Pi Kappa Alpha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity

ΠΚΑ
Open Motto: Once A Pike... Always A Pike
Nicknames: Pikes, Pikas, Pi K As
image:PiKA_Crest.jpg

The Coat of Arms
Founded: March 1, 1868 at

University of Virginia
Founders:
Executive Vice President
  • Raymond L. Orians
Membership 220,000 Alumni
Official Colors: Garnet and Old Gold
Official Flower: Lily of the Valley
Symbols: The Oak Tree, Shield, Diamond
Devises: Dagger, Key, and Saber
Member Badge: image:Pi kappa alpha badge.jpg
Colony Pin: image:Pi kappa alpha new member pin.jpg
Flag: image:Pi kappa alpha flag.jpg
Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity Website

Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity (ΠΚΑ) is an international, secret, social, Greek-letter, college fraternity. It was founded at 47 West Range at the University of Virginia in the United States on March 1, 1868.

Contents

Pi Kappa Alpha is an international brotherhood composed of 210 student chapters, 9 colonies, and 120 alumni associations. The Fraternity has more than 220,000 initiated members and has maintained the largest average chapter and pledge class size of any international fraternity for most of the past 20 years. [1] Pi Kappa Alpha, through its members, has donated millions of dollars to philanthropic causes and community organizations across North America. Pi Kappa Alpha's vision is to "set the standard of integrity, intellect, and achievement for our members, host institutions, and the communities in which we live."

The Fraternity is a chapter based fraternal association. Undergraduate chapter and alumni association delegates gather every two years in Convention to elect a board of directors (known as the Supreme Council) and adopt policies for the benefit of the organization. (International Officers, staff and past national presidents also have a vote at the Convention.) The Fraternity's translated name and ritual are secret - a tradition of most fraternities that goes back to the days when fraternities were outlawed on many campuses and members could be discriminated against for their affiliation.

Six men are generally recognized as the Fraternity's founders in 1868 - Frederick Southgate Taylor, Robertson Howard, Julian Edward Wood, James Benjamin Sclater Jr., Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford and William C. Alexander. (Only four were present at the first meeting and Alexander's membership was subject to a vote.) The reason for their desire to start a fraternity is eloquently described in Pi Kappa Alpha's preamble: "For the establishment of friendship on a firmer and more lasting basis; for the promotion of brotherly love and kind feeling; for the mutual benefit and advancement of the interests of those with whom we sympathize and deem worthy of our regard; We have resolved to form a Fraternity; believing that, thus we can most successfully accomplish our object."

Prior to enrolling at Virginia, at least two of the Founders saw action in the American Civil War as young cadets at the Virginia Military Institute. While the chapter at Virginia (Alpha) is the Fraternity's founding chapter, the longest continuously operating chapter is Theta, founded in 1878 and located at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.

Pi Kappa Alpha has an open membership policy and does not discriminate based on race, religion, nationality, or sexual preference.

The Fraternity's international headquarters, known as Memorial Headquarters, is located at 8347 West Range Cove in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The building was dedicated in 1988 as a memorial to brothers who have fallen while fighting for freedom. The Jeffersonian architecture is a tribute to the Fraternity's founding at the University of Virginia. Prior to the construction of this building, the Fraternity's headquarters was what is now known as King Hall at Rhodes College in Memphis, home of Theta Chapter.

The Headquarters is owned and operated by the Pi Kappa Alpha Educational Foundation. It houses the professional staff which administers the work of the Fraternity through a variety of corporate entities. Generally, the staff is organized along the lines of fund raising, real estate and member services. A chief operating officer oversees each of those functional areas, with those officers reporting to the chief executive officer.

Pike University is the Fraternity's comprehensive educational events, leadership development and recognition program. The first component are the Events. Pike University sponsors up to 10 events per year, including Leadership Summits, the Chapter Executives Conference, The Academy, The International Convention, the Volunteer Forum and the True Pike Challenge. Each has its own focus, curriculum and venue. Approximately 2,000 members participate in at least one of these programs annually. The second component is the Scholarship Program. Pike University each year makes available funds for alumni and students to participate in Pike University events. The third component are the International Awards, presented each summer to chapters, alumni associations and individuals who demonstrate exceptional achievement. The fourth component is the Certification Program. Members who attend at least three and five events are recognized at "garnet" or "gold" levels and are afforded special opportunities - such as exclusive eligibility to apply for the True Pike Challenge, an outdoor survival skills course taught in the Utah wilderness.

The Cornerstones is the Fraternity's recently unveiled chapter programming format. It takes the vision, creed and mission and measures chapter achievement against those values. It is also the basis for the International Awards. The Cornerstones lay out the four areas of chapter programming that are critical to effective fraternity experience: membership, operations, brotherhood, and leadership. Each area has further sub-categories that help comprise the basis of the many award applications. These include: alumni relations, athletics, campus involvement, community service, philanthropy, ritual, accountability, management, international Fraternity participation, continuing education, public relations, finances, new member education, risk awareness, and recruitment.

