Our Chapter
A chartered brotherhood at SUNY Oneonta, building character through friendship, leadership, and service.
Oneonta's welcoming campus entrance.Built by students who wanted something better
Sigma-Epsilon started with a small group of friends at SUNY Oneonta. They looked around campus and didn't see the kind of fraternity they wanted to join, so they decided to build one: a brotherhood that valued character over reputation, where academics came first, and where every man was judged on who he was, not who he knew.
That idea fit Tau Kappa Epsilon. The group spent more than a year as a colony earning its place. They recruited men who shared their values, served the Oneonta community, and learned the history and ideals of the Fraternity they hoped to join.
On May 6, 1989, that work paid off. The group was chartered as the Sigma-Epsilon Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. The founding fathers signed the charter that still hangs in the chapter today.
Who We Are Today
More than three decades later, the foundation hasn't changed. Sigma-Epsilon is a chapter of students who push each other in the classroom, lead across campus, compete in intramurals, and give back through St. Jude and local service. Our brothers come from different hometowns, majors and backgrounds. What we share is a commitment to becoming better men, and to helping the brother next to us do the same.
Hundreds of men have been initiated at Sigma-Epsilon. They've gone on to careers in education, business, medicine, public service, the arts and more. Many still come back to Oneonta every Homecoming, because the friendships they made here never ended.
What Sets Us Apart
Character first.
We recruit men for their personal worth, not their status.
Students first.
Academic success is an expectation, and brothers help each other meet it.
Brothers for life.
Graduation isn't the end of membership. Our alumni stay involved as mentors, advisors and friends.
Our goals and our brotherhood
The ideals we set for every member of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Across active members and alumni, our brotherhood includes approximately 500 brothers.
Campus context
SUNY Oneonta is a place to learn, lead, and build lasting connections. Since its beginnings as the Oneonta Normal School in 1889, generations of students have made this campus their own—and Sigma-Epsilon is proud to be part of its community.
Build your future with Sigma-Epsilon
Join a nationally chartered chapter where brothers challenge one another to grow, lead, and make a positive difference.
Part of Something Bigger
Sigma-Epsilon is one of more than 200 active chapters of Tau Kappa Epsilon across the United States and Canada. TKE was founded in 1899 and has initiated more than 300,000 men. Every one of them took the same Bond our brothers take at Oneonta.
Learn more about Tau Kappa Epsilon →