Fraternity not officially recognized until further notice
The decision to grant Pi Kappa Phi full-fledged status as a fraternity on campus has been delayed, with no new date offered.
Fraternity members were originally told they would find out March 3 whether or not the university would grant them a charter. Pi Kappa Phi currently has colony status, which means they are not officially recognized as a fraternity on campus and their probationary status could be revoked at any time.
Stacey Sottung, director of Greek Life and associate director of the Office of Student Leadership and Activities, did not specify a date when the fraternity would be notified.
“They should find out soon,” Sottung said, noting the decision to grant Pi Kappa Phi a charter is based on a review of the fraternity’s presence on campus in the past year and that review is still ongoing.
Jeff Maziarz ’19, a member of Pi Kappa Phi, said the fraternity has been active on St. Joe’s campus, fulfilling all Greek Life requirements in hopes of receiving a charter.
“We want a bunch of guys who are well-rounded,” Maziarz said. “We want to have a presence where everywhere you go, you’ll run into a Pi Kapp member. That’s how we want to be known.”
Pi Kappa Phi was once a fraternity on the St. Joe’s campus, but left in 2011 due to low membership. Since its return to campus in 2017, fraternity members said they have been working hard to prove they deserve to be a chartered chapter. The fraternity currently has 66 members.
Robby Manis ’20, president of Pi Kappa Phi, said the chapter has the highest collective GPA for fraternities on campus and has been successful in its fundraising efforts.
St. Joe’s Pi Kappa Phi chapter was the top new chapter for Pi Kappa Phi in the country last year for its fundraising efforts during philanthropy events, according to Maziarz.
The fraternity also accepted 28 new members during spring recruitment, more than each of the other three fraternities on campus, Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Pi.
“It’s something I’m proud of,” Manis said. “People are interested in what we’re doing, and hopefully there’s more to come.”
In order to receive a charter at St. Joe’s, a fraternity must receive approval from both the national chapters and St. Joe’s division of Student Life. It also must be approved by St. Joe’s Interfraternity Council, with a majority vote by delegates from the three other fraternities on campus.
Bailey Ramirez ’20, president of the St. Joe’s chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha, said he was excited to see the new fraternity on campus.
“We’re very excited to have them,” Ramirez said. “They’re really exciting and have a core group of guys who are really motivated. In the discussion of expanding the Greek community as a whole, I think it’s a great thing for St. Joe’s in expanding the fraternities.”