MURFREESBORO — After
two years of hard work, the “nonfraternity association” has established a
fraternity chapter at MTSU.
Members of Phi Kappa Tau received the Frederick R.
Fletemeyer Prize at the organization’s national conclave, which took place July
17-19 in Oxford, Ohio.
The award is presented for outstanding colony operations.
The designation of “colony” is an important step toward establishing a chapter.
“It was a huge honor as a colony, but getting the charter
for our chapter here was more rewarding than anything because we put so much
time and effort into it,” said Kyle Elliott, philanthropy chairman for the MTSU
chapter, which became official Aug. 15.
To prove their mettle, first as a colony and in becoming a
chapter, members had to show the national fraternity how much money they had
raised for charity, the number of hours they had put into community service and
the number of members they had recruited. After working on it since 2013, they
put the evidence into a 128-page petition.
The chapter, which is the 155th in the national
organization’s history, currently has 35 active members. The goal is to
increase that number to 60 within the next two months.
Toward that end, the founding fathers of the new Zeta Lambda
chapter at MTSU have scheduled numerous events, including picking up trash at a
local park, a softball tournament and a pumpkin toss.
Phi Kappa Tau’s national charity is the SeriousFun
Children’s Network, founded by the late Oscar-winning actor Paul Newman. The
network funds about 30 camps for terminally ill children.
“Personally, I volunteered at one of these camps this past
spring break,” said Elliott, a senior from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, majoring in
electronic media production.
“These kids have to be monitored 24/7 so that nothing can
happen to them, but they were also having the time of their lives because nine
times out of 10 they’re either going to be inside or in a hospital somewhere.”
In addition to the opportunity to perform good works, what
attracted these young men to Phi Kappa Tau?
The group began in 1906 at Miami University of Ohio under
the name “Non-Fraternity Association.” It was created by men who felt that
fraternities had taken over all extracurricular activities on campus. That
independent streak remains a foundation of the group’s reputation.
“They treat you more like a person than just a number trying
to get into the organization,” said E.J. Graves, a sophomore aerospace
administration major from Westpoint, Tennessee, and the chapter’s recruitment
chairman.
“We have always had this mindset of trying to break
stereotypes while still maintaining the brotherly, scholastic, service and
entertainment side of fraternity life,” said Brandon Lewis, a senior psychology
major from Nashville and vice president of alumni relations for the chapter.
“Most organizations are going to require you to dress a
certain way or to act a certain way that’s not necessarily who you are
personally,” added Elliott. “Our fraternity focuses on individualism.”
Phi Kappa Tau’s Zeta Lambda chapter meets weekly in the
Parliamentary Room of the Student Union. For more information, go to the
chapter’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MTSUphitau.
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