By Mallory Schlabach, Editor in Chief
The men of Pi Kappa no longer exist as a social club. As of the spring semester, the former club of 12 members has now formed a brotherhood, which also includes women.
Pi Kappa president Robert Caskey said the group used last year to rethink what they were about and to figure out who the group was. Pi Kappa was created a decade ago by 16 men based on the seven commitments of Promise Keepers, including to honor Christ through worship; pursue relationships; to practice spiritual, moral, ethical and sexual purity.
“After taking all of semester, we realized that the social club atmosphere couldn’t serve our purpose,” said Caskey, senior Christian ministry major from Stockton, Calif. “With the image of a social club, we couldn’t do that.”
Last fall Pi Kappa was unable to participate in the pledging process because the advisers were unable to be there for Bid Night. Caskey said not being able to do what they had planned broke the spirit of many members, which inspired their thinking about dissolving as a social club.
Mauri Westbrook, coordinator of Student Activities and Organizations, also encouraged the group to try other things, Caskey said.
“Mauri encouraged us to rethink who we were and if being a social club was what we wanted,” he said. “We decided to still be a presence on campus but not a club.”
He said last semester half of the members wanted to try one more year to rebuild their numbers. Now all members are on board, he said, and excited about the prospects of this group.
Maher Saab, SA president and Pi Kappa member, said Pi Kappa wanted to change directions so it could reach more people.
“Social clubs are not bad, and we’re not saying we’re better than them,” he said. “But many students are either really attracted or repulsed by the idea of clubs. We want to reach both groups.”
Both Caskey and Saab said becoming an off-campus group allows freshman to participate and females, if they’d like.
“We’re just a group of guys who want to hang out with friends but also have a level of accountability and trust here. In everything we do, we invite everyone to participate,” Caskey said.
Caskey said Pi Kappa was not an alternative to the social club, per se, or a co-ed group, but the members wanted all friends to be able to participate in its activities, and perhaps in the future, women may want to begin a sisterhood, similar to what Pi Kappa is trying.
“It’s a difficult thing to explain because its vague,” he said. “It’s fundamental that we remain a brotherhood because that’s who we were founded as.”
Caskey said anyone can participate with the club, except during Wrestle mania, which is for men only.
He said Pi Kappa will participate in Sing Song in the future and still have socials and participate in service projects too.
This semester the group is focusing on helping Global Samaritan. They also are beginning Pike lunches again on Fridays after Chapel.
Caskey said it was a tradition the club had when it was founded that died out during the past few years.
“We knew that if we just kept talking about what we wanted to do that we were going to fade away,” Caskey said.
“We created this because our No. 1 concern was to maintain the image our founders created us on. They didn’t want to just become another social club, and that’s what we were,” he said. “A club should be something that shapes your life and your vision for what you do. That’s what our intention is.”
