose was to aid college men in mental, moral, and social development," and that is a mission we have not strayed from. Our mission is no different than it was in 1899 and the challenge is no less intimidating. Building better men is what TKE has always been about. For nearly 100 years, Tau Kappa Epsilon has been building better men. Taking young men and building them into young leaders. Leaders who are prepared to face the world complete with a set of values and beliefs that add a distinctive advantage to a man's efforts throughout his life. We have always based our membership "not for wealth, rank, or honor, but for personal worth and character." One only needs to read The Declaration of Principles to understand what Tau Kappa Epsilon stands for.
How long is the pledging process?
Tau Kappa Epsilon at the national level does not recognize the word pledge. We have what is called “The New Member Education Program” it removes the menial and worthless tasks of old and replaces them with educational and inspirational wisdom and knowledge. During this education program you will learn about the Greek system as a whole, the history of the fraternity at the national level as well as here at Upsilon Zeta, and you will learn how you will fit into the system and become part of our brotherhood. During the program, you are officially called a “candidate” as in a “candidate for brotherhood”. The entire program varies per semester and has gone from as little as 3 weeks to as long as 10 depending on the circumstances. Fall 2006 was 8 weeks while Spring 2007 was 9 weeks due to Spring Break. It is estimated that Fall 2007 will be about 6-8 weeks.
What about hazing?
It would be a lie to say that hazing has left the Greek system even though it has been banned by just about every fraternity and sorority in this country. There are some chapters on the local level in just about every fraternity that still haze despite this. However Tau Kappa Epsilon here at Angelo State is not one of those chapters. We stand by multiple philosophies during our education program.
1) We will not force you to do anything that is against your beliefs, religion or family.
2) We will not force you to do anything that we ourselves have not done.
3) We will not try to cause you bodily harm.
4) We will not force you to consume any alcoholic beverage.
5) You will not be singled out because of a physical or mental handicap or because of your race, age or sexual orientation.
What kinds of leadership positions are open to me once I’m an active?
Once you have become an active you may be selected to become a chairman of a position. This may range from Homecoming, Sports, Fundraising, Community Service, Social, Rush and more or you can ask to shadow an officer in order to learn a position.
Once you have been active for a full semester you are encouraged to run for an officer position such as Historian, Chaplain, Risk Management, or Secretary. The upper officer positions such as President, Vice President, Educator and Treasurer are generally reserved for actives that have been in for more than a year and have experience in other officer or chairman positions. However exceptional exceptions have been made in the past.
I bet all you guys do is party, is that true?
Because Tau Kappa Epsilon is a "social" fraternity many people have taken that to mean simply "partying." Part of becoming a socially mature adult involves interaction with those around you, and TKE holds several social events throughout the course of the school year to aid in that development. You don't have to belong to a fraternity to party, but the risk you take by mixing people in unfamiliar and uncontrolled environments can be costly. The rumors that you have heard or clips from Animal House simply do not exist within our chapter. We follow specific Risk Management guidelines which are designed to allow everyone to have fun, but without any unfortunate side effects. TKE has created a social fraternity that defines "social" not simply as parties and celebration, but rather one in which celebrations and parties are the rewards for our successes. In addition to our night parties we also hold BBQs, community service events as a fraternity and as a part of the Intra-fraternity council. Of course there also plenty of days we will just hang out with our fraternity brothers and see a movie or go get some food.
My parents don't want me to join a fraternity. What should I do?
We are not here to tell you that you should go behind your parents back and rush TKE. If you choose that it is your own decision. However we do advocate that you persuade your parents before hand. Here some ways to do it. First, show them our (parent’s page) and this FAQ page to answer some of their initial questions. If that doesn't work with your own personal persuasion then you may have them call one of our fraternity brothers to ask more specific questions. However if you choose this option please set up a time with that fraternity brother so your parents don't call while he is at work or school. If you don't have a contact you may call Brandon Espinosa at (number here) who is our rush chairman for the summer and the Hegemon (educator) for the fall. If neither of these things works then it will be up to you alone to convince your family to let you join. I can tell you first hand that my mother was against the idea of me (Bryan Heath) joining a fraternity when I rushed. However, over time she grew to understand what a fraternity can do for a person and is now fully supportive of my membership. Now I am not advocating that you go against your parents, but if you do rush TKE without it you are welcome to as long as you are willing to accept the consequences back home with your family.
What’s the cost?
The first semester is $313 which is due to the national fraternity for administrative and supply costs.
Each Semester afterwards:
Fall and Spring are $250 each
Winter/Summer is $50 for both (optional)
In terms of dues we have the cheapest on campus for the social Greek fraternities. We have a dedicated fundraising chairman who holds multiple fundraisers each semester to offset these dues which you may participate as both a candidate and an active. In addition we have around twenty scholarships at the national level which as a brother you may apply for, and will assist you where we can in trying to earn local scholarships here at Angelo State University.
Does TKE do any intramural sports?
We participate in two different leagues at Angelo State University.
