Frequently
asked questions
Who much does it cost???
TKE is the one of the cheapest fraternities to
pledge at Virginia tech. Our candidate
fee is only 80$?
How come TKE costs so little compared to others that cost around
$300 to $400?
We have what many other fraternities want and
desire, a house paid for in full.
Thanks to this we don’t have to pay house fees, also we have huge
parties thus helping to lower dues to a price other fraternities’ dream of!
Will my grades be affected?
Of course they will, but only for the
better! We have study halls for pledges
and brothers where we provide free tutors for all. Also we have koofers like you will not believe. In spring 2000 we were ranked #1 in grades
among fraternities at Virginia Tech.
Presently we have 5 brothers that have made it on the deans list, all
whom will gladly tutor you to make sure you make it too.
How long is pledging?
Unlike many other fraternities at Virginia
Tech that make you pledge for a semester and a half or even a year we at Tau
Kappa Epsilon believe that we want you to be a brother as soon as possible thus
making our new member session is less than a semester. Meaning if we give you an offer to join in
the fall you will be a brother wearing proudly the letters of TKE in that same
fall semester.
The word "pledge" and all the
unflattering remarks which accompany it does not exist within Tau Kappa
Epsilon. The new member education program is based on a "no pledgeship and
no hazing" commitment. Every fraternity will claim that they do not haze,
but TKE was the first fraternity to implement a new member program that
replaces senseless tasks with educational and inspirational programming. The
Apollo Program is the name of Tau Kappa Epsilon's new member system. It is a
eight week program which teaches new members about the history of the Greek
system, the history of TKE, the history of their own chapter, and how they fit
into this system. It allows young men to become young leaders through
motivational and instructional programs and activities.
Why should I join a
fraternity?
Belonging to a fraternity offers
many advantages. We realize that your first purpose for coming to college is to
obtain an education. We also realize that a college education encompasses more
than academics and that the ability to deal and live with people is a demand
that will be made on you for the rest of your life. As a well rounded man you
must merge a solid academic background with intellectual and social maturity,
and with confidence in yourself to deal with the problems that will face you in
later years. TKE is a very unique fraternity because we provide an environment
that will encourage you to strive for academic excellence, while at the same
time discovering new social and leadership opportunities in a variety of campus
settings. Our fraternity is involved in enhancing scholastic achievement,
participating in philanthropy events, hosting social events, developing men
into tomorrow's leaders, participating in sporting events, and much more. A fraternity
gets you involved, which helps you to develop important skills. It also allows
you to develop contacts with other students, and a variety of alumni involved
in all areas of the business world. People join organizations for different
reasons. Most of our members joined Tau Kappa Epsilon because they enjoyed the
events, liked the people they met, and felt that our chapter had the best to
offer them at this important time in their life. You will also become part of a
larger network of over 300 chapters and 200,000 members as part of the largest
fraternity in the world.
What makes TKE different from
other fraternities?
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 DECLRARATION OF PRINCIPLES to understand what Tau Kappa Epsilon stands for.
Do you guys party all the time?
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 social events throughout the course
of the school year to aid in that development. We are a fraternity that live
and grow together, in a close environment. 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 are the rewards for our
successes. We hold several dances and formal events which have taken Teke's and
their dates from riverboat cruises to formal balls. Each social event we hold
optimizes enjoyment and reduces risk.
What do you do for community service? Do I have to do it?
Philanthropy is one activity that TKE has
always been heavily involved in. Our national philanthropic organization is the
Special Olympics and last year alone TKE contributed more than $50,000 and
hundreds of volunteer hours to the organization. We expect each member to do a
set number of hours of philanthropic service each year, but most members do
much more than that. Raising money and donating hours often involves sporting
events, working with children or senior citizens, and sometimes with other
fraternities and sororities. Philanthropy events are a great way to meet
people, have fun, and provides needed support within the community.
What kind of leadership positions are available to freshmen?
Because new members in Tau Kappa Epsilon do
not spend most of their freshman year as new members, as is the case in some
other fraternities, and are unable to get involved directly within the chapter,
they are able to get a head start on leadership experience. Each year TKE holds
Regional Leadership Conferences and the TKE Leadership Academy which are both
designed to teach more effective leadership methods. From the very beginning,
TKE teaches it members to be leaders and not followers. Typically freshman
choose committee chairs to begin their leadership role in the chapter. Because
members are always considered on an equal level with all other fraters they are
able to jump right into a position that they feel they can succeed the most at.
There will also be officer positions that will open up to you as a freshman
before your first semester is over. TKE is actively involved in the
Interfraternity Council and you will have the chance to obtain a directorship
that would begin during your second semester. Why wait a year to begin on your
road to success when you can begin today in Tau Kappa Epsilon? College offers
you a clean slate in life, so why not get a jump on the competition.
Will the fraternity take up a lot of my time?
Time management means something different when
you get to college than it did in high school. You now have so much available
time on your hands that you can either use it or waste it. TKE's new member program
not only teaches you how to manage that time, but also how to get the most out
of every day. As with any organization you will get out of it what you put into
it, and the rewards will vary depending on the drive that you have. Each year
we have a speaker for the new members to talk about time management in college.
