With the arrival of a new fraternity on campus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln students can be among the likes of Randy Owen, lead singer of country supergroup Alabama, and MLB all-star outfielder Jim Edmonds, as part of the Pi Kappa Phi community.
What originated as a group of disgruntled students at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, who called themselves Nu Phi, meaning non-fraternity, has evolved into one of the 10 largest fraternities in the nation.
It is active at 139 colleges and boasts over 100,000 initiated members.
And now it has come to a campus near you … again.
Pi Kappa Phi has had two prior stints at UNL: One from 1915 to 1955, which disbanded when members were sent to fight in the Korean War, and another from 1970 to 1995. The group called it quits in the 90s because of financial issues, said Walter Pape, a senior leadership consultant for the organization.
Thanks to two weeks of recruiting and a string of referrals, 20 to 25 UNL students have jumped on the fraternity's bandwagon to see if the third time's a charm.
However, the group is looking for 15 or more additional individuals, freshmen through seniors, to get rolling.
"We're looking for (people) who (are) willing to make a difference," said Matt Hilgenkamp, a freshman business administration major who is among the fraternity's new members. "It would be great to find a group of guys on the same track, ready to work."
UNL males are eligible so long as they carry near, or above, a 3.0 GPA, Pape said.
Pi Kappa Phi, as a whole, is unique in two ways: All forms of hazing were banned in 1936 by the brotherhood's Supreme Chapter and National Council.
Secondly, it is the sole fraternity to launch and preserve its own national philanthropy, called Push America.
The venture assists people with disabilities through projects such as Build America, a six-week event in the summer where Pi Kappa Phi members construct accessible equipment at camps throughout the country.
The Journey of Hope is a summer bike ride from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., intended to raise disability awareness. Since the event began in 1987, participants have ridden more than 4 million miles and raised more than $10 million.
In addition to nationwide support, the UNL chapter will pair up with a Lincoln-based organization to do its part in helping the disabled. The partnership will likely be with The Arc of Lincoln/Lancaster County, a network devoted to advancing the interests of people with developmental disabilities.
On Oct. 11, after more than four weeks of spreading Pi Kappa Phi's message, Pape will help host an installation retreat to start building the fraternity from scratch, installing officers and teaching new members about what to expect in the upcoming year.
Because it will be at least a few years before the fraternity finds a home on Greek row, its base will be the Nebraska Union, which, according to Pape, will be perfectly fine.
"It's the fraternity that makes the house, not the house that makes the fraternity," Pape said.
A Pi Kappa Phi informational session will be held tonight at 7 in the Nebraska East Union.
teresalostroh@dailynebraskan.com
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