Key topics include Health & Safety, The True PIKE Experience, Alumni Associations, and International Work Day.

Health & Safety

The Supreme Council’s enhanced focus on risk management through awareness, education and accountability. Those three themes have been tweaked slightly to focus on EXPECTATIONS, INTERVENTION and ACCOUNTABILITY. While these three areas have always been central to Pi Kappa Alpha’s educational efforts, recent programs and policies have been heavily slanted towards legal liability. While that education will remain, the membership has called for, and the Supreme Council agrees, a more comprehensive and holistic approach to this critical area of fraternal operations is needed. Moreover, the health and safety of Pi Kappa Alpha members and guests is what we are all striving to achieve and, ultimately, what matters most.

Pi Kappa Alpha will continue to focus on educational efforts that empowers its members and volunteers to operate from a principle of self-governance within the framework of the Fraternity’s Standards. Resources and education will shift in focus from a heavy focus on liability and policy to a message that encompasses the fundamental obligation to “do the right thing” and how to meet that obligation. PIKE will continue to emphasize the importance of understanding expectations established by Fraternal Standards; however, we will also provide training resources that empower chapters to adopt student –driven chapter leadership and successfully establish behavior expectations for members and guests based on fraternal standards, institutional policies, and the law. Furthermore, chapter leadership will continue to be provided support in the development of intervention strategies that will increase understanding of expectations as well models for implementing chapter-level accountability when brothers or guests act outside of the stated standards of behavior. Additionally, a health and safety focus lends itself to the development of chapter resources and leadership education that provide guidance on complex issues that create challenges for individual members.

We believe that focusing on the greater health and safety of the Fraternity is more reflective of the overall goal of PIKE in this critical area of fraternal operations. Simply put, a health and safety approach is a more encompassing initiative allowing the Fraternity to emphasis not only risk mitigation for chapter events but also the overall health and safety of the operation of our chapters.

A shift to health & safety will allow chapters the opportunity to define risk management efforts more broadly. Men serving in health and safety related leadership roles will be able to support chapter efforts to not only management events involving alcohol, but also to provide oversight and guidance to brothers that are responsible for other key areas of operation such as finance, recruitment, new member education, philanthropy, and property oversight. Chapters will also see an increase in resources designed to support health and safety efforts. Resources will be developed to provide options for chapters and will not be intended to represent a mandatory process for managing chapter health and safety.

Campus partners will have both a greater appreciation for the Fraternity’s emphasis on safety via communication about the PIKE Health & Safety program as well as access to resources for use when assisting chapters with operations.

In recent years conversations in the interfraternal world have begun to shift from liability and policy driven risk management efforts to a broader dialogue on mitigation and prevention. This does not minimize the role of liability and policy, however, Pi Kappa Alpha has an opportunity to join with peer organizations that have made the change in focus and to lead interfraternally in the operationalizing of a true prevention focused health and safety effort.

The True PIKE Experience

It is recommended that chapters implement the new member education program contained in the True PIKE Experience. Ultimately, new member education does not have to change unless the chapter and/or individuals in the chapter choose to change the program. The True PIKE Experience contains a recommended new member education program that provides an array of resources for chapters and members to have the best possible fraternity experience. Whether or not to implement is the choice of the chapter. New member education is only a small portion of the True PIKE Experience which lasts from the time a member joins to the time he graduates.

You may contact Daniel Maloney if you have questions about The True PIKE Experience.

Considering that each member’s time is extremely valuable to them, it is recommended to hold the educational meetings right after chapter meeting. This will prevent members from having to come back at another point in time during the week. Also, to ensure you maximize each member’s time, follow along the facilitator guides for a smooth educational discussion. If hosting these meetings around chapter meeting is not a possibility, the membership development cabinet should find what works best for the members.

A member will not want to participate in something that they do not believe is valuable to them, so it is the job of the executive board and the education cabinet to encourage participation and describe how the program will benefit them in regard to their personal/professional development, Fraternity education and how it relates to operating a business, and involvement within the Fraternity and on-campus. Essentially you want members to understand that you get out of this experience what you put into it.

Nothing really changes with the curriculum other than when new member education begins. Do your best to insert education that they would have missed into the new member education curriculum.

The educational curriculum and meeting schedules will be allotted differently to follow along with the institutions academic calendar. Instead of having two 15-week semesters in an academic year, you will have three 10-week quarters, which equals out to the same amount of time. The educational objectives are standardized, so it doesn’t matter if you touch on them sooner rather than later. Keep in mind that the educational curriculum is meant to be progression based, so it is ideal to follow the content that is relevant for each phase.

If a member joins after his freshmen year, it is imperative that he still goes through new member education considering that new member education is the prerequisite for the other educational objectives. Once he is initiated, he will then join his age group and fall in line with their educational curriculum. For example, Sophomore = Brother Leader and Junior = Fraternity Leader.

