question about TKE

OnePlus69Is70 · #1 09-24-2002, 01:05 AM

Hey all. I'm a member of a local fraternity. TKE contacted us about the possibility of our becomming TKE. What's the national org. like? We used to have a national, and they seriously screwed us over, and we're not looking to repeat the experience.

The1calledTKE · #2 09-24-2002, 09:30 AM

TKE international is very good. If you are worried about support they will be there for you. Especially new chapters get alot of attention. Your chapter probbaly will get people that will help you for the first few years and you will be doing better than you have in awhile. TKE has the most active chapters out of all the fraternties and I believe has the 4th most intiated members(which is pretty good seing most fraternties are older than TKE). No matter where you go if you wear TKE letters you are bound to run into a TKE. Being a TKE can also be a help after college thru alumni contections it can be easier to get a job. Just a few benifits of being a TKE.

teke4life · #3 09-24-2002, 10:03 AM

actually, right now is a great time to be a teke. on the national level, we have just implemented some very good new programs. it really is focusing on chapter development and helping individual brothers (sometimes, in the past, being in the largest fraternity in the world, can make you feel insignificant). we've added a whole new volunteer structure, of which i'm a part, which means your chapter will have instant alumni support, also TKE has added new educational conferences that are regionalized. so it is easy to get your men to an educational session and have them benefit from becoming a teke. these are of course the new changes, there are a million other good reasons to be a teke. i'm hoping some of my other fraters will help add to that list on this board.
my only other advice is to look at the membership on this board (myself included). there are a lot of alumni on here, TKE is the fraternity for life. including your chapter is not just adding a dimension to your chpater, but to the entire lives of all your members.

-Bob Allen, chapter advisor (mu-theta chapter), province advisor (eastern PA province)

teke4life · #4 09-24-2002, 10:05 AM

oh yeah, you can visit our website. www.tke.org

OnePlus69Is70 · #5 09-24-2002, 11:37 AM

I looked through the expansion stuff on the web site, we've got almost everything on the list for chartering already. (Well, not a board with TKE members in majority, but why would we have that at this point?)

We would need help to get membership numbers up- we're usually the smallest chapter here. Theta Chi just recolonized, and the only way they got there was by having someone from their national here recruiting for months. (And the guys they got from that- peh! Letter whores, and guys looking to avoid pledging- no one I'd ever have in my house.) Formal rush is broken here- we were the only house to do dry rush, and we ended up with two pledges. We do informal rush all year, but it's only enough to keep us at operational minimum, never enough to grow. We'd need someone here to help- informal rush sucks, because you're recruiting guys who mostly are set against being Greek, so you've first got to convince them it's a good idea in the first place, then convince them to join your house.

The only other problem I see is that coming up with the money for chartering would be painful, to say the least. Our non-house operational budget is set at $150 a man- and it can't go any higher, we already have problems with guys who can't pay it. Most of us are putting ourselves through college, and we haven't any money to throw around.

So that's what I see- I see we'd need a TKE to come here to help recruit, if we were to ever get to a proper number, and I see that money would eventually become a problem.

I can't say I think going TKE would be a good idea, but that's probably just my distrust of nationals talking- the last two nationals that came to talk to us tried to talk individual members into leaving us for their colonies, and the one before that sent a complete schmuck out to talk to us, it was completely insulting. The NIC is batting .000 over here.

teke4life · #6 09-24-2002, 11:55 AM

who did you talk to about colonization? i'm sure i could get you in touch with our expansion guys, who could answer a lot of those questions. i met our new expansion guys last month. they are real go getters. they spent 2 weeks at Bucknell U. and recruited 20 some guys there to start a recolonization there. we also have some of the greatest rush guys in greek history working for the fraternity right now. i've known men and women that have been members of local organizations. from my experience, i had many more resources as an undergrad and many more connections after college because i'm a teke. let me see if i can't put you in touch with someone who really knows there stuff.

OnePlus69Is70 · #7 09-24-2002, 12:01 PM

Our president was contacted by whoever the head of expansion is- I don't remember the name. I'm sure we'll get answers out of him- but I don't necessarily believe the answers that come from a national HQ. Experience tells me not to believe them.

The1calledTKE · #8 09-24-2002, 12:12 PM

Well just get the information from the guy he is talking to. I don't think TKE internation would try to break up your fraternity. If you guys wanted to become a colony of course TKE would probbaly send somebody to help with recruitment. Probably Buckwheat, he is a legend, he knows his stuff and has been helping with rush for several decades. If your are so distrustful or people nationals in general then maybe you should stay local. If you don't give anybody a chance because you don't trust them of course its going to fail. If TKE is interested in starting a group somewhere more than likely they will. Of course they would like to have a establised local to start from but if your guys don't want to go that route then they might start from scratch. Thats if there are many alumni in the area to help support the chapter.

OnePlus69Is70 · #9 09-24-2002, 12:45 PM

We'll keep an open mind, but I want to more see what TKE does than what they say. I'm sure there have to be good nationals out there somewhere- and a good national would help us here, big time.

If TKE does what it says it does, and follows its own rules, and actually is a good fraternity, then I'll cheerfully vote to switch letters. Honestly, I'd cheerfully vote for any national that did that, who cares who they are.

So honestly, is there tacit acceptance of hazing? Does TKE national serve to underaged brothers at its national conference? Would it try to steal a local's initiates? Those are all things I've seen nationals do with my own eyes, and it horrifies me.

The1calledTKE · #10 09-24-2002, 01:13 PM

With my experience with TKE no they would never serve to underage brothers, Thats a big no no. Many chapters have gone dry to. Most recently the UGA chapter. I doubt TKE would steal another locals members. The only way I could see that is if the local went to them first and not vice versa. My experience with internationals is they give you what you give them. If you give them 100% they will do the same for you.

teke4life · #11 09-25-2002, 11:29 AM

hazing is strictly prohibited by the international fraternity. does it still happen at some chapters? yes. have chapters been pulled when they were finally caught? you better believe it. with all the problems the fraternity world has had with risk management and trying to get insurance coverage, TKE has taken huge steps into eliminating underage drinking, drug abuse, binge drinking, and hazing within the chapters.
i've also seen a lot of chapters take the initiative on their own to change the way they approach alcohol and pledging, without a mandate from up top. on the flip side, i agree with you that i have also seen plenty of atrocities done under the veil of greek life. i've seen some of the worst, most inhuman, hazing come from local and underground groups. so, bad things happen whether one is talking about a local or a national, or an international (although our canadian brethren are usually pretty well behaved). so, essentially, ask TKE what they can do to make you a better chapter than you are now, and also what they can do for you as individuals. i think character and morals are something that happens on the chapter level, something which i feel you have already demonstated that your chapter has.