Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Megan Markham Tau Kappa Epsilon participated in last week's Recreational Sports' dodgeball tournament in the Hornets Nest. The newly reinstated organization hopes to participate in many of this year's activities. [Click to enlarge]

After being suspended for more than a year, Sacramento State fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon is back on campus with a reorganized membership and a new purpose.

The fraternity's chapter, Theta-Upsilon, was suspended in spring 2006 for a then unspecified amount of time.

Reasoning behind the suspension varied; some members simply did not meet eligibility requirements. Additionally, one fraternity member said the chapter was brought under university scrutiny because of rumors that it was rushing non-Sac State students.

"In the past you were allowed to rush guys from the JC," Rush Chair Cole Leonardo said.

Ultimately, the alumni suspended the fraternity due to low grades, Chapter Adviser Vartan Vartkessian said.

TKE has a past history of suspension, which includes various noise complaints from neighbors.

The chapter is the only fraternity on campus to have a house, which is located on Sierra Boulevard off of Arden Way. The neighborhood is within county jurisdiction which is why the citywide ban on fraternity and sorority houses does not apply.

During its period of suspension, TKE was restricted from campus participation and activities, but still met on a regular basis. Leonardo said they took that time to work on their house, perform community service and rewrite and redefine the chapter's purpose on campus.

"It basically…was like a restructuring, because it cut out all the social, fun stuff the university gives you access to," President Austin Hicks said.

During the time in which the fraternity was suspended, members were quick to point out the distinction between suspension and overall removal.

Hicks said that when the school decides to get rid of a social organization, they have the option of removing it entirely or ordering the group removed from campus for up to five years. That period of time ensures that old members will cycle out of the system, resulting in a "clean slate" for the fraternity.

However, the suspension was a decision made solely by the eight member alumni board.

"We were suspended by our alumni, not by the school." Hicks said. "Thank God for our alumni because they're the reason why we had this change...to take a year off (to) restructure, rebuild and...come back."

Members of TKE said Vartkessian and President of the Board of Advisers Chad Dibble were the two alumni most instrumental in helping the chapter rebuild.

"If we didn't have them, we wouldn't be here," Hicks said.

Just as members of TKE are thankful for the work their alumni did, the school expressed gratitude for the time Vartkessian and Dibble put into helping the fraternity.

"We're totally supportive of the alumni and appreciate the hard work those two men have put in…to help the chapter realize its potential," said Director of Student Activities Lou Camera.

Tom Carroll, program adviser for Student Activities, said the alumni did the chapter a huge favor.

"The fraternities that tend to have the most success have the most dedicated alumni," he said.

In turn, the alumni credited the school for working with them on bringing the chapter back.

"It's a positive thing when there's a new frat or a frat coming back to the campus," Vartkessian said. "It just helps the Greek system as a whole."

Vartkessian said he was most surprised by the maturation he has seen in the members over the past year.

"They've really taken initiative and shown that they can not only do well for themselves in school and in the community, but also for the chapter itself," he said.

At the time of suspension, TKE had more than 60 members. Vartkessian said there are now approximately 25 full and active members.

While some former members graduated, moved away or transferred to other colleges, others left entirely.

"My own personal opinion: they lost hope," Hicks said.

Now that the fraternity is back on campus, Leonardo and Hicks both said its purpose it more defined and that the chapter is more cohesive.

"We're trying to start fresh this semester," Leonardo said. "A year off working together brings us a lot closer."

Since its return, the overall goal of the chapter, Hicks said, is to "change and set the tempo of dealing with the school."

He said that in the past, the alumni and the school have been seen as an intimidating sort of parental force, and that TKE now realizes they are there to work alongside the chapter and help it reach its maximum potential.

Additionally there is a focus on rebuilding its membership and standing on campus.

"We're trying to get it back to where it was, number-wise," Hicks said.

However the chapter recognizes the need to be careful about not recruiting just anyone. TKE has re-formed the way of doing rush. There's a higher expectation from recruits and potential members now have to fill out a questionnaire to assure that they are what the chapter is looking for.

"Last time we weren't as strict on criteria," Leonardo said.

The group's rush booth has been moved from the center of the Library Quad to a less hectic location.

"I wanted to make a visual statement that things are changing for the better," Leonardo said.

In addition to rewriting its bylaws, the chapter has a semester slogan it adopted in memory of recently deceased member Christopher Ramos.

"It's 'all the way live.' That was something that was popular with Chris that we apply," Leonardo said. "Just do everything you do but do it all the way."

The TKE men aren't the only ones optimistic about the future.

"Their break is going to help them in the long run," Carroll said. "I feel like they really grasp what being in a fraternity is. They see…their decisions impact other things and impact the whole organization. I'm excited for their future."

Not only are members of TKE looking forward to the upcoming school year, but they have entered it with a renewed mindset.

"We've learned more this year off than we would have," Leonardo said. "We've righted our wrongs."

Natalye Childress Smith can be reached at ncsmith@statehornet.com.

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