Greek Life at Cornell
Behind the University of Illinois – home of TKE’s Gamma chapter – Cornell University has the second largest Greek system in the nation with over 30% of its students going Greek. Fraternities and sororities add an unparalleled dimension to life on the hill that can make a large campus feel smaller and give their members a place to call home. They offer social opportunities and chances to make lifelong connections, as well as the opportunity to develop yourself beyond academic pursuits. Learning how to manage a house and work with your brothers is arguably the best leadership opportunity you will find as an undergraduate. It is not surprising that fraternity alumni dominate government offices and executive positions among the Fortune 500. Of the nation’s 50 largest corporations, 43 of their CEO’s are Greek.
There are many benefits derives from joining a fraternity that you simply can’t get anywhere else. We hope that you will discover these benefits and consider joining TKE. Of course, or brothers are open to speaking with you about the rush process, TKE, and each of paths we took to joining the brotherhood.
The Scorpion Chapter
TKE is the largest and furthest reaching fraternity in the world with 276 active chapters in America, Canada, and Germany. Of the 468 charters granted by the Grand Council; from Alpha to Upsilon-Nu; Scorpion is the only non-Greek letter chapter in the world.
Originally founded in 1907 and strengthened by a merger with the Scorpion Fraternity in 1940, the Scorpion Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon is one of the oldest fraternities on campus. With active brothers from all over the United States with a variety of majors, we take pride in the fact that there isn’t really an easy way to describe our brotherhood because we are such a diverse group.
Beyond their involvement in the brotherhood, we encourage our members to be active on campus. We look for candidates that are well-rounded and that will contribute to our brotherhood. The most important characteristic that we look for, however, is the ability to have fun. While there are opportunities for character and leadership building for you to take advantage of, as a Teke you are guaranteed to have fun times and graduate with great memories. Scorpion TKE is a place where you can relax and always find someone to have fun with and take a break from the Cornell workload. Any brother will tell you that some of their best times in college are the times spent hanging around the house.
Brotherhood Activities
Broomball, a super-bowl party, and barbeques are just a few examples of events that we have. Stickball and Scorpion’s own fris-cross complement our intramural competitions. As a house, we have a block of hockey tickets at Lynah. We also organize brothers-only foosball, darts, and pong tournaments. We take road trips to New York City, Montreal and other TKE chapters. We are looking forward to our fourth annual Winter Dinner in 2010, when we’ll go down to New York City to catch up with some of our alumni. The event has been extremely successful, giving our undergraduates the opportunity to network with professionals while our alumni are eager to hear what’s happening at the house. What we all share is a good meal, a fun night in the city, and fond memories with our brothers.
There are several other annual events that we have at Scorpion TKE that make our brotherhood experience unique. We have three formals each year, one at the end of each semester and one for Valentines Day. Our philanthropy events include IthacAid, a concert and talent showcase we host with a sorority every fall to benefit Frater Danny Thomas’ (Gamma-Nu) St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This event has been nationally recognized as one of the most successful and profitable philanthropy events by any TKE chapter, having raised over $7,000 several times. We also have enjoyed our celebratory wine tour mixers following the event to thank the sorority that participates. We have a strong social program and host annual parties, headlined by Death of Summer in the fall and El Dorado in the Spring. As a house, we have tried to be very involved on campus and are the reigning GREEK WEEK champions.
Who We Are
Our Values
Tau Kappa Epsilon is the largest fraternity in the world, seeped in tradition dating back to 1899. We have grown to become the strongest fraternity internationally by living by our ritual and values. As Tekes, our goal is to aid you in your mental, moral, and social development in your time as an undergraduate student, and continue to be there for you as a fraternity for life.
As the first fraternity in the nation founded without a tie to any religion or race, TKE has always been an inclusive group that prides itself on its diversity and broad range of attributes our brothers bring to the table.
While many of our rituals are kept secret and divulged only to our brothers, it is no secret that Tekes believe that the essential elements of true brotherhood are love, charity, and esteem; love, that binds our hearts with the sturdy chords of fraternal affection; charity, that is impulsive to see 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.
