In light of recent happenings with the TKE (Tau Kappa Epsilon) fraternity, we at The Equinox would like to reflect on campus misconduct policy more broadly, especially the handling of policy and the way in which it affects Keene State College’s image.
TKE fraternity has a long history of conduct issues with Keene State and is viewed as a stereotypical college frat house, going through sanctioned periods with very little time in between their next round of punishment and gaining a considerable reputation on campus for their raucous behavior and loud parties.
This is why we find it concerning that there was such a long uptake with any major punishments for the group. Misconduct violations of that magnitude and frequency is something The Equinox feels should be handled swiftly and strictly. Dragging out the inevitable and allowing TKE to become habitual offenders exemplifies what we view as mishandling of conduct policy.
Groups who have a track record like TKE’s should be completely disbarred from campus and student organizations, especially Greek Life, amd should be wary of the people they accept into their groups. The evidence speaks for itself though; a student organization such as TKE should not have taken so long to get reprimanded. Had Keene State been more forthcoming with its disciplinary actions, the group potentially could have been facing this severe punishment years prior.
We at The Equinox feel this is a poor decision to allow these issues to fester, allowing a poor public image to really thrive in groups such as TKE. It is a shame, because student organizations like this are the ones that give fraternities at large a bad reputation. This being a small-town campus means that people talk and information travels fast. Rumors and buzzings on topics like these can very quickly attach themselves, making the bad situation just turn into a self-destructive disaster.
Situations like these can be easily avoided. As mentioned in a previous edition of the Equinox, having an on-campus pub could give students a viable alternative to frat parties, making it more inviting for people to get out and socialize. This along with more swift response and punishment for misconduct may have shortened their already lengthy violation history.
A potential issue to the situation, however, is that these frats, such as TKE, can always recharter themselves with a different fraternity and hypothetically be up and running again. People such as former Student Center Programs Coordinator and Interfraternity Council Advisor Brandon Carta feel the fraternity could use a fresh start and the Equinox agrees. Taking that time to settle for a few years gives the organization time to regroup, reset their priorities and work on fixing their bad public image. It also opens up an opportunity for another fraternity organization to come onto campus, allowing students to get a fresh look and new experiences with Greek Life that could otherwise not have been so positive.
Hopefully, this can be a jumping point for student organizations to grow and make an effort to fix any imaging issues.
