The TKE Nation Podcast

Have you ever asked yourself "How did I get here?" Well, so has Frater Brian Montgomery (Gamma-Upsilon, University of Texas – Austin) in his many adventures. Alex and Donnie ask Brian questions ranging from how he became a member of TKE to his close ties to the presidential Bush family, which includes being there when President George W. Bush threw the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. With his high value of our brotherhood, our Fraternity and so many stories in between, you won't want to miss this episode featuring this past Grand Council member!

Join Alex and Chief Risk Officer Greg Roskopf (Zeta-Zeta, Wisconsin-Milwaukee) as they take an episode to break down the Risk Management Fee. The RMF is undergoing a revamp to its calculation, and it will be based more on a chapter's risk exposure to the overall fraternity. Similarly, chapters will be able to shave off dollars from their total fee by event participation, Key Results Area Score and eCompliance completion. These changes will happen gradually, so listen in on this episode to see what that looks like.

Donnie and Alex bring Steven Farag, Co-Founder of Campus Ink, on this episode to delve into the journey that brought him and Campus Ink to where they're at today, including as partners of TKE! Steven's journey started right out of college after he had gone viral for a David Scalabrine themed shirt. He soon took to business and continued growing and growing, and after admittedly many mistakes along the way, Steven and his team surpassed countless checkpoints for the company. Listen in on this episode for real advice on entrepreneurship and maybe even how to score a billionaire business partner!

Alex interviews collegiate member Quady Adams (Tau-Theta, Fairleigh Dickinson) as an engaged member who has made a difference. In getting to know Quady, he shares what he found attractive about TKE, how he has grown to be confident and motivated and what inspired him to create the Diverse Student Union on his campus. Alex keys into the fact that Quady is a highly compassionate person, and Quady is vulnerable in saying that caring for his siblings in a challenging household helped push him to where he is now. Listen to this episode to learn Quady's story and give a platform to another member for Black History Month!

Frater Kobina Intsiful (Zeta-Zeta, Wisconsin-Milwaukee) joins Alex this week on the TKE Nation Podcast to talk about his story, his role on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and Black History Month. Kobina grew up in Ghana, West Africa before moving to Wisconsin as a child, and when it came to joining TKE, he saw that belonging was an important feeling. What that feeling of belonging means to him and how he has changed from trying to fit in to loving his identity is all shared on this valuable episode!

We start the first interview of the year with none other than the Venerable Grand Prytanis himself, Ted W. Bereswill (Gamma-Upsilon, University of Texas at Austin). Donnie and Alex spend their time getting to know his story, his motivations and his goals. As you'll see, Frater Bereswill has a commitment to our members, giving back and the Fraternity. With men like him leading the way, it's easy to see the quality and character that a Teke embodies and where our brotherhood will go!

We come back from the break with a little tribute to Founders' Day 2022:

"As they sat at 504 East Locust Street on a cold Tuesday night, Settles, Truitt, McNutt, Atkinson and Mayer set out to create a fraternity that was different than others in their time...

Today, on our 123rd Founders’ Day and throughout 2022, I encourage you to engage with TKE’s 1-2-3 - Connect, Celebrate and Contribute.

Connect today with the Fraternity on MyTKE.org. Celebrate with your fellow Fraters by sharing on social media the memories of your fraternal experience using #IAMTKE. And contribute to Life Loyal Teke to help impact the future of Tau Kappa Epsilon at TKE.org/LLT.

Your engagement in Tau Kappa Epsilon will help to define our future. For us to achieve what our Founders set out to accomplish, the Fraternity For Life needs you. Will you answer the call?"

This year's final episode of the TKE Nation Podcast is a grand review of Donnie and Alex's favorite moments and memories throughout Season 2 this year. So, if you need to hear some of the best recommendations of episodes to go back and listen to, this is the episode for you! To our listeners, thank you, happy holidays, and we'll see you next year. Side note... If you're an underwater welding Teke, can you connect with Donnie? We want to see something...

Donnie and Alex are taking a little break this week, and they will be back next week for the last episode of the year! We are glad to have you all follow along, and as always, thank you for subscribing, rating and sharing the show with your fellow Fraters and friends. Be sure to catch up with the last episode and the bonus release last week!

For this bonus episode of the TKE Nation Podcast, join Alex Swenson, Nick Kimble, and Zach Scott for a conversation on deferred recruitment and what that could mean for your goals. Some topics of discussion include strategies and tactics for recruiting second-semester freshmen, using the time remaining before the holidays to prepare for spring rush, establishing buy-in from the full chapter as you meet your recruitment goals. This recording was originally recorded as a webinar, so there may be times that you hear an audience addressed.