250,000 Strong
TKE’s biennial convention is called Conclave and is held every other year. Conclave is a great celebration of brotherhood where Tekes from all over the world come together to vote on the leadership of the Fraternity, changes to legislation, and recognize our brothers’ accomplishments. In August 2010, Fraters John Forman, Bob Blanco and Chad Kossar joined over 1,000 fellow Tekes in New Orleans for an amazing weekend, where Frater Steve Forbes (Grand Chapter) was initiated as the 250,000th man to assume the bond of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
While TKE is the nation’s largest fraternity with brothers ranging from Ronald Reagan to Ron Jeremy, our bond and brotherhood is never lost. Our wide reach, however, has opened many doors for our brothers. Frater Ben Piper was pleased to take Space Explorations this fall with Professor Steve Squyres, the principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Chair of the NASA Space Science Advisory Committee, and Scorpion TKE alumnus. Also among our ranks is Frater Travis Apgar (Pi-Omega), the Robert G. Engel Associate Dean of Students for Greek Life at Cornell. While Frater Apgar is in charge of all the fraternities at Cornell, we are proud to call him our brother.
The Pride of Scorpion
When Frater John Forman was selected as one of 72 Tekes to attend the 23rd Charles R. Walgreen Leadership Academy in May, he was asked the following question nearly 71 times; “Why Scorpion? Why not Sigma?” One answer; we’re kind of a big deal. Here’s what John had to say:
“You may not realize this until you're surrounded by non-Scorpion Tekes, but being the SCORPION chapter is inherently baller. EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER wants to know about Scorpion. When Bob Barr read roll-call at Conclave with a thousand Tekes gathered and he announced "Scorpion", you could hear murmurs in the crowd.
“Having originally been the Sigma chapter and now Scorpion, we are one of only 24 single-letter chapters, we're the 18th oldest, and we're the 15th oldest chapter still active out of 468 chapters, 276 active chapters, and 12 colonies – the world’s largest fraternity. We are the only Ivy League chapter in the world’s greatest fraternity, making us a keystone chapter of this international brotherhood. We are the Scorpion Chapter, illustrative of the contributions the Scorpion Fraternity made to the Sigma Chapter of TKE to form the Scorpion Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. That's pretty baller.”
Stately Westbourne Manor
The house at 105 Westbourne Lane has belonged to Scorpion Fraternity and Scorpion TKE since its construction in 1926. It is the oldest building on North Campus specifically designed to be a fraternity house. Owned by the brotherhood, it is entirely our house, allowing us the freedom to use it and improve it as we please. Over the past several years, we have taken on improvement projects, mainly redoing hard-wood floors throughout the house, renovating our second floor bathroom, and just this month, redoing our first floor bathroom.
While the brand new LCD TV is in the Seely Room – named for our fraternities founder – the dormer upstairs features a lounge with a big screen TV, surround sound and digital cable to enjoy any game in high definition. A bar, pool table, ping-pong table, and pub-style dart board round out the upstairs. The basement consists of a large party room with an operating kegerator enclosed in the bar. Our formal chapter room, library, and Seely Room provide for an excellent place to hang out or get some work done at the house.
Living in the house provides amenities such as free high-speed wireless internet, free laundry, free parking, a weight room, and 10 meals a week prepared by our chef, Chef Mike. Our location among other fraternities and enclosed between three sororities keeps us connected with other students while also allowing us certain freedoms by being removed from campus. Finally, we are proud to have one of the largest properties of any fraternity. Our landscape provides us room for our parking lot, but more importantly, a front and back lawn that are used daily as fields for fris-cross and stickball.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost?
Joining a fraternity may seem like another expense on top of an already expensive education. However, most brothers have found that they have saved money by joining TKE. Since our alumni association owns our house, living in a single at TKE costs less than living in a triple in Cornell dorms… and that includes parking, laundry, internet, and high definition TV with HBO and Cinemax on demand. Our members also save money on our meal plan relative to Cornell Dining. Please don’t let money be a deciding factor in your decision to join. Our treasurer is willing to cooperate with brothers to find something that works and keeps things completely confidential. If you have specific money-related issues, please talk to Chad Kossar – or you can try reaching Frater Ed Moy (Lambda), the director of the US Mint.
