The Rho Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon continued its tradition of charity, April 14^th when Lafayette Dekes, accompanied by numerous alumni and campus support, coordinated the 4th Annual Jeremy Saxe Memorial Basketball Tournament. This charity sporting event has served two purposes since its inception in 2009: to honor the life of Brother Jeremy Saxe who passed away during his senior year due to an undiagnosed heart condition, and to raise money for the Jeremy Saxe Foundation as it builds a school in Nepal.

Brother Saxe

            The Saxe Foundation honors Jeremy who, prior to his death in 2008, had recently returned to Lafayette after four months in Nepal for his senior year as a philosophy major with a 3.84 overall GPA.  Jeremy was profoundly moved by his experiences in Nepal. He was distressed about the poor educational opportunities of the Nepali children and was particularly torn up about the school that his homestay “sister,” Manisha, attended in Pharping, Nepal. It disturbed Jeremy that she would never reach her goal of becoming a nurse if her formative education continued to consist of a minimal curriculum which at best taught basic memorization of facts for tests.  It is for this reason that the Saxe Foundation decided to focus its efforts on improving education opportunities in Nepal.

The Tournament featured a bevy of teams from all across campus competing in the 3-on-3 basketball. Players were able to choose to compete in either a competitive or recreational bracket, encouraging students who aren’t as skilled to join in. The bleachers were filled with fans that came to support their friends, leading to the jovial and merry environment that filled the gym for the whole afternoon.  Eventually, three DKE Brothers, Rob Howe, Sam Schulsinger and Michael McCulloch took home the tournament title. We would like to thank everyone who came out to tournament for your continued support, and we look forward to continuing this tradition of honor and charity next year.

The Tournament Champions!