The Fraternity offers a variety of real estate services for affiliated house corporations. These services include educational programming, capital campaign consultation and primary and secondary lending. A highlight is the International Work Day program, which has grown in participation each year. Chapters that participate in this program sponsor an annual work day at their property, and market the event to parents and alumni. Included in the Fraternity's real estate programs are annual awards for house proficiency and operations.

A Liability Protection Program is also provided for the benefit of the Fraternity's members, chapters, volunteers and corporate entities. It provides support and protection for each within the scope of the Fraternity-related conduct, subject to a variety of exclusions.

The Fraternity's governing board, the Supreme Council, has the authority to appoint a variety of volunteer committees to assist in implementing or monitoring programs. Examples include the International Education and Recruitment Advisors, the International Real Estate Advisors and the International Risk Awareness Advisors. Other appointments include International Historian and International Chaplain. All of the men who serve in these capacities are considered International Officers, along with Past Presidents who hold that title for life by virtue of their election.

  • Pete Sessions - US Representative from 32nd Congressional District, Texas
  • Thad Cochran - U.S. Senator, State of Mississippi
  • Everett M. Dirksen - Former U.S. Senator, State of Illinois
  • Jon Kyl - U.S. Senator, State of Arizona
  • Charlie Crist - Governor (and former Attorney General) of Florida
  • Adrian A. Uberto - Former Director of World Bank, Latin American Studies
  • Karl Rove - White House advisor to President George W. Bush and Deputy Chief of Staff
  • Samuel Skinner - Secretary of Transportation and White House Chief of Staff to George H. W. Bush
  • J. Strom Thurmond- Former U.S. Senator, State of South Carolina
  • Elbert P. Tuttle - Federal Judge and Civil Rights Pioneer
  • James Waring - State Senator, State of Arizona
  • Jason R. Holsman - State Representative, State of Missouri
  • Nicholas Lampson - Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 9th District (1997 - 2004) and 22nd District (2006 - present)
  • Edward A. Pease - Former U.S. Senator, State of Indiana
  • General Richard Seitz - General (Ret.) United States Army
  • Louis H. Wilson - General (Ret.), former commandant of USMC
  • Donald Regan - Former White House Chief of Staff to Reagan Administration
  • Pat Roberts - U.S. Senator, State of Kansas

See List of Pi Kappa Alpha Chapters

  1. ^ a b c d Prominent Greeks in Athletics. University of Illinois Interfraternity Council. Retrieved on August 23, 2006.
North-American Interfraternity Conference
Acacia  • Alpha Chi Rho  • Alpha Delta Gamma  • Alpha Delta Phi  • Alpha Epsilon Pi  • Alpha Gamma Rho  • Alpha Gamma Sigma  • Alpha Kappa Lambda  • Alpha Phi Alpha  • Alpha Phi Delta  • Alpha Sigma Phi  • Alpha Tau Omega  • Beta Chi Theta  • Beta Sigma Psi  • Beta Theta Pi  • Chi Phi  • Chi Psi  • Delta Chi  • Delta Kappa Epsilon  • Delta Phi  • Delta Psi  • Delta Sigma Phi  • Delta Tau Delta  • Delta Upsilon  • FarmHouse  • Iota Phi Theta  • Kappa Alpha Order  • Kappa Alpha Psi  • Kappa Alpha Society  • Kappa Delta Phi  • Kappa Delta Rho  • Lambda Chi Alpha  • Lambda Phi Epsilon  • Lambda Sigma Upsilon  • Lambda Theta Phi  • Phi Gamma Delta  • Phi Iota Alpha  • Phi Kappa Psi  • Phi Kappa Sigma  • Phi Kappa Tau  • Phi Kappa Theta  • Phi Lambda Chi  • Phi Mu Delta  • Phi Sigma Kappa  • Phi Sigma Phi  • Pi Kappa Alpha  • Pi Kappa Phi  • Pi Lambda Phi  • Psi Upsilon  • Sigma Alpha Epsilon  • Sigma Alpha Mu  • Sigma Chi  • Sigma Lambda Beta  • Sigma Nu  • Sigma Phi Delta  • Sigma Phi Epsilon  • Sigma Phi Society  • Sigma Pi  • Sigma Tau Gamma  • Tau Delta Phi  • Tau Epsilon Phi  • Tau Kappa Epsilon  • Theta Chi  • Theta Delta Chi  • Theta Xi  • Triangle  • Zeta Beta Tau  • Zeta Psi
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../p/i/_/Pi_Kappa_Alpha_b7d1.html"
Advanced Search
Included Web Search Engines


Safe Search

close

Top Matching Results

Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to news, images, or video.

Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.

Sponsored Links

This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.

Search Results

Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch from the preferences.

The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.