At the Beta-Pi Chapter of TKE, we are part of something that's bigger than any of us, that has been here for a lot longer than any of us has and that will endure long after we're gone.

There are real benefits to being a member of Beta-Pi of TKE and there are real responsibilities. But those reponsibilities are nothing more than you would hope your neighbor in the House would live up to.

Fix what you break and clean up what you mess up. Not remembering that you broke it or messed it up is not an excuse. Besides, there are usually enough people around who remember exactly what you did! The chapter owns most, if not all, of the repair tools needed to take care of common damage and there are plenty of people around who know how to patch holes, repair windows, and cut wood.

Do your share of the work of the Chapter. On the physical side, this involves cleaning, landscaping, and some construction. Unlike most chapters at Georgia Tech, TKE has a long history of major landscaping and construction projects conceived, planned, and executed by the members.

The Chapter needs people to fulfill the responsibilities of the various offices and also has obligations to send members to attend various meetings and conferences.

Bring in new members. Recruiting in general is a fair amount of work but, without it, membership numbers will fall and the cost of maintaining the facilities will land on fewer and fewer members. Everyone has something they can contribute to bringing in new members. In the long run, the ability to wade into a crowd of people you don't know when you'd really rather be somewhere else, to stick out your hand, and to get something going...this is a great life skill to have.

Come to meetings. We are a fraternity, members of a continuing organization that is greater than we are, not some random group of guys who bumped into each other during freshman orientation. Our meetings are when we are reminded of that by our ritual. Important decisions (like what the bill will be next term) are made in meetings. Burning issues get hashed out. Lots of funny stories get told, especially after any break.

Take your meals with the Chapter. In a large chapter such as ours, lunches and dinners are the one time each day when you can count on seeing everybody. In particular, dinners serve as the social focal point of the evening since many things are organized for just before or after dinner. Having everyone on the plan also keeps the costs down since we have to pay the cook the same no matter how many people eat.

Pay your bills. A person who doesn't pay his bills is not a member. He might still be a friend of some members but, if he's not paying his share of what it takes to keep the Chapter running that made those precious friendships possible, he's basically someone who's welcome to hang out around the house just like a lot of other people who aren't members as long as it's OK with the Tekes.

The cry that "it's a brotherhood, not a business" is a pretty feeble excuse for what amounts to claming the benefits of membership without living up to the responsibilities.

Don't behave in ways that endanger the health of others or that expose the Chapter to criminal charges, lawsuits, or just plain "bad PR". Use a little common sense or, at least, arrange to be hanging out with people who have some sense if you think you might lose yours.

If a police officer would take you to jail from the spot for doing it, it should not be happening in our house or at our events. (You absolutely do not have the right to do anything you want in the "privacy of your own room".) If you wouldn't want another guy to behave that way with a woman or girl you cared about, don't treat somebody else's sister or daughter that way. If you're wearing our letters when you do it, it's probably going to reflect on the whole Chapter.

The cardinal virtues of our fraternity are love, charity, and esteem. These are a call for patience and tolerance; they are not code-words for "anything goes".

A note on what it means to be "initiated": Initiation is the beginning of a journey, not an end. At TKE, when you take the oath of membership, you make some promises to the Fraternity that amount to what common sense suggests make a good member. On the other hand, the Fraternity does not make any promises to you. So, where do the benefits of membership come from?

The benefits of membership come from the other initiates who fulfill their own oaths of membership. Keep your promises and surround yourself with friends who will keep theirs and you'll get everything you were looking for out of the fraternity.