Strategic Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Update

INDIANAPOLIS - The Offices of the Grand Chapter is pleased to provide an update on the Strategic Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. With an overwhelming number of applications, the board development committee reviewed 131 applicants; 88 alumni and 43 collegiates. The selected committee members will be contacted this week to confirm their acceptance.

Chaired by Grand Grammateus, Ryan Vescio (Rho-Omega, South Carolina), the DEI Committee will be comprised of a committee with three subcommittees. These committees are the DEI Subcommittee on History, Traditions and Education, the DEI Subcommittee on Social Engagement, and the DEI Subcommittee on Recruitment and Retention.

The purpose of the TKE DEI Committee is to review and discuss both current efforts to recognize the presence of differences which may exist within our organization based upon race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, language, age, religious commitment, or political perspective. The Committee is tasked to develop methods to identify and support the entire membership of Tau Kappa Epsilon more fully. This includes the decision making processes and development opportunities within Tau Kappa Epsilon. The DEI Committee will make recommendations to the Grand Council as to how to further the diversity, equity and inclusion our organization was founded upon.

This subcommittee will be focused on reviewing and highlighting TKE's History and Traditions of inclusion, and how we can showcase our legacy. Further, this subcommittee will make recommendations on how we can integrate our history and traditions within providing DEI education for the members of TKE.

This subcommittee will be focused on discussing and recommending whether TKE should become involved in the engagement of social issues. This engagement could be focused internally amongst our members, or externally on issues within society. This group will discuss which societal issues exist that the Fraternity could positively impact, how best to do so, and make recommendations to the DEI committee on action to take.

This subcommittee will be focused on how we can enhance our recruiting efforts to attract additional members of every background, a pillar within our Fraternity. This includes recruiting collegiate men, along with identifying and recruiting alumni from diverse backgrounds as volunteers. This group will discuss and make recommendations on how we further improve retention and engagement of members of all backgrounds.