Our goal is to make you a better man. The time you spend perfecting that goal
will not be taking up time, but will instead be the most important time you've
ever spent.
Do you have a test file?
In addition to a large collection of old exams
and class syllabi, TKE works through various tutoring programs on campus, sets
up studying sessions, sets minimum grade standards, and our Big Brother Program
helps new members to adjust to the academic environment.
My parents don't want me to join a fraternity. What if I just
didn't tell them?
Sometimes parents believe that fraternity life
revolves only around beer, women, and hazing, and unfortunately some
fraternities cannot offer much more than that to you. TKE takes a lot of time
to keep parents informed about what things will be like in the chapter and how
they can make the Teke Experience more rewarding. Some students find this a
strange idea at first, but you should talk with your parents about which
fraternities you are interested, what kinds of opportunities they have to
offer, and what kinds of questions you need to ask of each fraternity. This
will definitely show how seriously and responsibly you are making this decision
process. If you feel uncomfortable approaching your parents or they have
specific concerns, let us know we will be happy to speak with them on any
subject.
What intramural sports do you do?
TKE is actively very involved in intramural
sports. We allow every member to play on whatever team whenever they want to
without having to wait until there is room for them. Playing sports is a great
way to relieve stress and to keep in shape.
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 cliques
that often develop between new member 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 is 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 indoor and
outdoor sports, retreats, social events, brotherhood nights, and much, much
more. 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 study cords 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 every 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 200,000 men just like you have shared since 1899. College
is only temporary, but Brotherhood is forever.
How active are you on campus?
Tau Kappa Epsilon is very active on campus
throughout the year. We have had members in top leadership positions on campus,
as well as within the Greek system itself. TKE builds leaders by giving them
the opportunity to get involved and the skills to make them successful. If
you've got the desire for success why not join an organization that wrote the
book on it.
My dad was a Teke at another school. 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. Interviews will be given throughout the year and legacies interested
in the chapter should contact us to set up an interview. Alumni members will
understand this policy based on our belief that "We maintain that
exclusiveness is the direct antithesis of a true fraternity" and we must
include any man who wishes to accept "the challenge to become."
I'm worried about my grades. What can your chapter do to help me
in school?
The academic success you make in your first
few semesters at college will largely limit or expand your future options. It's
always easier to maintain a GPA than to raise one. TKE provides academic
support from the very start with the Apollo Program, your Big Brother, Chapter
and Academic Advisors, Scholarship Chairmen, Chapter Educator, tutoring
services, and much more. Along with all the adjustments you'll be making during
your first few months at college the last thing you want to worry about is poor
academic performance. Academic success is simply opportunity meeting hard work,
and TKE will give you that opportunity.
Do you get a lot of support from alumni?
Part of belonging to the Fraternity for Life
means continued support even after your undergraduate years are over. We
publish an alumni newsletter, hold alumni events, and use alumni contacts to
help graduating fraters obtain job interviews. Our Board of Advisors is made up
of chapter alumni as well as other fraters who have chosen our chapter as their
focal point for alumni support. To be honest, we don't get millions of dollars
willed to us for renovations, we don't spend contributions just on parties, and
we're not looking for alumni to spend our obstacles away. We have always valued
the time and effort that alumni provide more than the money they give. TKE
teaches its members that the only price Brotherhood has is dedication. Alumni
offer everyone from our newest members to our graduating seniors support in
every area from finding a job to recounting how they made the most out of their
undergraduate years in TKE. The support that our alumni give every year is immeasurable.
What is the Apollo Project?
The Apollo Project is TKE's innovative and
exciting new member education program. TKE alumni and undergraduate mentors
will guide you down your "Pathway to Apollo" as you learn more about
what it means to be a man...and the challenge that accompanies that
responsibility. The TKE mythological ideal, Apollo, has served as an example
for over 200,000 Tekes since our founding in 1899. Today more than ever, the
TKE Apollo ordeal provides young men with an opportunity to learn and grow in
an environment of "love, charity, and esteem," the three essential
elements of true brotherhood in Tau Kappa Epsilon. The Apollo Man serves as a
model and as a guide for you during your TKE undergraduate experience, and
throughout your lifetime. It establishes a code of conduct for your behavior
and actions; it provides you with an appropriate understanding of your
relationship with your fellow man; and with women; it establishes a model of
academic excellence, and of physical and mental health. The Apollo Project
takes young men and turns them into leaders, and the world of tomorrow will
need leaders not followers.
What are your membership standards?
If you are selected to receive an invitation
to join our 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 already
turned opportunities into success. If you accept the challenge to become a
member of Tau Kappa Epsilon you will be expected to maintain a certain minimum
GPA, be involved on campus and within the chapter, perform a few hours per
semester of community service, to meet your financial obligations, and to live
up to the ideals of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Our biggest standard is the standard of
success that over 200,000 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.