The brother leader phase is where members spend most of their time and depending on when a member joins this phase will determine where he aligns. It is recommended that the brother leader educator either have these sessions at different times or have an assistant who can provide freshmen in semester 2 (also brother leaders) with the necessary educational resources and discussions.

The purpose of the four developmental phases is to guide members through different stages as they progress and develop through college and the Fraternity. The progression phases are meant to provide relevant information to each respective age group – for example, some topics and sessions applicable to a sophomore may not be relevant to a senior who is further along in their development. Through the progression, members move laterally through the chapter rather than a hierarchy. All members, regardless if they are a new member or an initiated member, should be treated equally and the phases are designed to keep that philosophy intact.

Change is okay. Although other groups on campus may not have a program like this, it shows that your chapter is forward thinking and is striving to better all members. Additionally, this provides an opportunity for the chapter to provide a unique selling point to a recruit that describes how the chapter is different from other groups on campus.

New member education is not meant to be a proving point, but rather it is meant to be a brief onboarding. Recruitment is the time when chapters determine who should join their organization and who should not. New member education simply provides education, development, and involvement opportunities so that each new member can be a productive member in the chapter.

As should be done with all members, is sit down and have a conversation with them. If the issue is a petty one, relay to him that what he did was not okay and offer advice on how to correct the issue. If the issue is a major one, follow the chapter’s judicial policies as outlined in the chapter bylaws and/or refer to the Pi Kappa Alpha Constitution & Chapter Codes.

Pledge is an old term that described a new member who pledged his lifelong commitment to the Fraternity. The term has since taken a negative connotation and does not align with the Fraternity’s values anymore. To reiterate, a chapter should not extend a bid to a member who the chapter did not believe was already a Pike. That is the reason a recruit who just signed a bid with the chapter is a new member and is awaiting initiation as he goes through the new member education process.

Change will not happen overnight and that is okay. It is up to the executive board and education cabinet to have an unwavering dedication to get this program adopted in the chapter. It might take some time, but if the chapter leadership continues to echo the value of this program, slowly but surely this program will become a normal part of the chapter’s operations. Visit Pikes.org/TPE or contact Daniel Maloney to get started.

Recruitment will not affect the program at all other than when new members begin the new member education part of the program. If there are learning objectives that they would miss based on the outlined curriculum, include it as part of their new member education program. The chapter may consider scheduling sessions from the Recruitment Skills learning theme leading up to or during recruitment to best position the membership for success.

That is totally okay. The goal of this program is to ensure that there are standardized educational opportunities available to more than just new members and to provide members with an opportunity to enhance their everyday involvement on campus and within the chapter.

Alumni Associations

Alumni associations are groups of alumni and friends connected to their home chapter, metropolitan area, and the International Fraternity through social, cultural, athletic, recreational and academic related activities. A PIKE Alumni Association exists to promote the brotherhood of PiKA by providing an outlet for casual alumni interaction. PIKE Alumni Associations are generally established in two formats: geographic-based associations and chapter-based associations.

An alumnus commitment to an alumni association is voluntary in nature. A few committed alumni will be needed to organize the efforts of forming and maintaining a successful association.

Dues associated with alumni associations are left to the discretion of each group. It is common for an association to operate on a small dues structure, or operate on a “pay as you go” basis per event.

The Constitution and Chapter Codes of the Fraternity require that a minimum of 12 men petition the Supreme Council for a charter (one time fee of $175). The annual dues for each association are $150.

Associations generally seek to maintain contact and promote membership with alumni from a specific chapter or geographic area; provide relevant communication; and seek to coordinate local alumni activities and events. Many also find ways to support their local chapter (i.e. scholarship opportunities).

PIKE Alumni Associations enjoy golf scrambles, luncheons/dinners and sporting event parties; engagement opportunities within the local community or university; as well as provide support to local chapters by promoting volunteer opportunities as advisors, house corporation officers, etc.

The Memorial Headquarters offers an alumni support staff, online support and services, access to local alumni lists and labels, an association planning and resource guide, and keynote speakers for special events.

Questions? Interested in starting or joining an alumni association? E-mail the Alumni & Volunteer Department at alumni@pikes.org.

International Workday

For most chapters, either the house manager or member of the house committee is charged with working in conjunction with the House Corporation to plan Work Day.

Mailers should be sent about 30 days ahead of your scheduled work date to inform alumni of the event details. You may choose to utilize the templates provided in the “alumni and guest communication” section of the website or to create your own. If you do choose to create your own mailer, make sure to include RSVP information so you can plan accordingly. It is also a good idea to give a follow up phone call about a week ahead of your work day to those that haven’t responded.

This depends on your budget and time/space constraints. There are a few meal ideas listed in the “power of food and refreshments” section in the planning guide. These are just sample ideas so please make sure to customize your menu to your particular situation.

