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Thinking about Rush? Here are some common questions many college students have about joining a fraternity.
Why should I join a fraternity? What makes TKE different from other fraternities? Do you guys party all the time? I heard that ABC or XYZ hazes! Is that true? What do you do for community service? Do I have to do it? Will the fraternity take up a lot of my time? My parents don't want me to join a fraternity. What if I just didn't tell them? What is your brotherhood like? My dad was a Teke at another school. Do you honor legacies? I'm worried about my grades. What can your chapter do to help me in school? What are your membership standards?
USI FRATERNITY RECRUITMENT APPLICATION
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 horizons in a variety of campus settings. Our fraternity is involved in enhancing scholastic achievement, 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 different 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 across North America. 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." 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 several social events throughout the course of the school year to aid in that development. 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 and parties are the rewards for our successes. Each social event we hold optimizes enjoyment and reduces risk. I heard that ABC or
XYZ hazes! Is that true? Unfortunately hazing is something that still does occur within the
Greek system. Even though every national fraternity has banned hazing
some individual chapters have continued this barbaric and just plain
stupid practice. It may make you wonder how much you can believe the
promises some fraternities may make to you. In recent years several
fraternities at around the country have been disciplined for forcing new
members to endure hazing during their pledgeship. Hazing ranges from
alcohol related, physical, emotional, and psychological torment as a
condition for membership. You've never needed to undergo hazing to join
any other organization in your life so don't believe that you have to
start now. The Greek system began as a way to improve the lives of those
who chose to join it, but sadly some fraternities have forgotten this
important fact. The best defense against joining an organization that
may haze its new members it to ask a lot of questions about what is
required of you to be initiated. Find out how long the new member
program will last, how much time will you be expected to commit, and has
the chapter ever been charged for hazing. The more vague or shady the
answers the more you should be concerned about how truthful they are
being. 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. We expect each member to do a set number of hours of philanthropic service each semester, but most members do much more than that. Raising money and donating hours often involves sporting events, working with children or senior citizens, and often with other fraternities and sororities. Philanthropy events are a great way to meet people, have fun, and provides needed support within the community. 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. 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. 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. Do you mix with sororities?Of course! What else is the point of a social fraternity if not to meet people? Our social calendar is constantly filled with fun filled events involving sororities. Part of being a member of a "social" fraternity means that you have the ability to build those social interaction and "people" skills you will need the rest of your life. 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 clicks that
often develop between pledge classes because our new member program
treats every member on an equal basis right from the start. This
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 and involvement
will allow him to overcome his challenges he face 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?
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 go through the same process before a bid to join Tau Kappa Epsilon will be extended. 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 are your membership standards?If you are selected to receive an invitation to join our great 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.
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