First we participate in the Intra-Fraternity Council league where we compete against the other fraternities in Football, Basketball, Soccer, Kickball and Softball (Volleyball is sometimes added)
The second league is the general Intra-mural league at Angelo State. This year we plan to field a team (wither it is all men or co-ed) including but not limited to: Flag Football, Basketball, Softball, Soccer, Kickball and a few others. Once you have accepted a TKE bid you are allowed and encouraged to play on the intramurals and IFC teams with us.
What is your brotherhood like?
TKE is unique among fraternities in many respects and one such difference is the importance we place on building brotherhood within the chapter. We have been able to avoid rifts and clicks that often develop between pledge classes because our New Member Program treats every member on an equal basis right from the start. The elimination of pledgeship and hazing within TKE strengthens our brotherhood because resentment and the sense of inferiority are never present. TKE believes that there is no point in a man's life more important than his college years. Growth in a non-hazing and no pledgeship environment will allow him to overcome the challenges he faces with the support from those around him. TKE believes that brotherhood is a journey, not a destination. Brotherhood involves more than just social events and TKE holds monthly brotherhood events like barbecues, team building exercises, retreats, brotherhood nights and weekends, and much more. During the summer TKE holds events like alumni weekends, cookouts, and work weekends on the house. Each member has their own definition of brotherhood, but each revolves around the three guiding principles of our fraternity.
We believe that the essential elements of true brotherhood are love, charity, and esteem; love that binds our hearts with the sturdy chords of fraternal affection; charity, that is impulsive to see the virtues in a brother and slow to reprove his faults; esteem, that is respectful to the honest convictions of others and that refrains from treading upon that which is sacred to spirit and conscience; these are the triple obligations of ever brother in the bond.
Our challenge as brothers is to live up to these guiding principles and our strong belief in them has created a strong sense of brotherhood that over 230,000 men just like you have shared since 1899. College is only temporary, but Brotherhood is forever.
How active is TKE at Angelo State?
- Last year TKE got 3rd place overall in the Homecoming competition against all student organizations. This included the number of hours building the bonfire, making run through signs, participating in competitions, a brisket cook-off and much more.
- We hold 2 of the 4 officer positions in the Intra-fraternity council.
- Our president is a member of the student government
- Our vice-president is one of the leaders of the ROTC
- We have members in Student Physics Society, Association of Mexican-American Students, and many other organizations
- We have members in Residence Life including RA’s and Desk Assistants as well as the IT department here on campus.
- We participate in blood drives, and other community service events on campus
- and so much more…
My dad/brother/uncle etc. was a Teke. Do you honor legacies?
TKE is the Fraternity for Life and we take great care when legacies come to our attention. The values and ideals that are passed to every member of TKE insures us that they understand that their sons should be considered not for wealth, rank, or honor, but for personal worth and character just the same as every other potential new member. To this measure we consider anyone who wants the choice to belong to Tau Kappa Epsilon to be an unbiased process. Legacies will still sit before the Membership Quality Board before a bid to join Tau Kappa Epsilon will be extended. Alumni members will understand this policy based on our belief that "We maintain the exclusiveness is the direct antithesis of a true fraternity" and we must include any man who wishes to accept "the challenge to become."
I don’t want to have my grades to suffer because I joined a fraternity, will you help me in school?
Grades are the most important thing to all of us. After all despite what most people say, everyone goes to a university to earn a degree. Knowing that; we at Tau Kappa Epsilon are committed for our candidates and actives to maintain good GPAs. During the new member education program you will study multiple hours a week with your fellow candidates in order for all of you to maintain your grades. You will meet with your big brother (our term for mentor) every week to observe your progress and to make sure you are maintaining your grades. You will also meet with the academic advisors; the chapter chaplain and the chapter educator to assure you are not putting your education second. We will also work to pair up with brothers or tutors who can help you in certain areas if it’s needed.
What are your membership standards?
If you are selected to receive an invitation to join our great Fraternity, you can do so knowing that our chapter members have applied an extensive set of criteria to your selection, and you'll know that they believe that you have what it takes to live up to our standard. We base certain membership criteria on your past experiences and how you have turned opportunity out of defeat. If you accept the challenge to become a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon - Upsilon Zeta you will be expected to maintain a GPA of 2.25, be involved on campus and within the chapter, meet your financial obligations, obey all laws & bylaws; fraternity, state, local, and live up to the ideals of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Our biggest standard is the standard of success that over 230,000 since 1899, have lived up to. It is our goal to provide you with the opportunity, assistance, and support that will see you through the most important years of your life, and on to your most successful ones.
September 27th, 2007
Weekly Meeting
9:00pm, RAS 100
Informal
September 29th, 2007
RamJam/Game
5:00pm, ASU vs. Midwestern
Go Rams!
September 30th, 2007
Pledge Meeting
9:00pm, Location TBA
September 17th, 2007
Co-Ed Football
6:00pm, Intramural Fields
Go Teke/Sigma Kappa!
October 1st, 2007
Co-Ed Football
6:00pm, Intramural Fields
Go Teke/Sigma Kappa!
October 1st, 2007
Special Events Comm. Meeting
7:30pm, HH 218
October 3rd, 2007
Men's IM Football
6:00pm, Intramural Fields
Go Teke!