2008 Woodie Awards
Blast from the Past: The Colgate Maroon 1978
D.K.E. Temple Profaned
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Commentary
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The brothers of Delta Kappa Epsilon were surprised when they entered their chapel one spring day late in the 1950's. Not only did they find it cleaner than before, but it was also a bit more empty.
It seems that after weeks of work the 1957 Phi Tau pledge class had completed their task -- they had dug a tunnel underneath Phi Tau right into the DKE temple.
One Phi Tau brother had discovered earlier that he could fit through an outdoor ventilation grate, crawl underground and enter the temple through a trap door. According to the alumnae [sic] who had done this, "Having that chapel sit in front of our beautiful house was a source of constant irritation. You could say we did this to get back at the forces of nature."
Once this alunae [sic] had found the entrance to the temple, he and a friend made frequent visits. They took pictures and a careful inventory of all that was contained within the temple. This Phi Tau brother was surprised at the condition of the temple. "It was really nice, an impressive place with alters and various other artifacts," he said. He did not go into a detailed description of what was contained in the temple, since he was still conscious of the sanctity of fraternity rites and traditions.
However, in 1957 this Phi Tau brother was not concerned with sanctity. Rather, he was concerned with putting the Phi Tau pledges to the test. He had discovered a crawl space in Phi Tau and decided "Well hell, let's just take out the cinder blocks and dig on through." The Phi Taus did exactly this.
According to the Phi Tau president of that year, "The DKEs took themselves so seriously that we decided it was time to profane their sacred place." So, after weeks of digging, the Phi Taus entered the temple. Although they had accomplished what they set out to do, the majority of them did not enter the chapel through the tunnel.
Weeks before, their pledge master had discovered that there was a false wall which could be removed on the second floor, allowing Phi Tau brothers to enter from the rear of the temple.
It seems that after weeks of work the 1957 Phi Tau pledge class had completed their task -- they had dug a tunnel underneath Phi Tau right into the DKE temple.
One Phi Tau brother had discovered earlier that he could fit through an outdoor ventilation grate, crawl underground and enter the temple through a trap door. According to the alumnae [sic] who had done this, "Having that chapel sit in front of our beautiful house was a source of constant irritation. You could say we did this to get back at the forces of nature."
Once this alunae [sic] had found the entrance to the temple, he and a friend made frequent visits. They took pictures and a careful inventory of all that was contained within the temple. This Phi Tau brother was surprised at the condition of the temple. "It was really nice, an impressive place with alters and various other artifacts," he said. He did not go into a detailed description of what was contained in the temple, since he was still conscious of the sanctity of fraternity rites and traditions.
However, in 1957 this Phi Tau brother was not concerned with sanctity. Rather, he was concerned with putting the Phi Tau pledges to the test. He had discovered a crawl space in Phi Tau and decided "Well hell, let's just take out the cinder blocks and dig on through." The Phi Taus did exactly this.
According to the Phi Tau president of that year, "The DKEs took themselves so seriously that we decided it was time to profane their sacred place." So, after weeks of digging, the Phi Taus entered the temple. Although they had accomplished what they set out to do, the majority of them did not enter the chapel through the tunnel.
Weeks before, their pledge master had discovered that there was a false wall which could be removed on the second floor, allowing Phi Tau brothers to enter from the rear of the temple.
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