History of Upsilon-Alpha

"Rick Thome and Jamey Renda began the tale of TKE when they were approached by the district representative at a TKE party at the TKE house on the USA campus. According to Rick Thome, president of the colony, 'One of my friends from high school is a TKE at South and I went to one of the parties and liked the fraternity.' Thome saw the opportunity to start a new tradition on Spring Hill's campus. 'We wanted to bring a different group on campus to enhance the Greek life and to bring more to Spring Hill.' The colony here was officially initiated on April 28, 1998." 

-Morgan Chiapella, The Springhillian: Volume 75 Number 3

The Torch, pg 34

The Torch, pgs 126 & 127

The Torch, pg 144

The Torch, pg 20

The Springhillian: Volume 76, Number 20

"Since its beginning in 1998, the Upsilon-Alpha Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon has worked hard to be the best fraternity on campus. For the newly chartered group, this year was no exception. In the area of Academics, the YA Chapter of TKE had the highest grades of any fraternity in the fall semester and was the second highest among all Greek organizations. In the realm of community service, the chapter raised money for several philanthropies in events. Tekes have continued to be very active leaders in campus life. The chapter sponsored numerous parties and activities that contributed to campus social life. The first annual TKE WEEK occurred in November."

-James J. Renda

The Torch, pg 66

The Torch, pg 64

"The Upsilon-Alpha Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon at Spring Hill College has had one of its most successful years yet. The president of the chapter, Frater Rob Ruffino, aided its growth during the 2001-2002 school year. This past year, the chapter has hosted several social events including their annual TKE Week. TKE also aided in many philanthropically causes as well. Bid Night was a huge success, for the fourth year in a row. The Upsilon Alpha Chapter now totals 46 active members making it Spring Hill College's largest fraternity."

-The Torch, 2002

The Torch, pg 76

The Torch, pg 62

The Torch, pg 64

The Torch, pg 82

The Torch, pg 34

"Our chapter is one of the top chapters in the nation. Over the past three years our chapter has compiled 11,000+ hours of community service, donated over $10,000 to charitable organizations including the Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Foundation, Service for Sight, Children's Miracle Network, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The Boys and Girls Club of Semmes, and the Tsunami and Hurricane Relief."

-Matthew Shoemaker, The Springhillian: Volume 84, Number10

The Torch, pg 94

"The fraternity aims to get the campus community involved with their cause and have fun at the same time. Vice President of Upsilon-Alpha chapter of TKE Santi Iturralde said, 'The TKE Mission is to aid men in their mental, moral and social development for life and activities like TKE Week further this mission. Our true purpose is to contribute to the advancement of society through the personal growth of our members and service to others.'

The TKEs are coming off a very successful year. Last summer they went six for six in national recognition awards at their bi-annual conference. The only other chapter to do the same was the University of Florida. 'When you consider the size of UF and the size of our campus and chapter,' said Public Relations Chair Gabriel Penaloza, 'it really shows you the drive we have to be the best we can be. We really have something great here and are happy to be part of the campus community.'"

-Will Currie, The Springhillian: Volume 86, Number 6

"This past Homecoming on the Hill weekend, the gentlemen of Tau Kappa Epsilon held their Grand Reunion to celebrate ten years of being on campus.

The event was very successful with over thirty alums and their invites came to socialize with the newly initiated fraters. Robert Finger, who graduated from Spring Hill College in 2005, stated that there is change in TKE from where it started. He said, 'Any organization recycles every three years. This chapter has evolved into something greater. One has to know its past to be able to survive in the future. I have never seen this chapter stronger.'

-Mallory Lindsly, The Springhillian: Volume 87, Number 10

"The men of Tau Kappa Epsilon hosted their annual "TKE Week" from Monday to Friday to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. 'Anytime that we are able to raise money for St. Jude's it is a success and because everyone was able to have fun, it made the week worth all the hard work that goes into planning it." said treasurer John Koch.'

'What I enjoyed most about TKE Week this year was the overall spirit and positivity surrounding the week. We sold all the products we purchased form St. Jude's gift store and raised thousands of dollars for the hospital,' said philanthropy chair Brannan Griffin. 'It was really awesome to have such strong support from the Spring Hill community for our philanthropy and greatly appreciate every one's efforts to help us save children's lives.'"

-Abby Cowart, The Springhillian: Volume 89, Number 8