Pi Kappa Alpha
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| Pi Kappa Alpha | |
|---|---|
| ΠΚΑ | |
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| Founded | March 1, 1868 University of Virginia |
| Type | Secret/Social |
| Scope | International |
| Vision statement | "To set the standard of integrity, intellect, and achievement for our members, host institutions, and the communities in which we live" |
| Motto | "Once a Pike, Always a Pike" |
| Colors | Garnet Old Gold |
| Symbol | The Oak Tree, Shield & Diamond, White Horse, Dagger & Key |
| Flower | Lily of the Valley |
| Jewel | Diamond |
| Publication | Shield and Diamond |
| Chapters | 220 |
| Members | 250,000+ lifetime initiates[1] collegiate |
| Nicknames | Pikes, Pikas |
| Headquarters | 8347 West Range Cove Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Homepage | http://www.pikes.org |
Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ) is a Greek letter social fraternity with over 220 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.[1]
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History [edit]
Pi Kappa Alpha was founded at the University of Virginia on March 1, 1868, by Robertson Howard, Julian Edward Wood, James Benjamin Sclater Jr., Frederick Southgate Taylor, Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford and William Alexander.[2] On March 1, 1869, exactly one year after the Alpha Chapter at the University of Virginia was formed, the Beta Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha was founded at Davidson College.[3] After almost a decade of decline, Pi Kappa Alpha was "re-founded" as part of the Hampden-Sydney Convention, held in a dorm room at Hampden–Sydney College. The four delegates to the Hampden-Sydney Convention are referred to as the Junior Founders. Pi Kappa Alpha was not originally organized as a sectional fraternity, however by constitutional provision it became so in 1889.[4] It remained a southern fraternity until the New Orleans Convention in 1909, Pi Kappa Alpha officially declared itself a national organization.[5]
In 1948, Pi Kappa Alpha established and chartered the "Pi Kappa Alpha Memorial Foundation" as a non-profit organization in Tennessee. The foundation was to provide scholarships, maintain a fraternity library and provide a memorial headquarters for civic use.[6]
Originally, Pi Kappa Alpha's membership was restricted to white men, but this restriction was removed in 1964.[7]
The fraternity is based out of its Memorial Headquarters in the Southwind community of Memphis, Tennessee. Features of the headquarters include: The Rotunda, Gold Star Memorial Hall, Freeman H. Hart Museum, The Assembly Hall, Harvey T. Newell Library, and Headquarters Artwork.[8]
Rituals [edit]
Its rituals are based on Independent Order of Odd Fellows.[9]
Prominent members [edit]
Shield & Diamond [edit]
Shield & Diamond is the official quarterly publication of Pi Kappa Alpha. It was first printed in December 1890 by Robert Adger Smythe, the then Grand Secretary and Treasurer, under the name The Pi Kappa Alpha Journal. The name was changed to Shield & Diamond in 1891.[5]
Educational foundation and programs [edit]
Pike University [edit]
Pike University refers to the collection of leadership programs that forms the foundation of Pi Kappa Alpha's educational curriculum.[10]
The Pike Foundation [edit]
Founded in 1948, the Pike Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides funding to the fraternity and its chapters for leadership programs, scholarships, and chapter house facilities.[5] The Pike Foundation also maintains and operates the Memorial Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a war memorial built in 1988 to recognize the military services rendered by Pi Kappa Alpha members during World War II. A Gold Star Memorial was dedicated on August 1, 2008[1][11][12]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. "Fast Facts". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. "Founding History". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Beta Chapter, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. "A History of Beta". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, 1920 Edition, page 306
- ^ a b c Garnet & Gold Pledge Guide (15th ed.). Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. 1970.
- ^ Folmsbee, Stanley (1960). History of Tennessee , Volume 4. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 838.
- ^ Hughey, Matthew W (Win-Spr 2006). "Black, White, Greek...Like Who?: Howard University Student Perceptions of a White Fraternity on Campus". Educational Foundations 20 (1-2): 9–35. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- ^ http://www.pikes.org/AboutMHQ.aspx?mode=spage&spid=51&pid=3
- ^ Conspiracy Theory & Secret Societies
- ^ Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. "About Pike University". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ United States of America Congressional Record 111th Congress, Vol. 155 - Part 7. Government of United States. 2009. p. 9673.
- ^ Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. "About Memorial Headquarters". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
