Tau Kappa epsilon - History
On the cold night of January 10, 1899, students of Illinois Wesleyan University, in the small Midwestern town of Bloomington, had just returned from the Christmas holidays when Joseph L. Settles went to the room occupied by James C. McNutt and Clarence A. Mayer at 504 East Locust Street to discuss the organization of a new society on campus. Joined immediately by Owen I. Truitt and C. Roy Atkinson, these five students created the first set of regulations for the Knights of Classic Lore, a society whose avowed purpose was "to aid college men in mental, moral, and social development."
This organization, which valued it’s members “not for wealth, rank or honor, but for personal worth and character”, would later become the fraternity now known as Tau Kappa Epsilon.
National History
“It is the mission of the Xi Lambda Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon to provide an atmosphere conducive to the development of its members. Under these terms, we work with one another to identify our strengths and weaknesses, and leverage them for our improvement. We recognize and value the differences that each frater possesses, and through our understanding of these distinctions, we will become well-rounded men.”
Chapter history
The Xi Lambda Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon began as a local fraternity on the UGA campus in January 1970. The founding members of the group called themselves Upsilon Gamma Alpha (UGA). On October 12, 1971, Upsilon Gamma Alpha was admitted to the University's Interfraternity Council. This group created the foundation upon which the Xi Lambda Chapter was built.
It was after being recognized by the IFC that Upsilon Gamma Alpha became a colony of Tau Kappa Epsilon on October 20, 1971. On March 27, 1972, the colony was officially installed as the Xi Lambda Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon (presentation of the charter to the chapter representative is pictured to the right). On September 1, 1973, the Xi Lambda Chapter achieved another milestone. The group obtained its first permanent home, located at 490 South Milledge Avenue. The chapter would later relocate to a beautiful mansion at 285 South Milledge Avenue in the Fall of 1979 and lived there until 2003.
Tau Kappa Epsilon at UGA has a rich tradition of involvement on the campus. Hairy Dawg Spirit week and other various fundraisers have benefited Scottish Rite Hospitals and Special Olympics. Hairy Dawg Spirit Week culminated with the Miss Legs contest, officiated by Vince Dooley, and the Budweiser Clydesdales in a parade. The Xi Lambda Chapter has been extremely successful in Intramural Sports as well with the chapter obtaining many championships in its 30+ year history.
The Xi Lambda Chapter also holds the TKE record for "Top Teke" Awards. This award is given to the best of the best in Tau Kappa Epsilon, and the Chapter at UGA proudly holds 13 such honors. As Xi Lambda looks to the future, the members wish to embark upon an experience as bold as their founders: to maintain an atmosphere of involvement and education that will result in the molding of its members into well rounded men ready for the "real" world.