A group of men at Southern Oregon University hopes the frat will help increase the university’s enrollment and provide more social opportunities for students.
The fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon, or TKE, used to exist at the university in the 60s and 70s. A group restarted the chapter in 2019, but it shut down during the COVID pandemic.
Now, they’re trying again, in what could become SOU’s only fraternity.
Nolan Hannam, president of the TKE chapter at SOU, said transferring to the school was scary for him, but this group of guys helped.
“You have a group of guys out there that’ll go out, make that first move, and kind of say, ‘Hey, what’s up, man? Is there anything I can do for you, help you out? Can I walk you to your classes, show you around?‘” he said. “Those are the things that men are supposed to do, kind of lead the way and help each other out, lift each other up.”
The group said TKE events would be open to all and help provide more social activities on campus, which they said have declined since COVID.
Enrollment at SOU declined by about 1% in fall 2024, and the school’s enrollment is still below what it was before the pandemic.
The frat had previously tried to be recognized as a student club that could receive student fees. But last year, the student government voted that limited-membership groups, like fraternities, were not eligible to receive student fee money. However, the fraternity can still be recognized as a special interest/affinity group.
Trenton Abraham, an officer of TKE, said he has a group of friends through sports teams, but for guys who aren’t athletes, it can be hard to find a social life.
“I do know a lot of guys who are like, ‘A fraternity is a good idea, because right now, I’m just spending time in the dorm, rotting away, or I’m just looking to get a job, because I need to do something with my time besides just school,’ ” he said.
They’re trying to gather 20 guys so they can be assessed by TKE’s national headquarters. They need 35 members to eventually become an official chapter.
