TKE: Celebrating a new beginning

By Paul Szaniawski


One of the longest-running rumors regarding Rider’s campus history is the mystery of Tau Kappa Epsilon’s (TKE) charter being taken away in 1980. Rumors have run rampant about the one final act that caused the administration to throw the book at the TKE chapter. More than 25 years later, the fraternity is making a comeback and the current group has heard quite an array of stories.

“Some of the rumors that I have heard was a fire as well as an incident with a security car,”said junior Kevin Brommer, current TKE colony president.

The security car rumor to which Brommer refers is one of the most common. Every year, many students and faculty hear, believe or reiterate that a security car was stolen and rolled into Centennial Lake. There are other explanations as well, including destruction of the fraternity’s own house (currently home to the brothers of Phi Kappa Tau) and one story most students probably don’t even believe.

“I heard that they were already in bad standing with the school so they decided to wear all black and masks and burn a wooden bridge on fire and try to be good guys and put it out,” said senior Daniel Steinberg, one of the founders of TKE’s current rebirth. “The school did an investigation and turned out it was TKE. I heard that was the last straw.”

The colony’s brothers are trying to put the past behind them and literally start a new chapter of TKE at Rider.

“We cared to find out in the beginning and all these rumors came up,” said junior Bjorn Stowers, a founder and former president of Rider’s TKE colony. “It doesn’t matter anymore. That’s why at this point all of us say ‘Okay yeah, for whatever reasons we’re here now.’ We don’t want to head down that stairwell again.”

The colony would like the rumors to get squashed once and for all. According to The Rider News archives, the TKE chapter of Rider was already in bad standing with the school after some incidents in the late ’70s. However, on July 8, 1980, the fraternity was indicted on behalf of “anti-social behavior.” The major indictment arose from an incident including vandalism in the interior of its house and a bonfire caused by pouring lighter fluid on a couch, mattresses and aerosol cans.

The credit for TKE’s rebirth on Rider soil goes to Stowers, Larry Bilello (who transferred to St. John’s) and Steinberg, who dreamt up the idea as sophomores after checking out other fraternities and seeing what each held as important.

“We thought we could put something together that’s more balanced and a little more well-rounded than other fraternities,” said Stowers. “So we basically got the idea to start our own thing.”

Steinberg said in the beginning of 2004 he and the other founders E-mailed some fraternity nationals and decided on which fraternity to start up at Rider.

“They did their research and they came back with Tau Kappa Epsilon and it just so happened that just about the same time the alumni of TKE on our campus had contacted alumni relations and said they would really like to start their chapter up again,” said Director of Greek Life Ada Badgley. “Ironically enough, it all came together that fall.”

Badgley and some alumni, along with the three founders, then started to work with the fraternity’s national headquarters. For a colony to be established there are no financial requirements, but support from alumni is needed in the form of an advisory board, according to Badgley. In August 2004, the permission to start a colony was granted and inthe spring of 2005, TKE had 20 men recruited and was ready to set up, Steinberg said.

“Right now they’re a colony, kind of like the beginning steps,” said Badgley. “They have a lot of requiring steps they need to fill and once they fill all those requirements they’ll get chartered.”

Badgley and Steinberg said the colony could receive a charter at the end of this semester or next semester, according to the fraternity’s national headquarters.

“Our membership is one of our big things. We have to have 35 men. We need to have a certain amount of hours of community service,” said Stowers. “We need a certain academic GPA. Also, we need to go to conclaves and regional conferences.”

The colony will be adding to its current pledge class. Anyone interested can attend its upcoming rush events.

“If you want to know where we are, just look for our big red glow letters,” said Stowers. “TKE is looking to enhance our community. We’ve only been here for a year, but we’re making strides already.”