Initiation of the first class

I am very excited to initiate the first class of the new iteration of the Gamma-Delta Colony this Sunday at 1pm EST. Due to the effects of COVID-19 this year I have made this a hybrid event. If you are interested in joining us, you can watch on Zoom. I will have a projector and speaker in the room so those who wish to speak can be seen and heard during the gavel pass. You will find the meeting information below. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Topic: TKE Gamma-Delta Initiation Live Stream 

Time: Apr 25, 2021 01:00 PM America/Indiana/Indianapolis

Yours In The Bond, 
PJ Malafronte

Gamma-Delta was approved

This morning I received some great news that Gamma-Delta was approved unanimously by the Grand Council to colonize. We are well on our way and will be initiating the newest class of Gamma-Delta Fraters on Sunday, April 25th. If you would like to tune into the ceremony virtually, I will be sending out a Zoom link next week. 

The Colony has been working hard recently to continue recruiting and have gotten involved on campus. Last week they participated in their first sorority philanthropy with Chi Omega and came out victorious. They have also signed up to do this with Sigma Delta Tau and Tri Delta this week. Getting involved philanthropically is great for the group and will help bluster their reputation on campus. The group is on track to Charter and become a full-fledged chapter at a fast pace. I anticipate them submitting a petition to charter at the end of the Fall semester or early in the spring of 2022. 

If you would like to follow along with what they are up to on social media, you can find the links to their Instagram and Facebook pages below. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umiamitke 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umiamitke/ (@umiamitke)

Yours In The Bond, 
PJ Malafronte

Questions about the Gamma-Delta Alumni

The four guys you have listed are all affiliated with Gamma-Delta and have been since they transferred and were added to your roster.  There is no difference in their status or affiliation because their original initiation was at another chapter.  They are definitely part of your alumni and should show up on your lists.

I have attached a copy of our honorary guide.  Yes, men can be initiated as alumni members.  That is, in fact, how I joined back in 1999.  I would be happy to talk with you and/or any of them about the process.  There is a $300 initiation fee; it cost the same for every man to join TKE whether they join as a collegiate member or as an alumnus.  We can discuss the possibility of having them initiated at the same time with the new student class or setting up a separate ritual just for the honorary/alumni guys.  Though we use “honorary initiation” language, that is just to specify that it’s not a traditional student initiation; it is full membership in the Fraternity with full rights and privileges.  We have actually had two Past Grand Prytani who originally joined through the honorary initiation process.  

Regarding the Order of Diana, we no longer support that or a Little Sisters program.  You are certainly welcome to include them in your locally managed contact list, to be communicating with them, and invite them to some or all of your alumni events.  Some groups also stay connected similarly with past house moms and former advisors/campus deans.  It would not be allowed to elect anyone other than an initiated member as an officer of the association.

I’d be eager to talk with you about initiating those guys who never had the chance to make it official.  When would be a good time this week to connect?

YITB

Christopher Niles
Alumni Engagement Director
Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity
Better Men for a Better World

Level of commitment

I understand there’s a decision to make about which level of commitment that you want to select.  I encourage the discussion and am happy to share more perspectives if you wish.

The one thing I would discourage, though, is tying your commitment for the Alumni Association to how the colony is working.  I am thrilled that the rebuilding on campus has sparked this effort, but I hope the association takes on its own life and maintains a focus on your fellow alumni.  Even in a worst case scenario of the colony/chapter being closed again at some point in the future, I would hope the association persists.  

Imagine what the relationships might be like now across the generations and segments of Gamma-Delta alumni if there had been a formal association for the past several years.  What kind of support might there be for the rebuilding effort if the association already had been in place.  I just hope you don’t limit your vision for the association based just on what’s happening for the students.  It’s much more than that and can drive the legacy of Gamma-Delta for everyone.

YITB
Christopher Niles
Alumni Engagement Director
Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity
Better Men for a Better World

Gamma-Delta alumni fraters apply for the status of an Alumni Chapter

Thank you for the work you all have done to get to this point and for your commitment to your fellow Fraters from the Gamma-Delta chapter.  And thank you for your patience with me over the weekend.  

The officers have been listed in the system.  When we communicate with all associations, we sometimes reach out to just the presidents, sometimes to the primary officers (Pres, VP, Sec, Tres), and sometimes to any/all officers listed.  I encourage you to share communications internally amongst yourselves to make sure everyone remains in the loop.  

The chartering fee can be paid online at aa.tke.org.  Select Gamma-Delta from the dropdown list and you can pay online with a card.  If someone will be paying with a check, it should be made out to Tau Kappa Epsilon and mailed to Karen Coleman’s attention at the HQ address listed below in my signature.  A term fee of $200 will give your group status through the next Conclave (August, 2022) at which time it expires and needs to be renewed, or the lifetime fee of $1,000 will persist as long as the group remains active and communicative with HQ.  

We will also register and maintain a domain for an association webpage.  Please let me know whether you have a specific request or desire for the url or not (we prefer to keep them simple) so we can establish that for your group.  It will be a simple page – similar to the automatic pages that all chapters have.  It will list officer contact info, social media links, and your association’s events that you post to tke.org/events.  I know that alums aren’t browsing the TKE.org website looking for Gamma-Delta’s alumni events, but posting all your events there allows prospective members and families all across TKE Nation to see the variety of events happening when they’re on the site.  Posting your events on our main site populates your own site and allows you to list attendees after the fact for tracking and historical purposes.  It gives you an event page that you can link to on your social media pages and we can also assist with broadcast emails and/or social media promotion to support your events.

I look forward to working with you over the next year and beyond.  As soon as your payment is processed, your group will have official standing with the Fraternity.  

Yours in the Bond
Christopher Niles
Alumni Engagement Director
Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity
Better Men for a Better World