What about my grades?
Maybe this will help; in the most recent rankings, TKE has the third highest GPA among Cornell fraternities. We are all Cornell students and understand how much work is involved with classes. An advantage of joining a fraternity is developing relationships with upperclassmen that have experience. Your big brother, chapter educator, and chapter advisor are here to help. You may also have the chance to meet TKE alumni who may be in the career you hope to pursue.
Many brothers find that their grades have gone up since joining TKE, and most of our brothers do exceptionally well in school. Very often, you will find older brothers that have taken the classes that you are currently taking and are willing to help you out. By joining TKE, you’ll be surrounded by a bunch of guys who are very good at balancing school and fun.
What is the pledge process like?
Our pledge process is designed to bring you into the house – not keep you out. The purpose of the process is for you to get to know the brothers and the members of your pledge class while learning important history and traditions that have been passed down for over 100 years. Keeping that goal in mind, our pledge process is fun for both the pledges and the brothers. There isn’t a single TKE brother that regrets his time as a pledge and you will often find that most of us had our best time during our pledge semester.
We all believe that academics come first. We find out when you have prelims, papers due, etc., and work around your schedule. We will let you know when something is coming up so you have time to get your work done. You will learn quickly to manage your time efficiently, an invaluable skill to have. Again, we’re not out to make the semester hard for you. The pledge program is designed to make you close with the brothers and your pledge class, and provide you with the same bonding experience that all our brothers have experienced.
Why should I join a fraternity when I can enjoy all the benefits without joining?
The truth is simple: YOU CAN’T. There is the misconception that all there is to frats are parties and that you don’t need to join to enjoy them. There’s a lot more to being in TKE than just our open parties. Being in a fraternity is about doing the things you can’t do with a small group of friends in an apartment or a West Campus dorm. It’s about brotherhood and social events, formals, mixers, and road trips. It’s about realizing that you own everything in the house and can use it anytime. It’s about being challenged as a brother to work with other brothers to make decisions that will affect the future of the house.
You might think that you will be cut off from your friends that you have now, but this is not the case. Many of us keep in close contact with our friends from freshman year that are in other houses or decided not to join fraternities. But, we promise that you will make some of your best friends in college, and for many of us, what turn out to be the best friends in our lives, as a Teke. There’s a reason that our brothers consistently say that joining TKE was the best decision they made in college.
Chef Mike
Michael was born in a small town outside of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Some years later, after a series of uninteresting events, he decided to attend the Pittsburgh Culinary Institute. After a brief stint as a Sandwich Artist, he apprenticed at Jackson's Restaurant-Rotisserie-Bar under the tutelage of Chef Gary Simpson. Later an offer to come to Tau Kappa Epsilon was presented. He relocated in 2004 and has been at TKE ever since. Michael has also done work for a number of restaurants and caterers in the Ithaca area including: Maxie's Supper Club, Les Ducs, and Dano's Heuiger on Seneca. Michael pierced his taint in 2007. He now lives with his family in Ovid, NY. Mike has competed in Pi Phi's Battle of the Chef's twice, both time's finishing second - both times behind Pi Phi's chef...
Mike is also the subject of "Frat Chef", Frater John Forman's first television creation. He is currently in talks with Food Network, Spike TV, MTV, and TLC to bring Mike and his culinary talent to the world with a show sure to appeal to a diverse audience. The show is filmed on location at the Stately Westbourne Manor and delves deep into the life of a frat chef. He is the mayor of macaroni, the sultan of salt, the lord of lactose, the king of the kaiser roll, the duke of dairy; Mike is - The Frat Chef.
