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TKE At The University of Connecticut |
The Delta Gamma chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon started in what we know as Northwest Quadrangle today. A group of Korean War Veterans gathered to form Phi Tau Eta which stood for Fort Trumble House, the base in which they were stationed. The men had formed a brotherhood so strong at war; they decided to petition to become Tau Kappa Epsilon. Eventually they became the 99th chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. |
After disbanding in the early 80’s, the chapter was reformed by Sean Gaitley in the early 90’s. The Spring of 2003 brought forth the regrouping of the Delta Gamma Chapter Alumni Association. The highly motivated group of individuals was lead by Dick Steele, who sits as the Alumni Board Association President. After petitioning to become an official association, they received their charter soon afterwards. The Alumni Association is highly credited for the continued success of the undergraduate chapter. The Alumni Association has hosted numerous Recruitment Bar-B-Ques, homecoming activities, and have funded the Triangle Achievement Scholarship. The alumni association has also formed a housing corp. With the help of the alumni association and hard work from the undergraduates, TKE was priveleged to move into the on campus facilites for fraternities and sororites. TKE now resides in UConn's Husky Village and hopes to call it home for many years to come. |
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TKE International Fraternity History. |
On the cold night of January 10, 1899, students of Illinois Wesleyan University in the small mid-western town of Bloomington had just returned from the Christmas Holidays when Joseph L. Settles went to the room occupied by James C. McNutt and Clarence A. Mayer at 504 East Locus Street to crew a new society for men on campus. Joined immediately by Owen I. Truitt and C. Roy Atkinson, these five men drew up the first set of regulations for the Knights of Classic Lore, a society whose avowed purpose was "to aid college men in the mental, moral, and social development." The founders of the Knights of Classic Lore, however, desired an organization different from that represented by the existing fraternities. Their desire was to establish a fraternity in which the primary requisites for membership would be the personal worth and character of the individual rather than the wealth he possessed, the honors or titles he could display, or the rank he maintained on the social ladder. The snobbery and disdain for persons outside their fraternity- a common characteristic of many other fraternities at this time - was regarded with disfavor by the founders of KCL. |
In 1902, KCL adopted the Greek Letters "Tau Kappa Epsilon" as the new name to make it more attractive to the national fraternity it was trying to join, Phi Delta Theta. Its bid was rejected, and out of this defeat TKE rose to become the world's largest social fraternity. According to the College Survey Bureau, an independent organization that rates college fraternities and sororities, only 24% of TKE's chapters ranked in the upper half of the groups on their campus in 1948. However, by 1955 this percentage had been raised to 39% and in 1966, following that decade of dynamic growth, 64% of the TKE chapters were ranked in the upper half. By 1978, 76% of chapters were in the upper half of the organizations on their campus. In total national strength - a College Survey Bureau index based on size times quality - Tau Kappa Epsilon moved from 11th place among fraternities in 1956 to 1st place in 1966 and has remained first ever since. |
Today, Tau Kappa Epsilon's leadership in the fraternity world is evident. The largest college social fraternity, TKE has almost 300 active chapters and colonies, and in excess of 9,000 undergraduate members, and 155,000 alumni - all feats which have been accomplished in a remarkably short period of time. Tau Kappa Epsilon has gained this position of strength - not by luck or lowered standards - but by detailed planning, devoted service, and inspired leadership. Also instrumental in its success, has been a "pioneering" spirit that has characterized TKE from its beginning and farsighted leaders who have had the fortitude to accept the challenge of the unknown. Able to foresee the expanding college enrollments of the future, TKE was the first large national fraternity to expand into smaller state colleges, many of whom are now major state universities. |
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For more information, see the About TKE section at www.tke.org |
