Robert “Tuppy” Tupper Honored for 20 Years’ Service as Chapter Advisor for Zeta-Mu

[The1calledTKE]

(Worcester, MA) – With over one hundred members, friends, family and alumni in attendance, the Zeta-Mu chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon honored their advisor, friend and Frater, Robert “Tuppy” Tupper. His role at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) includes not only caring for and shaping the campus’ landscape, but the minds of young men as well.

At the ceremony, “Tuppy” proudly held the award presented to him, honoring his 20 years of service and advisement of the Zeta-Mu chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.

When Frater Tupper became chapter advisor for Zeta-Mu in 1983, he had never been in the TKE chapter house, or even experienced fraternity membership before. But through his job as a gardener at WPI’s Plant Services, Tupper had the opportunity to become familiar with many of the campus’ students, including the undergraduate members of TKE.

Initially thinking the offer to be the Fraternity’s chapter advisor was some joke of sorts, Tupper remembers: “at the time, most of the advisors [of other fraternities] were department heads or in the administration,” said Tupper. However, for this Honorary Teke, membership in the Fraternity has always been—and continues to be—a matter of “personal worth and character.” In 1993, Zeta-Mu members initiated him as an Honorary member of the Fraternity.

TKE is proud of the fact that one of the greatest benefits of chapter membership is participation in the chapter experience. It is through living in this “learning laboratory” that true development of the members takes place. This experience, however, is not accidental nor is it automatic. It is the direct result of great foresight and dedication from individuals such as Tupper.

The importance a chapter advisor has on its membership is evident. During the past 20 years, Tupper has clearly distinguished himself as an exemplary asset and member of TKE through his guidance and support to the undergraduate members not only as an advisor but a fellow Frater and friend as well.

“Zeta-Mu’s tradition of excellence can be traced to when Frater Tupper became our chapter advisor,” says chapter president Ryan McDevitt, “he’s seen the house work through the bad times and become stronger, so now he expects nothing less than the best from us.”

Although Tupper has already given so much to the Fraternity, Nick Arcolano, alumnus of the Zeta-Mu chapter comments, “it’s interesting to note that the award presented to Frater Tupper bears the inscription ‘for his first 20 years of service’ – it indicates the shared sentiment of Zeta-Mu that the past 20 years are only the beginning, and their beloved Tuppy will be around for many years to come.”

In 2001, the Grand Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity also honored Tupper for his service by inducting him in the Chapter Advisor Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed to select individuals who have demonstrated a minimum of ten years’ service to the chapter in an advisory capacity, and has given freely of his time and talent to assist the undergraduate chapter in realizing its goals.