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Since the beginning of last year, members of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity have been enjoying the company of a local high school student living with Down syndrome.
Every Monday through Thursday, the brothers of West Virginia University’s TKE open their doors to Spencer Stemple, a 17-year-old senior at Morgantown High School.
Spencer said coming to the house has been the best time of his life because the brothers treat him like a full-fledged member.
"We play sports – that’s my favorite, like basketball, football and baseball," Spencer said.
In the beginning of the fall 2009 semester, the TKE brothers were approached by Spencer’s mother, Patty Stemple, about spending time with him after school. She received the suggestion from her son who is a TKE member at Shepherd University.
"My son told me to call the TKE house," Patty said. "We went to a meeting and talked about what it would entail. The brothers talked about it and decided to do it."
Patty said the brothers are great with Spencer, and their time together brings out the best in him.
"They are providing a very needed service, and that makes them feel good about themselves," she said, "We have been very open about it and how good it has been for us."
Spencer is a very active teenager, so when he is with the brothers, they are constantly getting into something, Patty said.
"He likes to play golf, he likes to swim, and he loves to be play basketball," she said, "He can play all the sports and do those things in a normal way with his normative peers, and that really makes him excited."
The brothers are good at making him feel right at home in the fraternity, she said. In the beginning of the semester, they made him a pledge and then eventually honored him as a brother.
Spending time with Spencer has allowed the brothers to grow, said Ben Archer, a senior industrial engineering major and TKE member.
"It gives us a chance to give back to the community, but in another way, it helps us see another side of life," Archer said.
Eric Larson, a pre-business and economics major, said having a responsibility like this shows the WVU community that fraternities are not just about partying. It is a responsibility he will gladly take on, he said.
"We do care about the community," Larson said. "(Spencer’s) brother is a brother of TKE at Shepherd University, so we are taking care of our own. Spencer is now a TKE brother, too."
TKE hopes to continue spending time with Spencer during the following school year as well.
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