Andrew Solt and Aidan Priest had no intention of joining Greek life as undergraduate students at West Virginia University, let alone building a fraternity from the ground up; however, a few conversations with Paul “PJ” Malafronte, the former director of expansion for the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, changed the trajectory of their lives.
“When PJ came to campus a little over two years ago to talk to a small group of us about rechartering the TKE fraternity at WVU, none of us were interested in being a part of Greek life,” said Solt, a graduate student in the master of science in journalism program and founding president of the Rho Chapter from Lancaster, Ohio.
Solt, who played a crucial role in rechartering the fraternity as well as reshaping its direction, was recently honored for his significant contributions as the recipient of the Top TKE Award.
Beginning in 2017, the TKE fraternity was no longer recognized at WVU due to members not following the rules set by the University and the Interfraternity Council.
“Eventually, it hit us that rechartering could be a great opportunity for students coming out of the pandemic to build community,” said Priest, a founding member from Baldwinsville, New York, who now serves as program coordinator for University recruitment events and outreach projects. “From that point on, we set out to build a strong fraternity chapter by focusing on a positive environment that rejects traditional Greek life culture.”
