about TKE at Corpus Christi...
I was a student there, worked there, moved and am about to work there again in student activities. I checked out a few old yearbooks and saw TKE pictures in there....i thought it was pretty cool! I think we had Pikes then too. Not sure about sororities.
The university (then University of Corpus Christi, private Baptist school), was really small. It became Texas A&I Univ-CC for a few years and was still a 4 year. Then, it became CC State Univ until 1993 and was only a two year upper division (jrs, srs, grads). This area was very small at that time and most students went away to college or attended the local community college, then transfered to CCSU. I imagine that is why TKE left.....not enough students to keep it going. It had less than 1,000 students at any given time between 1975-1993.
In 1993, it was still a 2 year, but name changed to Texas A&M-CC. It became 4 year in 1994, but no Greeks. The student activities office was composed of one full time person and one full time secretary, so not really enough to manage much of anything.
By 1997, the office had changed completely - a new director was hired and he is a Phi Delt. They agreed to open for expansion and had this huge process. I wasn't involved in the process, but was involved in other student activites at the time and saw some of the stuff they did. There was a student led Greek Expansion Committee (which some of us had a good time poking fun at the fact it sounded out GEEK).
Presentations were done for NPC, NIC and NPHC organizations. Invitations to colonize were handed out and they started
recruiting in fall 1998. Groups colonizing that year:
Sororities:
Gamma Phi Beta * Delta Delta Delta * Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Kappa Alpha (just began recruiting, didn't really colonize until about 2 years later)
Fraternities:
Phi Delta Theta * Beta Theta Pi * Sigma Phi Epsilon
All chapters are still there and most are doing well. They have also added Lambda Theta Alpha, Sigma Lambda Beta and Sigma Lambda Gamma (all NALFO orgs).
I'm not sure if TKE participated in the presentations back in 1997-1998 or not. I know they chose the fraternities partly based on their new chapter programs (balanced man, men of principle). i can't find if Phi Delts had a similar program, but i remember that they unleashed their alcohol free housing initiative around that time, so that could've been a factor. And the original advisor is one. That never hurts.
The campus is contemplating adding another NIC fraternity in the next couple years, from what i hear. I was told they already have a chapter in mind. No chapters have housing, althoug SigEps had a lodge for less than a year. It was more of a pain for them than anything else.
so, there you go. All you wanted to know and more about the history Corpus Christi and Greek life.
