TKE's Little Lessons

Congrats Guys.

So now that your in, there are a few pieces of knowledge I would like to impart upon you during your TEKE and Collegiate career. They are little things I have experienced or learned from other fraters and jotted down over the 5 years while I was an undergrad. They are much like Life's little lessons, but I prefer to call them TEKE's Little Lessons. Feel free to keep them, add to them and use them as much as you wish. I have found them most useful. I apologize in advance for the length of them, but its well worth the read.

  1. TKE IS FOR LIFE
  2. Brothers, above all else.
  3. TKE is a privilege. Not a right.
  4. You are here for an education, That is your first priority It does TKE and you no good to have a good brother that is kicked out of school for bad grades.
  5. HAZING HAS NO PLACE IN TEKE - IT IS THE QUICKEST WAY TO KILL A CHAPTER AND YOUR BROTHERHOOD!
  6. Always treat a brother like a King. (Be it from our chapter or somewhere else. It is what sets us apart from other Greeks)
  7. TKE is not the letters that you wear upon your chest, but its what's imprinted in your heart that counts
  8. It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
  9. You are your brothers keeper
  10. Go to Conclave or some TEKE event. You will never experience anything like it. You may never grasp the fullness of our fraternity or what you have joined until you do.
  11. TEKE is hard. If was easy, everyone would be a TEKE - for it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be a true Frater (TEKE)
  12. Respect, Trust, and Believe in your fellow brothers and in their diversity. For it is the diversity that makes TEKE strong.
  13. Love your brothers as if they are from your own blood.
  14. Every Day, you will be criticized, talked about, questioned and made fun of for being part of a Greek organization. They will sometimes even condemn you for it. It is your job to go out and prove them wrong by being the best that you can possibly be in this fraternity. Don't give anyone an excuse to criticize or question the motives on which we wear the letters that ALL FRATERS have sworn to protect and defend. Do this and no one will be able to question you.
  15. Draw on the strengths and weakness of those fraters around you. It will be your greatest asset.
  16. Our bond is one that is held in the highest regard by fraters that came before you and those that will come ahead of you. Do everything you can to make sure that the bond never goes undamaged or more importantly unbroken. Always make sure it is there to pass on to the next generation of TEKE's.
  17. Always be there for your brothers. Especially in times of hardship. Be there to listen, help, comfort, and when they fall, pick them up, wipe the dirt off them and keep them moving.
  18. You will get out of it, what you put into it.
  19. Make the bond stronger by bringing good men into our fraternity.
  20. Sometimes doing what's right, may not necessarily be the "popular" thing to do.
  21. Don't forget while your there, that important as it is to work hard to make the chapter successful, you have to have fun. Otherwise what is the point?
  22. When things are difficult and you are locked in a heated argument with no foreseeable way out. Stop, take a break and look at the issue from all sides. Think outside the box and look at it from the top, bottom, side and underneath. Sometimes, the best answers come to you when, where you least expect it.
  23. Do your very best to include ALL Fraters in all your activities (even if its just watching a movie)
  24. In a meeting, make sure you listen to everyone who wants to have a say. Most of all, make sure ALL NEW MEMBERS feel welcome and able to express their opinion
  25. The most fun I ever had as an undergrad was working together to clean the up the house. (Cutting the grass and other outside items. We always ended up having a BBQ)
  26. There is nothing two brothers cannot work out by sitting around a bonfire and splitting a beer.
  27. There is nothing better then gathering your brothers to have a BBQ and some beer. Play some football, volleyball or what ever. Then, when it gets dark sit around a bonfire and listen to what is said. It is a time to relax have a good time and a really get to know your fellow fraters.
  28. TEKE does not end when you graduate.
  29. Enjoy every moment you have while your there. One day you will wake up and realize you are an alumni and all the responsibilities that come with it. So have as much fun as possible and do it right the first time around.
  30. When all else fails and you don't know what to do, draw on the experience and knowledge of your alumni. Know they are your brothers too, and they will always be there for you. But be weary of the possibility of them leading you down the wrong path.
  31. Don't assume someone else will do the job
  32. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail
  33. Put a sticker on your mirror that says "What have you done for TEKE today" Make sure you read that everyday.
  34. Scroll is to be respected and used wisely. Do not use it so much that its beaten to death until no one respects it. Be careful when it comes to personal property, personal well being, or something that may "tread upon that which is sacred to spirit or conscience."
  35. Do everything you can to keep your alumni involved and informed. Especially make sure you help to keep your alumni up to date on the locations and happenings with other alumni. I promise you if you keep them involved and active the benefits you will gain from it, will be returned 10 fold on the work you put in. They are an important link to your past and as you well know history repeats it self. Take advantage of this.
  36. Do your very best to build your chapter. Do what you can to make sure that the guys that come in after you, will not have to work as hard to enjoy the benefits of what you had to work for. Be it a strong chapter, strong bond or a chapter house. Let them work hard on something else.
  37. What happens to your chapter and T-K-E is ultimately your decision. Weather it lives or dies, is completely up to you. So make it a good decision.

Finally the biggest piece of advice is that TKE is not just in college. It is a way of life. If you can adapt those items in your TEKE life as well as in your personal life, you will be amazed at the rewards it will bring.

And If you can remember 3/4 to all of these and live out just half of them, there is no doubt that you guys can and will succeed.

Congratulations and welcome to the family, cuz its going to be a kick ass ride!!!

Article written by: Kevin McMahon - PE Alumnus