Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity News

Frater Unveils Hawaiian Quarter

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

DENVER (Oct. 15) - Frater Ed Moy (Lambda, Univ. of Wisconsin) greeted Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle and a delegation of fellow Hawaiians at the Denver Mint for the striking of the first of that state's commemorative quarters - and the last in a 10-year series commemorating all 50 states.

Hawaii's coin features monarch King Kamehameha I stretching a hand toward the eight major Hawaiian Islands. Inscribed is the state motto, "The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness," in the Hawaiian language. It will go into circulation Nov. 3.

"It's our vision for Hawaii's future, and it shows our respect for all the land," Lingle said of the quarter's design and motto. "And it also shows that although there are many islands, we're united as a state."

Delegation members, including Lingle, state dignitaries and coin collectors, lined up to push a button on a stamp press that spits out individual quarters. Many had their picture taken while flashing the shaka, a common gesture of greeting in Hawaii that is sometimes referred to as the "hang loose" sign.

Kamehameha, who ruled in the early 1800s and unified the islands, beat out designs that featured a hula dancer, Diamondhead on the main island of Oahu, and a surfer modeled after a young Duke Kahanamoku.

Mint officials expect about 520 million Hawaii quarters to be produced.

The state quarters have been released at 10-week intervals in the order the states were admitted into the Union.

More than 34 billion coins have been produced. They've been snapped up by roughly 147 million collectors in the U.S., bringing in $3.5 billion in profits by the end of last year, excluding special-issue sets. The coins are also produced in Philadelphia.

Adapted from the US Mint News Release and the Associated Press. If you would like to see your chapter news here, contact Director of Communication Tom McAninch.

Fraters to Host Louisiana Governor for Republican Rally on Gameday

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

GAINSVILLE, Fla. - A few student organizations are looking to stir things up Saturday by adding a twist to the normal traditions of game-day tailgates.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will stop by the Gators for McCain tailgate at about 3:30 p.m. to mingle with students and share some remarks before the University of Florida takes on Louisiana State University later that night, said Joshua Simmons, chairman of the organization.

Jindal is the youngest governor in the U.S. and the only Indian-American ever to have been elected in the position.

After confirming Jindal's planned visit earlier this week, there has been a rush to prepare, Simmons said, adding that hurried efforts are natural when it comes to the business of politics.

"Every political event ever is organized in the 48 hours before it's supposed to happen," he said.

The event, sponsored by the Alachua County Republican Party, will be held in the front lawn of the Gamma-Theta Chapter House, which is located across from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on University Avenue.

"It's going to be your big typical tailgate," he said. "And then it's going to stay a tailgate, just with Bobby Jindal."

U.S. Congressman Cliff Stearns is also expected to stop by.

Simmons said Jindal would not be able to stay for the game because he has prior commitments.

Fraters in the Gamma-Theta Chapter are very excited about this opportunity to meet Governor Jindal and all of the other Republican Party Supporters in Florida making the trek to Gainesville this Saturday.

Adapted from the Louisiana Governor's Office News Release. If you would like to see your chapter news here, contact Director of Communication Tom McAninch.

Tau Kappa Epsilon Announces Staffing Changes for 2008-09 Year

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - After conducting extensive interviews from a field of highly qualified candidates, Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity announced changes to its professional staff, effective on or about October 8, 2008. Many of the changes will take place in TKE's chapter services department, with a talented team of Tekes taking on new roles and others coming on board to help the Fraternity grow in the year ahead.

In announcing the new staff team, Kevin Mayeux, CAE, TKE's Chief Executive Officer, said "this is going to be another exciting year of growth and improvement for our Fraternity. We have assembled a phenomenal team of talented individuals, all dedicated to helping TKE reach the next level of fraternal excellence. I'm very much looking forward to working with these talented men and women in the months ahead."

Ben Carroll, is continuing on the TKE staff in a new role as the Assistant Director of Chapter Services - Expansion. Ben (Rho-Upsilon Chapter, Franklin College) started at TKE in November 2007, after graduating from Franklin College, as a Chapter Services Specialist. In the new role, Ben is responsible for working with chapters and colonies that need specific assistance with membership recruitment or chapter operations, and expansion efforts as assigned by the Vice President of Fraternal Services.

Ethan Stubbs, will be continuing in his third year on the TKE staff. In Ethan's (Tau-Psi Chapter, University of West Florida) new role as Assistant Director of Chapter Services - Standards, he will be assisting chapters and colonies in various facets of operations, compliance and judicial matters. TKE Standards, as well as NIC Standards, will now be under the umbrella of Chapter Services to streamline coordination between Ethan and the appropriate Regional Director.

Joining the TKE staff as Assistant Director of Programs is Donnie Aldrich. Donnie is an initiate of the Rho-Upsilon Chapter at Franklin College and served as Housing Coordinator when joining staff in April. In this role, he will work with the Vice President of Fraternal Services to roll out The Blueprint program to select chapters this year, assist in curriculum design for our RLCs, various Academies, and Conclave, as well as enhance our on-line program deliverability.

Cameron Brothers has joined our staff, on an interim basis, helping with TKE's expansion efforts. Cameron has a teaching degree from Franklin College, and will work with Assistant Director of Chapter Services - Expansion Ben Carroll and our regional servicing teams on our expansion projects this fall. Cameron is an initiate of Rho-Upsilon Chapter.