Some of Our More Notable Brothers
Founded in 1899, Tau Kappa Epsilon is the largest social fraternity in the world with nearly 280 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. TKE is “a fraternity for life,” which means that as a TKE, you have the benefits of being a brother for as long as you live. Over 250,000 men of sterling character have been initiated into the brotherhood. This extensive network provides us with the opportunity to get to know brothers at other chapters and we often go and visit them. It also provides our alumni with opportunities to network in the business world and to find jobs. Here are just a few famous TKE’s that we call our brothers:
Ronald W. Reagan , 40th US president
Terry P. Bradshaw, Former NFL player and Fox analyst
Edward C. Droste, Founder of Hooters
Elvis Presley, Musician and Actor
Willie Nelson, Musician
Les Paul, Inventor of the electric guitar, Musician
Charles A. Whittaker, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Conrad M. Hilton, Founder of Hilton Hotels, Grandfather of Paris
Robert A. Fowler, Nobel Prize, Physics
Robert Nardelli, CEO of Chrysler, former CEO of The Home Depot
Charles Walgreen, Jr., Chairman of Walgreens
Marv Levy, Buffalo Bills Head Coach
Steven W. Squyres, Scorpion TKE and Principal Investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Roy Jones, Jr., Light Heavyweight Championship Boxer
George S. Halas, Founder of the NFL, Owner and Coach of the Chicago Bears
Malcom Steve Forbes, CEO of Forbes Inc.
Bruce Gordon, Former president of the NAACP
Howard Schultz, Founder, CEO Starbucks
Digger Phelps, Notre Dame Basketball Coach and ESPN Analyst
Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas and Presidential Candidate
Phil Simms, Former NFL Player and CBS Analyst
Paul “The Big Show” Wight, Jr., Professional Wrestler
Merv Griffin, Entertainer, creator of Jeopardy! And Wheel of Fortune
Danny Thomas, Entertainer and Founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Gen. Joseph Ralston, Supreme Commander of NATO
“From my 1929 initiation into the Iota Chapter at Eureka College, to this day, TKE has played an important role in my life. The various offices I held in TKE– Big Brother, Hegemon, and Chapter President– provided invaluable leadership experience. But, my most cherished benefits from membership in TKE have been the many warm friendships and spirit of camaraderie which are only to be found among Fraters.”
- Ronald W. Reagan
Did You Know?
In addition to our undergrads, Tekes at Cornell include Steve Squyres; the principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission; and Travis Apgar, the Associate Dean in charge of Cornell’s Greek life.
In 1959, TKE became the largest college social fraternity in the world and has retained the title ever since.
Steve Forbes became TKE’s 250,000th brother on August 7, 2009.
After becoming international in 1958 with the Zeta-Omicron Chapter at the University of Manitoba, TKE is now also affiliated with the German Corps, the largest fraternity system in Germany.
There was once a reception for TKE held in the White House – in 1984, while Frater Ronald Reagan was in office.
The red carnation was chosen as the TKE flower because it is the longest surviving flower after being cut from its stem.
The Scorpion Chapter – the 15th oldest TKE chapter among over 270 – is the only chapter not distinguished by a Greek letter.
The Stately Westbourne Manor was the first building built as a fraternity house on North Campus.
Though not running mates, 2008 Presidential candidates Bob Barr (Beta-Sigma) and Mike Huckabee (Beta-Psi) are brothers. Frater Barr finished fourth in the election.
Paris Hilton’s grandfather was a TKE (Conrad M. Hilton, Alpha-Omicron, founder of Hilton Hotels).
Chef Mike finished second in the December 2009 Battle of the Chefs hosted by Pi Beta Phi. The only person to finish ahead of Mike – Pi Beta Phi’s chef…
Frater Chad Kossar serves on the Collegiate Advisory Committee with the international Grand Council.
Our IthacAid fundraiser has regularly earned us recognition, including a UCR grant for 2009 and the 2009 Outstanding Service to the Community Award from the OFSA.
Frater Roy Jones Jr. has boxed in custom TKE boxing gloves and shorts.
Scorpion Tekes know how to have a good time – and keep Mom happy; TKE currently has the 3rd highest GPA among fraternities.
TKE, as part of the Orange Iguanas with Tri-Delt, is the reigning Greek Week Champion.
