Letter from the Editor -- THE TEKE, Summer 2016

This letter appears in the summer 2016 edition of THE TEKE Magazine. 

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The first line is always the most intimidating. A blank page, flickering cursor and countless thoughts. Where do I start? It’s a question I ask myself near the completion of each edition of THE TEKE. It’s at this point where our team has written, designed, reworked, tweaked and finalized a product we are proud to share with our readers. And in these pages, I believe we have once again captured the essence of Tau Kappa Epsilon—the Spirit of the Fraternity.

We are proud to feature Frater Erik Huberman on the cover of this edition of THE TEKE. Huberman, founder and chief executive officer of Hawke Media, is a young, bright entrepreneur who is destined for success. His recent accomplishment of being named on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Hollywood & Entertainment has catapulted his personal celebrity and company’s position in the market. And in many ways, Huberman reminded us of another prominent Teke, Frater Steve Forbes. In our fan-favorite section “From the Archives,” we took a trip down memory lane to relive Forbes’ introduction to the Fraternity at the New Orleans Conclave in 2009.

Also included in this issue is the recognition of our top recruiting chapters. And let us tell you here and now: the numbers are magnificent. Recruitment has skyrocketed and it’s clear the Fraternity is growing. It should be noted that such growth is due in part to Director of Expansion Gabe Espinosa. His efforts have allowed us to return to campuses such as Texas A&M and Arkansas State. In this edition of “TKE Insider,” he shares how recent graduates and seasoned alumni alike can make a difference for the Fraternity.

Lastly, I was left in awe by the fundraising efforts of colonies, chapters and alumni associations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital over the past year. When TKE announced its $2.6 million, six-year commitment to St. Jude in February, we knew it was going to take every member’s contribution for us to reach our goal. I’m proud to say we’ve seen tremendous buy-in across the board. However, there’s one chapter in particular that outshined even the brightest groups: the Xi-Omega chapter at Virginia Tech, raising more than $60,000 during their annual three-day TKE Week.

It’s truly been an honor working with our collegiate and alumni members over the past several months in the production of another edition of THE TEKE. I’m biased, but this might just be our best piece yet. Boy, I hope I’m right.  

Yours in the Bond,

Alex Baker
Editor, THE TEKE