An Annual Letter to the Men of Pi Kappa Alpha (2020)

Way back in 2002, I was a freshman in college at The University of Central Oklahoma. I didn’t come to college with the intention of joining a fraternity, but peer pressure and groupthink are powerful forces. As Rush Week began, we made our way from house to house meeting members and listening intently to their pitch. Each bragged about academic standards, trophies won in intramural sports, sorority relationships, engagement in student government, membership in various clubs, and they would turn, like clockwork, to the size of their alumni network.

With so much in common, I made my decision based on friendship. I was told the men around me would be the best-men at my wedding. They would be present for the birth of my children. They would be there for the highs and lows of life. These men would be friends for life. Thinking about who I wanted those men to be, I decided to become a member of Pi Kappa Alpha; a decision I have never regretted and still fills me with an immense sense of pride.

Now, I write this letter as a 36-year-old man living in Los Angeles, CA. I am still involved in the fraternity. After leaving Oklahoma, I moved to Seattle and served as an advisor at the University of Washington and now find myself in a similar role with the colony at Cal-State Northridge. My network of fraternity contacts has grown beyond those…