Pi Kappa Phi gains prestige, continues the trend
By Andrew Donovan
Staff Reporter

With two national honors for exemplary service under their belt, the members of Pi Kappa Phi still have high expectations for this upcoming year, fraternity president Chris Oldham said.

While it may be tough to top last year’s accomplishments, Oldham said, the fraternity plans to improve on a solid foundation by raising their 3.2 GPA and increasing their fund-raising efforts.

Oldham said the chapter is planning an “accessibility” project next semester for Push America, a nonprofit organization that works with people with disabilities. The project will focus on creating several wheelchair ramps in an attempt to make the whole campus handicap accessible, he said.

Oldham said the chapter is also looking forward to the new challenges this upcoming year will bring, including a new pledge class. He said he is excited that a new batch of recruits will bring even more to strengthen the fraternity.

“We hope we can get another solid group of individuals, so that we can keep the same level we have now,” Oldham said. “We most importantly want men of integrity.”

Freshman business major Cameron Sparks, a new pledge, said he feels that out of all the campus fraternities, Pi Kap fits his mold the best.

“I didn’t do much community service in high school, but I definitely want to do more,” Sparks said. “Plus, they just seem like guys I’d like to be around and can be myself with.”

Pi Kap rush chairman Charlie McClurg said strong brotherhood is one of the features that attracted him to the fraternity in the first place.

“I was really ignorant to the whole fraternity scene,” McClurg said. “Eventually, though, I found Pi Kap and found myself fitting in with them before I even found out about all the awards they had received.”

Oldham said the fraternity has received two national awards for fund raising and overall excellence.

The fraternity received the Push America Cup from its national fraternity at the annual convention in Charlotte, N.C, last August. According to a press release from the national fraternity, the Push America Cup goes to the Pi Kap chapter each year with the highest fund-raising total.

Last year, the Pi Kaps raised over $34,000 for two local organizations, according to the press release. The fraternity worked with both KinderFrogs, an on-campus school that serves children with Down Syndrome and Push America.

Oldham said out of all the awards they have received over the years, the “Award of Distinction” has been the most meaningful. Last April, the National Interfraternity Council honored the fraternity with the award, making it one of the top three chapters in the country.

Oldham said he feels they received the honor for having such great focus, whether it be in academics, community service or athletics.

“We have a lot of guys here that are very motivated in what they do, whether it’s academics or whatever,” Oldham said. “They try to push themselves in every aspect of life.”

Oldham said their hard work and focus come from the values set by their “founding fathers” who first came up with the idea of the TCU chapter in 1996.

“Our founders definitely gave us a strong foundation, and we have just been trying to build from that,” Oldham said, “It set us up to have the strong brotherhood that we have now.”