Tau Kappa Epsilon Nationals Officially Remove Themselves From The North American Interfraternity Conference

Harrison Lee10 years ago

After 106 years as a member of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), Tau Kappa Epsilon has ended its ties with the association. The fraternity’s Board of Directors passed a vote to resign its membership Thursday, citing the rising cost of NIC membership as the reason.

From Tau Kappa Epsilon:

Tau Kappa Epsilon officially resigns their membership in the North-American Interfraternity Conference, effective immediately. Prior to this decision, the outlined plan of NIC 2.0 was carefully assessed and the Grand Council of Tau Kappa Epsilon unanimously approved this decision.

The TKE Professional Staff has been an active participant in the discussions of NIC 2.0 throughout the past six months. During this time, the NIC Board of Directors undertook the creation of a commission to develop NIC 2.0 which would deliberate and recommend action in three critical areas: accountability, governance, and operations. In December, Chief Executive Officer Donald E. Aldrich participated in the NIC House of Delegates meeting to vote on the proposed structure changes by the NIC 2.0 commission.

Frater Aldrich stated, “TKE has been thankful to be an active participant in the discussions of NIC 2.0. Once we analyzed the value and extreme increase in cost to NIC 2.0, the leadership of TKE decided against investing in this venture. We believe this investment required sacrifices that would hinder vital services we are able to provide to our membership. We will monitor the progress of NIC 2.0 annually and assess if future membership is viable.”

The leadership of TKE constantly evaluates the value of all relationships including the NIC. This is done to ensure every member dollar is spent wisely. We move forward on a path best for our organization and our men. The Grand Council and Professional Staff consulted with industry experts including past officers of the NIC Board of Directors to arrive at this decision.

“The past few months have been a time of increased reflection and assessment for members of the NIC to ensure the continued growth and positive impact of the Fraternity movement. We are honored to have been able to be part of the conversation toward the development of a new NIC culture. Additionally, we are grateful to NIC CEO Jud Horras for his tireless work along with the leadership of Past NIC Chairman Buddy Coté to move the NIC in a new direction. Tau Kappa Epsilon wishes the leadership of the NIC along with its remaining member organizations the best of luck in their new NIC strategy,” shared Aldrich.

TKE becomes only the fourth major social fraternity to resign from the North American Interfraternity Conference, joining Kappa Sigma, Phi Delta Theta, and the recently resigned Lambda Chi Alpha. The decision to leave will not affect any chapters’ status on campuses, as non-NIC member fraternities are typically granted membership status with IFC as long as the chapter agrees to uphold the NIC standards. TKE said they have agreed to do this and therefore should be allowed to participate in all IFC events.

I think this is a good move for TKE and more fraternities should explore this option. The NIC is sort of like the federal government and the fraternities are the states. While we are looking for “state’s rights,” they are all about taking money and liberties away from their branches. With all the money saved by this move, a fraternity can invest in themselves to grow bigger and stronger.

Just something for every other NIC fraternity to think about..

[via Tau Kappa Epsilon]

Image via UGA TKE