On the Operations Team, Tyler Baker will be the new Housing Coordinator. Tyler is an initiate of Theta-Eta Chapter at the University of South Dakota. As the Housing Coordinator, he will provide a single source of information and support to our collegiate chapters and alumni boards for all housing related questions. He will be developing housing related resources and support tools that can be added to the tke.org web site. This will include a list of quality vendors that can assist with capital campaigns, alumni communication, property management, lending, and more. He will be available to answer questions about fire safety and life safety resources and other needs related to housing.

Matt Gutierrez is joining the staff as an Administrative Assistant. Matt, an initiate of Upsilon-Iota at IUPUI, will perform duties for the executive management and the Grand Council. His responsibilities include, but are not limited to, preparing reports, processing litigation files, completing tasks from the CEO, and ordering supplies for the Servicing Team and the Grand Council.

Other Staffing Changes Include:

Chris Walsh has been promoted to Director of Events and Marketing. Chris is an initiate of Rho-Upsilon at Franklin College and joined the professional staff in 2004 as the Executive Assistant to the CEO. In his new role, he is responsible for ensuring that all marketing and events of the Fraternity are properly and professionally conceptualized, planned, and executed. In addition he will be in charge of event planning and on-site management for all educational conferences of the Fraternity such as Regional Leadership Conferences, Leadership Academy, and Conclave. He will also be responsible for the training and supervision of the communication and publications department.

Rounding out the changes to the TKE staff, Tom McAninch (Beta-Xi Chapter, Arizona State University) has been promoted to Director of Communication. Tom joined the staff in 2005 as the Communications Coordinator. He is responsible for most publication materials such as monthly E-newsletters, press releases, and articles for The TEKE Magazine. In addition, he updates web site content, including news and events, and helps develop educational content for TKE programs. He works on content for TKE Educational Foundation publications as needed.

Frater Introduces New Penny Designs for 2009

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The public got its first glimpse of the new Lincoln cent reverse designs earlier this month. U.S. Mint Director Frater Ed Moy (Lambda, Univ. of Wisconsin) and Jim Rubin, an Abraham Lincoln look-alike, revealed them on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The new designs are meant for four 2009 circulating cents in honor of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent. They each mark a different phase in Lincoln's life:

A log cabin representative of his birth and childhood in Kentucky
His early life as a rail-splitter in Indiana
His early professional career, depicted as Lincoln standing in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Ill.
His presidency, represented by the Capitol dome being constructed in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War

"These designs represent the first change in the Lincoln cent in half a century," Frater Moy (Grand Crysophylos) said. "These coins are a tribute to one of our greatest presidents whose legacy has had a lasting impact on our country."

Also on hand for the design ceremony were Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and Eileen Mackevich, executive director of the commission.

This change for the cent did not go unnoticed by the national media. The story was picked up by CBS Evening News the day of the unveiling.

Adapted from Numismaster News Release. If you would like to see your chapter news here, contact Director of Communication Tom McAninch.

Frater Instrumental in Code Talkers Recognition

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Code Talker Recognition Act, legislation that will award Congressional Medals to Native American Code Talkers, is on the way to the Oval Office after passing both the House and Senate in the past few days. Gold medals will be given to each tribe having Code Talkers, and silver duplicate medals will be given to the individual Code Talkers, or a specified family member if that Code Talker is deceased.

"Congressman Dan Boren and Senator James Inhofe both deserve a lot of gratitude from Choctaws for their dedication to memorializing one of the greatest parts of our tribal history," said Choctaw Chief Frater Gregory E. Pyle (Southeast Oklahoma State University, Epsilon-Theta).

Congressman Boren introduced and led passage of HR 4544 in the House of Representatives last week for the Code Talker Recognition Act.

Senator Inhofe introduced a Senate Bill that also honored the Code Talkers pushed for the passage of HR 4544 when it came to the Senate floor. Both of these leaders made sure that their staff and their peers helped meet the goal set forward by getting the legislation through the House and Senate.

Chief Pyle said, "The Choctaw Nation is also thankful to the other members of the House and Senate who co-sponsored and voted for this legislation. Most of all, thanks to the Choctaws and friends who rallied to the cause by contacting their representatives and senators with a request for co-sponsorship on HR 4544 and S 2681. This personal touch from people all over our country is what achieved success. This is the greatest example of teamwork I have seen.

"Congressman Boren has worked many hours on the passage of HR 4544. Boren's dedication to the military heroes of our tribe is evident. Both Congressman Boren and Senator Inhofe are great Oklahomans and I am proud to know they were the sponsors of such historic legislation," said Chief Pyle.

"The Choctaw people, especially descendants of the Code Talkers, are grateful to them both for this commemoration of a unique use of our language by 18 Choctaw soldiers."

Chief Pyle continued, "I was confident that Senator Inhofe would remain vigilant in his effort to get the Code Talker Recognition Act passed in the Senate. We are now looking forward to the process of design, minting and presenting the medals."

The bill awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Indian soldiers who used their languages to develop codes for the U.S. military. It identifies members of the Assiniboine, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa/Oneida, Choctaw, Comanche, Cree, Crow, Hopi, Kiowa, Menominee, Meskwaki, Muscogee, Osage, Pawnee, Sac and Fox, Seminole, and Sioux tribes as potential recipients of the award.

Adapted from AP News Wire. If you would like to see your chapter news here, contact Director of Communication Tom McAninch.