U of Charleston Suspends TKE

[Kevin]

TKE seems to have a little different approach to things. That's why they are the biggest fraternity in terms of number of active chapters, but rank a lot lower in terms of average chapter size. At least from my anecdotal experience with our own TKE chapter at my alma mater, which doesn't seem to suffer much from their HQ despite bad numbers and sub-2-point house GPAs, that's been my experience.

[AlphaFrog]

[33girl]

For real. Kevin, stop being a cheese dick. It's not very excellent or honorable.

(I think that throwing someone's GLO's motto at them is probably the Godwining of the GC world.)

[Ghostwriter]

Did I read this right? Are/were they the only Fraternity on campus. That would also make them the largest and smallest Fraternity on campus, too.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by 33girl

For real. Kevin, stop being a cheese dick. It's not very excellent or honorable.

I'm definitely not the only one who has made this sort of observation about TKE. Hell, go do a search, the late and venerable Eric Conard (remember him?) used to joke that his group would open up chapters at strip mall beauty schools if they thought that they could.

Nothing wrong with it, they just have a different philosophy, and it surprised me to see not one but two stories in the same day about TKE shutting down chapters. It's not something you see a whole lot.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I'm definitely not the only one who has made this sort of observation about TKE. Hell, go do a search, the late and venerable Eric Conard (remember him?) used to joke that his group would open up chapters at strip mall beauty schools if they thought that they could.

Nothing wrong with it, they just have a different philosophy, and it surprised me to see not one but two stories in the same day about TKE shutting down chapters. It's not something you see a whole lot.

And you jumped right to comment on both of them. And you're using the word "different" in the same way my mom used to use it, which is kind of cute. ("She's different" as uttered by Mom33 = "She's a freakadoo whackjob who should have probably been drowned at birth.")

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

And you jumped right to comment on both of them. And you're using the word "different" in the same way my mom used to use it, which is kind of cute. ("She's different" as uttered by Mom33 = "She's a freakadoo whackjob who should have probably been drowned at birth.")

And yet the one Teke who has posted in this thread not only didn't seem to take offense, but agreed with Kevin.

Just sayin'.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

And yet the one Teke who has posted in this thread not only didn't seem to take offense, but agreed with Kevin.

Just sayin'.

True.

As for chapter size, that varies across GLOs and across councils/conferences. The members of TKE can speak for what the criteria is for TKE.

[lucgreek]

Oh, I definitely take some offense. But it's hard to disagree when you see chapters with 6 people and wonder why the national organization is wasting time + resources at the school. Six people does not a chapter make unless you had many volunteers helping you during recruitment/pledging. That's a lot of money and volunteer hours to spend on a failing chapter.

Pack up the bags, invest that money in chapters who may be on the brink or are experiencing hardship (but aren't lost causes) and go home. Too often, I feel, the national organization is so drawn to the "We have the most chapters" marketing slogan that it sometimes defies logic on expansion.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by 33girl

And you jumped right to comment on both of them. And you're using the word "different" in the same way my mom used to use it, which is kind of cute. ("She's different" as uttered by Mom33 = "She's a freakadoo whackjob who should have probably been drowned at birth.")

Pretty sure your sorority or my fraternity would have shut down a group of that size. Is that inaccurate? Would your organization continue to support a 4-member house or wait until serious alcohol and hazing violations to shut down a six-member house?

My guess is no.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Pretty sure your sorority or my fraternity would have shut down a group of that size. Is that inaccurate? Would your organization continue to support a 4-member house or wait until serious alcohol and hazing violations to shut down a six-member house?

My guess is no.

That has nothing to do with anything. The point is that you're acting shocked that TKE shut down a chapter at all and implying by your shockedness that they have no standards. That is the cheese dickish behavior to which I am referring.

UCWV is a very small school, in an area that's not exactly booming. If TKE recognizes that and doesn't want to force the group there to be like its chapters at SEC or Big 10 schools, but still feels those men are just as deserving of brotherhood as any other, more power to them.

[lucgreek]

Originally Posted by Kevin

TKE seems to have a little different approach to things. That's why they are the biggest fraternity in terms of number of active chapters, but rank a lot lower in terms of average chapter size. At least from my anecdotal experience with our own TKE chapter at my alma mater, which doesn't seem to suffer much from their HQ despite bad numbers and sub-2-point house GPAs, that's been my experience.

I agree with you. While at the national convention, I met a guy from a chapter at a pretty big state school and the group had a house and only FOUR members (despite attempts at fixing things, sending a recruitment person down to that chapter). It blew my mind they were still allowed to operate.

It's funny, because when I was active, the loud and clear message my chapter got from HQ was, "you NEED to double your recruitment," despite us being in the middle of the pack out of 4 (then 3) fraternities.

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by Kevin

TKE seems to have a little different approach to things. That's why they are the biggest fraternity in terms of number of active chapters, but rank a lot lower in terms of average chapter size. At least from my anecdotal experience with our own TKE chapter at my alma mater, which doesn't seem to suffer much from their HQ despite bad numbers and sub-2-point house GPAs, that's been my experience.

This would go with my recollection of the chapter at my alma mater as well. They are doing better now than ten years ago, but they are still quite small. I often wondered ten years ago how they were surviving/getting by as a chapter.

[JonInKC]

Originally Posted by Kevin

TKE seems to have a little different approach to things. That's why they are the biggest fraternity in terms of number of active chapters, but rank a lot lower in terms of average chapter size. At least from my anecdotal experience with our own TKE chapter at my alma mater, which doesn't seem to suffer much from their HQ despite bad numbers and sub-2-point house GPAs, that's been my experience.

Actually Kevin, as a TKE alumni I am not a proponent of the OMG WE NEED CHAPTERS EVERYWHERE OR SIG EP WILL OVERTAKE US IN TOTAL CHAPTERS!!!11111 approach. TKE has focused so much on expansion at the expense of maintaining the chapters it has. Honestly I believe TKE has so many chapters that they don't have the manpower to keep track of them all. I would rather cut the bottom-feeder chapters and put the resources into decent chapters and colonies with potential. Not all our chapters suck, however. Not that you said that, but a lot of people don't know any better.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by JonInKC

Actually Kevin, as a TKE alumni I am not a proponent of the OMG WE NEED CHAPTERS EVERYWHERE OR SIG EP WILL OVERTAKE US IN TOTAL CHAPTERS!!!11111 approach. TKE has focused so much on expansion at the expense of maintaining the chapters it has. Honestly I believe TKE has so many chapters that they don't have the manpower to keep track of them all. I would rather cut the bottom-feeder chapters and put the resources into decent chapters and colonies with potential. Not all our chapters suck, however. Not that you said that, but a lot of people don't know any better.

I didn't mean to even imply that all of your chapters suck. If TKE would help reconnect their alums with their chapters to improve or possibly close and recolonize some of the weakest, I think TKE is potentially a real sleeping giant.