You must fill out the Work Day Completion Form, save it as your chapter name, and then email it along with your sign-in sheets, and no more than 10 before, during, and after pictures to pikehouse@pikes.org.

If you do not have access to email or would like to submit more than 10 photos please mail your information to the following address:

Pi Kappa Alpha
International Fraternity
C/o The Real Estate Department
8347 West Range Cove
Memphis, TN 38125

The event description sheet and photos submitted will be used to determine award winners so be sure to provide thorough documentation of your project(s).

You will receive the participation plaque and any award your chapter won at the International Convention/Leadership Academy in the summer.

Joining PIKE

Yes. PIKE is a common nickname for the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and our members are often referred to as “Pikes.”

• PIKE is one of the largest fraternal organizations in the world.

• 216 chapters and colonies throughout the United States and Canada.

• Ranks in the top three in all recruitment statistical categories with over 16,000 undergraduate members.

• Since the Fraternity’s founding in 1868, over 300,000 men have been initiated into Pi Kappa Alpha.

Our membership is composed of men that embody Scholarship, Leadership, Athletics, and being Gentlemen. Our full definition of an ideal man that all Pikes strive for can be found in the characteristics of The True Pike.

PIKE University is the premier leadership education program of the fraternity world. It is proprietary to PIKE and consists of 10+ regional and international leadership conferences every year. Pike U fosters leadership, management, and personal development skills that empower our members to become principled leaders in college and after graduation.

PIKE seeks men who make academics a top priority. To ensure our members are successful in the classroom, our chapters equip them with tools like mentor programs, study hours, and incentives to reward academic performance.

Research shows that students involved in Greek life are significantly more likely to graduate compared to non-Greek students. Most of our chapters achieve an average GPA higher than that of the non-Greek male average GPA on their campuses. Additionally, research shows Greek students report having more experiential and deep learning in college than non-Greek students.

With over 200,000 living alumni, the PIKE network is strong. Members commonly acquire internships and jobs through other Pikes. Every chapter offers myriad leadership opportunities that endow our members with skills that can’t be obtained in the classroom. Our prominent alumni consistently attribute much of their success to skills they learned from involvement with the Fraternity. Some prominent Pikes include Tim McGraw, Bobby Bowden, Stephen Covey, Jon Stewart, Scott Van Pelt, and many more. Click HERE for the full list.

All fraternity members pay dues to cover the cost of running the organization. Put another way, the members all put their money together into a larger pool so the chapter can run beneficial programs and host fun events for the members. How members choose to use their chapter budget is up to them. They must, however, comply with the Fraternity’s Standards, which prohibits spending chapter funds on alcohol or anything illegal. Membership dues vary by chapter. Contact a local chapter to learn more.

Pi Kappa Alpha was founded in part because the founders did not believe in hazing or “horseplay”. Pi Kappa Alpha was one of the first fraternities to officially abolish hazing. The International Fraternity prohibits hazing in any form. In order for every chapter to retain its charter with the Fraternity, every year the members must sign a legally-binding agreement not to haze.

We encourage all parents to be involved and ask questions. The Fraternity can be a tremendous growth experience for your son. In addition to this website and local chapter websites, our professional staff is happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact staff at any time.

Shield & Diamond

The circulation policy of the Shield & Diamond was recently updated to better serve its readership. In the past, all members with a good address on file with the Memorial Headquarters received one issue per year. Now, all members of the Fraternity with a good email address on file will receive all four issues of the magazine electronically.

In order to join the circulation list to receive the print version of the magazine, a member must make an annual gift of at least $25.00 to the Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation, or have made lifetime donations in excess of $500.00, or currently serve in a Volunteer capacity. See “But I am a Fraternity Volunteer” below.

With the ever-rising cost of paper, ink and postage, the Fraternity simply cannot afford to send a printed copy to every member in its database. The expense of producing the magazine simply is not a fair burden to place on undergraduate brothers alone. Please click here to make a gift to the Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation today and start receiving your printed version of the Shield & Diamond.

The gift of time is often considered more valuable than money! All alumni volunteering their time for the Fraternity will receive the printed magazine during their tenure. If you currently serve as a chapter advisor, member of an advisory board, alumni association officer, international officer or are on a House Corporation, and not receiving the Shield & Diamond, please email the Fraternity at alumni@pikes.org.

    • Producing and mailing the printed version of the Shield & Diamond is expensive. The Fraternity spends well over $300,000 each year to produce four issues. That is a lot of money for a company that has an annual operating budget of just over $3 million. The new circulation policy will drastically reduce the burden that is placed on the undergraduate members, who currently fund over 70% of the printed magazine.

The Fraternity is still providing the magazine for free. All members are now getting all four issues electronically. Click here to read the Shield & Diamond online..

All members of the Pike Loyal Order will automatically receive the print version of the Shield & Diamond as part of their participation in this program.

The easiest way to update your mailing address and email address is online. If you are having trouble, you can always email pikeinfo@pikes.org.