In the spring of 1983, the Greek system at the Chapman College was plagued by low morale, poor public relations, negative competition, and relatively few members. Unsatisfied with this, eight students banded together with the Dean of the School of Business at the time, Jack Waldrip, and formed the Pi Kappa Fraternity.
These eight men: Peter Anderson,
Tamim Baiou, Steven Brown, Michael Coker, Miguel Jacobowitz, Jim Mears, Andy Savant, and Larry Trujillo, drafted the motto "We will do all things to the best of our ability...or not at all!" and that motto has been the backbone of the fraternity ever since.
The Theta Psi Chapter has a unique history from many other chapters in Pi Kappa Alpha, in that it was started as a local fraternity, Pi Kappa, with the ultimate objective being to become a chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. With this goal in mind, the founders of Pi Kappa adopted many of the characteristics of Pi Kappa Alpha. Their colors were garnet and gold, they used the nickname "Pike", and they included many sections of Pi Kappa Alpha's National Constitution in their own by-laws.
The greatest obstacle for Pi Kappa was receiving approval from Chapman. At the time, the school did not want any more Greek organizations on campus, and so Pi Kappa was turned down three times before Pi Kappa's accomplishments - including growing in size to 44 members, winning Greek Week, having the school Homecoming King, Outstanding Senior Man, and Valedictorian - became too vast to ignore. Chapman finally approved Pi Kappa's bid to become a member of Pi Kappa Alpha.
The colony was officially initiated into the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity on February 9, 1985. Since then, Pike has become one of the premier fraternities on the Chapman University Campus, and has grown in size to nearly 100 men. Boasting accomplishments including receiving the Greek Man, Executive Board, and President of the Year Awards, the Theta Psi Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha has become a staple of the Chapman University Greek community.
The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity is a Greek letter, secret, college, social fraternity. It is composed of men who share similar ideals of friendship, truth, honor, and loyalty. The Fraternity's ideals are expressed in the written words and symbols of a secret ritual. These ideals and members' ability to maintain the visions of the Fraternity's founders are the great moral legacy of Pi Kappa Alpha.
Pi Kappa Alpha was founded at the University of Virginia on March 1, 1868. At the time, the University of Virginia was the fifth largest school in the United States. Only Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Michigan were bigger. The University of Virginia is considered the first truly American state university because it was the first to be established totally free from religious control.
It all started in Room 47 West Range when Frederick Southgate Taylor turned to Littleton Waller Tazewell, his cousin and roommate, for help in starting a new fraternity. Also present was James Benjamin Sclater, Jr., a schoolmate of Tazewell, and Sclater's roommate Robertson Howard. Those four men voted to add a fifth to their group and chose Julian Edward Wood. Although history is unclear, William Alexander, probably a friend of Sclater, Jr., was proposed for membership and was admitted as a founder. The first initiate was Augustus Washington Knox.
The essence of the Founders' vision for Pi Kappa Alpha can be found in its Preamble. A committee was first suggested by Brother William Alexander "to draw up a statement of the origin and the organization of the Fraternity." The committee was composed of brothers Robertson Howard and Littleton Waller Tazewell. The resulting statement is now referred to as the 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."
Over the years, Pi Kappa Alpha has grown to over 200 chapters and colonies throughout the United States and Canada and an undergraduate membership of over 13,000 members. Since the Fraternity’s founding in 1868 nearly 230,000 men have been initiated into Pi Kappa Alpha.
Courtesy of www.pikes.org