Founded at the University of Pittsburgh on a cold January night in 1995, by a group of 39 undergraduate men who sought an alternative to the existing social organizations on campus, Tau-Phi Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) is a Greek letter organization with a rare, though not unique, philosophy. Its philosophy was based upon the simple notion that a social organization should cultivate an environment where its members strive to achieve personal worth and sterling character, rather than social position based upon wealth, rank, or honor.  This is a philosophy that TKE has decried from its very inception in 1899, successfully resisting the kind of social snobbery, prejudice, and pretense commonly practiced by some fraternal organizations.

Although born of a humble notion, Tau-Phi has become a viable and valuable organization at the University of Pittsburgh, and has grown since its inception. We will soon initiate our 100th member, and have a current membership of nearly 40 active members.

A testament to our growth was a fall semester (?98) candidate class of 17 initiates, one of the largest on campus, and one for which we were awarded the National Recruitment Award from TKE International Headquarters. We are perennially in good standing with the University?s Greek letter community, participating in campus-wide Greek organization activities as well as the Inter-Fraternity Council. And we continually strive to foster our strong relationships with sororities, other fraternities, and non-Greek organizations alike.

Our most significant accomplishment is the relatively recent chartering of our organization by Tau Kappa Epsilon International Fraternity, Inc. On January 10, 1999, our proud colony, then known as Colony 704, was chartered and designated Tau-Phi Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon, thus becoming a part of the world's largest Greek letter organization, with over 300 chapters and colonies currently operating in the United States and Canada.

Tau-Phi Chapter receiving its charter

Our group is geographically and culturally diverse. Naturally, we are proud of our members? many achievements. Several regularly achieve academic recognition, appearing on the University's "Dean's List." And several others excel in a variety of extracurricular activities such as varsity football and swimming, club rugby, and student government. But we are proudest of the respectable men they have become while sharing their college careers with us.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments. We are excited to hear from you.