Not many students here at UW-Platteville have heard of the fraternity of Phi Delta Chi. Many of us think that it is just another fraternity, but to one particular chapter it was where the legacy started here in Platteville. Phi Delta Chi was the pre-chapter to Tau Kappa Epsilon. TKE was established here at UW-P in 1969.

Five men at Wesleyan University in Illinois founded TKE nationally in 1899. It is the oldest and largest social fraternity nationally. There are 277 chapters internationally and 19 chapters across the state of Wisconsin.

“This summer at Conclave we initiated our 250 thousand TKEs, in New Orleans; several past presidents, governors and CEOs have been members,” said Taylor McGinniss, junior business administration major. “We are the biggest fraternity nationally. We offer many opportunities for people to get involved with this to benefit UW-P and the Platteville community. Due to our large alumni base it creates great networking opportunities for job paths.”

The primary values of TKE are love, charity and esteem. Love is demonstrated through numerous brotherhood activities that foster a sense of understanding among members. Charity is accomplished by their commitment to each other, campus and the community. Esteem is taught through their involvement with campus and hosting philanthropy and social activities with other Greek organizations.

“No matter what any college student wants to get out of school, we offer many opportunities to prosper and to be a better man as a member of TKE,” McGinniss said. “With having many recourses [being so large] we can prosper and grow.”

“If someone is interested in joining a fraternity they can get leadership positions, networking advances and lifelong brotherhood,” said Ryan Beiderwieden, junior mechanical engineering major.

TKE is a very busy fraternity involved in fundraising and philanthropy events. They include: Relay for Life, Adopt a Highway, Teeter-Totter-A-Thon (with Zeta Beta Chi), adopt a trail at Governor Dodge, and it raises money toward St. Jude and for Alzheimer’s research.

Jonathan Nighbor, junior criminal justice major, decided to join TKE because he “felt it was the best place where I fit in the most and could do the most for the community.” Nighbor’s favorite event was rushing, “because you get to meet new people and for homecoming everyone comes together and is competitive, but we are still part of the Greek community.”

TKE currently has 48 members and continues to grow. They are located at 455 W. Main St. For more information, contact the TKE president Taylor McGinniss at mcginnit@uwplatt.edu.