The new fraternity recruited 23 new members this semester for a total of 96 brothers, making it the largest fraternity on campus. Pi Kappa Phi encourages its brothers to embrace leadership roles, put service before self and improve the world around them.
The University chose Pi Kappa Phi out of several fraternities because of its values. Pi Kappa Phi is the only fraternity that owns and operates its own philanthropy, The Ability Experience, which helps people with disabilities. In the Fall 2015 semester, members of Pi Kappa Phi launched the “Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign.” They gathered 500 signatures from Villanovans, who pledged to stop using the word “retarded.” The organization also sponsors bike marathons that raise money for those living with disabilities. To support this cause, Villanova’s chapter of Pi Kappa Phi plans to put stationary bikes in front of the Oreo and man them for 25 hours straight.
According to the chapter’s president, junior Peter Winslow, philanthropy events help shape the new fraternity’s reputation.
“One of the biggest rewards in running a new fraternity is that we don’t really have a reputation other than being the new fraternity,” Winslow said. “It’s really exciting to see how that reputation is shaped with each event that we do.”