Pi Kappa Alpha
| Pi Kappa Alpha | |
| ΠΚΑ | |
| Abbreviation: | Pike |
| Org Founded: | 1868 at the University of Virginia |
| CU Chapter: | Iota Lambda |
| Chapter Established: | 1990 |
| Motto: | "Once a Pike, Always a Pike" |
| Symbol(s): | Oak Tree |
| House: | None |
| Recognition: | IFC |
| Contact: | pikeeboard@googlegroups.com |
Pi Kappa Alpha, also known as Pike, is a national fraternity founded in 1868, and at Columbia in 1990. The national fraternity has over 220 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in North America.
Contents
2013 pledge scavenger hunt
On March 2, 2013, Bwog posted a scavenger hunt list ostensibly leaked to it by a Pike pledge[1]. The post predictably resulted in a long thread of pro- and anti-Greek sentiments, and arguments about rape culture and whether the scavenger hunt was hazing or not. (It is worth noting that Student Affairs's "Anti-Hazing New Member" policy explicitly mentions scavenger hunts are as a prohibited activity[2].
The scavenger list included such items as "Nametag of a McDonald's worker," "A homeless man's shoe," and "Panties from an XXL girl." It also notably included "Video of a pledge poonspeeding (eating a pussy while wearing a swimcap and goggles)". This last item was seized upon by many blogs, including New York magazine[3], Total Frat Move[4], and something called Bro Bible[5][6][7].
The scandal resulted in a closed hearing before the Greek Judicial Board, the results of which were never released.
Service & Philanthropy
Pi Kappa Alpha sees philanthropy as a priority and always looks to give back to the community. Annually, the chapter has participated in Relay for Life and Columbia Community Outreach, raising over $20,000 and accumulating over 5,000 service hours over the past 3 years. Pike's flagship event, Taylor Trudeau Cycle for Life, has raised over $5,000 for Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Melanoma research in honor of a brother who passed away from blood cancer. Pike has also partnered with other organizations, like NYCare, to further reach out to the NYC community as a whole. Bothers are also heavily involved in other service and philanthropic efforts including tutoring, health education, community development, and more.
Philanthropy events from fall 2013 semester:
- Cycle for Life: PIKE led the annual Taylor Trudeau Cycle for Life, a stationary cycling event held in conjunction with PIKE chapters across the country to raise awareness for leukemia, lymphoma, and melanoma. The event is held in honor of Taylor Trudeau, a Pi Kappa Alpha brother who died of leukemia in 2008. This year, the Iota Lambda chapter raised $2,300 in the event on October 27.
- Feeding the Homeless with Alpha Phi Alpha: PIKE teamed up with Alpha Phi Alpha to make sandwiches on campus and distribute them to the homeless population of Morningside Heights on the night of November 15.
Brothers
Pi Kappa Alpha selects potential brothers based on the criteria of "Scholars, Leaders, Athletes, and Gentlemen" or S.L.A.G., aiming to find candidates who exemplify these traits. Pikes are active within the Columbia community in student council, debate, rugby, crew, intramural sports, a cappella, squash, and more.
Philanthropy
- Hosts the annual Taylor Trudeau Cycle for Life fundraiser to raise money for blood cancer research
- Raised over $12,000 (most on campus) for the American Cancer Society's 2012 Relay for Life through donations and co-hosting a basketball tournament with KDR
- Brothers annually volunteer to clean up Riverside/Morningside Park
Awards
2011-12 Academic Year
- Most Improved Chapter Award
- ALPHA Standards of Excellence Five Stars
- Community Involvement Award
- Greek Man of the Year
- Order of Omega Community Service Award
Notable Alumni
- Tom Kitt, CC '96 - Composer of score for the musical Next to Normal, winning 2 Tony awards and was co-winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- Tom Forman, CC '95 - Co-creator of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and winner of 3 Primetime Emmys
Trivia
- Allen Ginsberg once lived in the fraternity's former brownstone, before the organization moved in (and then out).
External links
- Columbia Greek Life Website
- Columbia Pike website
- Pike ritual book, via Wikileaks
- Pike scav hunt, via Bwog
References
- ↑ http://bwog.com/2013/03/03/overseen-scavenger-hunt/
- ↑ http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/resprograms/fraternity_sorority/semester
- ↑ http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/03/frat-scavenger-hunt-rewards-obscure-sex-act.html
- ↑ http://totalfratmove.com/pike-scavenger-hunt-checklist-found-at-columbia-university-new-sex-act-revealed/
- ↑ http://www.brobible.com/college/article/columbia-fraternity-pledge-scavenger-hunt-list
- ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/poonspeeding-columbia-frat
- ↑ http://gothamist.com/2013/03/04/columbia_fraternitys_pledge_scaveng.php
| Greek life at Columbia |
| IFC Fraternities: Alpha Delta Phi • Alpha Epsilon Pi • Beta Theta Pi • Delta Sigma Phi • Kappa Delta Rho • Phi Gamma Delta • Pi Kappa Alpha • Psi Upsilon • Sigma Chi • Sigma Nu • Sigma Phi Epsilon • Zeta Beta Tau |
| Panhel Sororities: Alpha Chi Omega • Alpha Omicron Pi • Delta Gamma • Gamma Phi Beta • Kappa Alpha Theta • Sigma Delta Tau |
| Multicultural Greek Fraternities: Phi Iota Alpha • Alpha Phi Alpha • Kappa Alpha Psi • Omega Psi Phi • Pi Delta Psi • Lambda Phi Epsilon • Sigma Lambda Beta |
| Multicultural Greek Sororities: Lambda Pi Chi • Sigma Iota Alpha • Delta Sigma Theta • Kappa Phi Lambda • Sigma Lambda Gamma |
| Inactive (de-recognized): Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon |
