Reminder: Blue-White Game on April 13

Now that Spring is officially upon us, remember to save the date to join your Pi Kappa Phi brothers at Penn State’s Blue-White game on Saturday, April 13. Kickoff this year is at 2PM ET.

The Spring game serves as a great opportunity to hang out with your old Alpha Mu buddies and forge new traditions over a weekend of tailgating, reminiscing, and brotherhood.

If you haven’t done so already, plan to reconnect with your brothers during Blue-White weekend. You’ll be glad that you did.

Planning a meetup or tailgate that weekend? Let us know by commenting below! Looking for brothers you lost touch with? Log in and check out our alumni directory!

Join Your Fellow Brothers on the Honor Roll

We are halfway through the 2023–2024 giving year! Have you made your contribution?  

Each year, we recognize our brothers for their generous donations to Alpha Mu in our honor roll. We would like to thank those brothers who have contributed so far. Have you earned your place on the honor roll? Make your donation to the annual fund today for the 2023–2024 giving year to see your name added to the list.  

Donate today and join the honor roll! 

Pi Kappa Phi’s New Year Resolution

How many of us set New Year’s resolutions goals each year, only to forget about them halfway through January? We know we are guilty of that! But this year our goal is to help Pi Kappa Phi brothers stay more connected. Keep reading below for some tips on how to stay better connected as we head into 2024.  

Looking for a pal that you lost touch with after graduation, don’t worry, we have you covered! Log in and head to the Directory tab on the home page, then from there you can search for all your long-lost pals from over the years.   

Already planning a reunion or small get together this summer? Send us a message by heading to the Submit an Update page on the website. We will share it in our next communications. This is also a great place to share your updates with your brothers!  

Happy New Year, Brother!

Happy New Year, Brother! Our wish for you in 2024 is for a year filled with happiness, peace, good health, and prosperity. As we continue to reflect on 2023, we must keep at the for front of our minds, the mission and objective of Pi Kappa Phi, and the responsibility we have as alumni to the place that has provided us with the foundation skills for our success we have now.  

Now as alumni, we ask that you continue to put your best foot forward to help support not only our alumni events and communications, but that we continue to help perpetuate our undergrad chapter forward so that these fine young undergraduates can experience all the opportunities we had during our time in Pi Kappa Phi.

For those who are able, please consider a monetary donation by CLICKING HERE, this will also get you a spot on the Honor Roll, FOUND HERE. We thank you in advance for your continued support. 

Pi Kappa Phi Holiday Challenge 2023

Are you ready to take on our 2023 Holiday challenge? Without all of us, the Alpha Mu chapter of Pi Kappa Phi simply does not exist. Your 2023 year-end gift can help to make this our best year yet. Are you in?  

Why should you give back? Alumni contributions are at the heart of everything we do. Your gifts support every alumni experience, like our reunions and events, and make it possible for us to stay connected through news and updates. Our contributions also support our undergrad chapter and keep the house in good shape to stay competitive during recruitment.

Will you step up to lead the way by adding your name to the Honor Roll of Donors? Don’t miss the chance to give back to the organization that defined our Penn State experience. Even just $10 will let your brothers know you’re out there and you still care.   

Help us make this giving year the strongest one yet. To give to the 2023-24 annual fund today, use either of these methods:   

Pi Kappa Phi – Alpha Mu Chapter
Alumni Relations Processing Center
P.O. Box 7007
Albert Lea, MN 56007-8007

Click here to see who’s on the 2023-24 Honor Roll of Donors. Add your name now.  

Support Greek Life at Penn State – and Nationwide

The Piazza Center strives to become a national leader in creating new knowledge about policies, professional practices, and educational programs that are known to transform the fraternity and sorority experience.

Join Alpha Mu leadership in supporting the Piazza Center to expand the programming and educational initiatives that will improve the collegiate experience for Pi Kappa Phi members and thousands of undergraduates nationwide.

Your individual gift commitment will contribute to the Pi Kappa Phi collective pledge, be matched dollar-for-dollar by the University and is tax deductible.

Scan the QR code below to make your contribution

Help Support the Piazza Center at Penn State

Dear Pi Kappa Phi Alumni,

You know from personal experience Greek life can build strong character among its members that prepares students to lead in college and beyond.

Penn State’s Piazza Center is bringing together scholars who are formulating and testing prevention and intervention techniques for fraternities and sororities making them safer, healthier, and life-affirming thereby reducing hazardous behaviors. The Center enthusiastically supports Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity’s vision of “A future where every Pi Kappa Phi embraces his role as a leader, puts service before self, and improves the world around him.”

Alpha Mu leadership and the Piazza Center are asking for your support to expand the programming and educational initiatives that will improve the collegiate experience for Pi Kappa Phi members and thousands of undergraduates nationwide. Your individual contribution, combined with your brothers’ contributions, will have a triple impact on the Center’s mission. Your gift commitment will contribute to the Pi Kappa Phi collective pledge, be matched dollar-for-dollar by the University, and is tax deductible. If Alpha Mu alumni collectively raise $80,000 in honor of the Alpha Mu Chapter, the University will match those commitments for a total gift of $160,000 in support of the Center.

GIVE HERE

The Piazza Center strives to become a national leader in creating new knowledge about policies, professional practices, and educational programs that are known to transform the fraternity and sorority experience. Your support is essential for the long-term success and sustainability of Penn State’s fraternity and sorority community and our beloved fraternity. It will be a strong affirmation of your belief in the enormous potential and positive impact that sorority and fraternity life hold and will create a pathway forward so that fraternities and sororities can be known for transforming and affirming lives.

Thank you for considering this request to support the Piazza Center and the future of Greek life at Penn State. Make your contribution online now. Your gift will be credited to Pi Kappa Phi’s Alpha Mu Chapter.

Sincerely,

Stephen DiOrio ’78
Alumni President

Join Giving Tuesday on November 28

As the season of giving approaches, we would like to extend our heartfelt invitation to participate in Giving Tuesday, scheduled for November 28th. This special occasion provides an excellent opportunity for us to come together as members of the Alpha Mu Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi and make a meaningful contribution. 

It is important to emphasize the crucial role that our alumni play in shaping the future of our organization. Donations to Pi Kappa Phi are instrumental in various ways, including facilitating improvements to our chapter house, providing essential support to our undergraduate brothers, contributing to the success of alumni reunions, and bolstering our communication efforts. Your generosity will be a driving force behind the enduring legacy of the Alpha Mu Chapter for generations to come. 

We kindly invite you to join us in this noble cause by making a donation on Giving Tuesday, regardless of the amount. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, makes a significant impact. The online giving link is provided below, and we want to express our sincere appreciation in advance for your support. 

GIVE HERE

Thank you for your dedication to our beloved fraternity and your commitment to ensuring the continued success of the Alpha Mu Chapter. 

Pi Kappa Phi Alpha Mu Alumni Mentoring Program

For the 2023/2024 academic year, the undergraduates of Pi Kappa Phi Alpha Mu Chapter have decided to develop the first ever Alpha Mu Alumni Mentoring Program to strengthen the bond between alumni and current university members. 

The alumni mentorship program will pair one student with one mentor. This one-on-one guidance will develop a critical relationship between the student and the mentor.  Twenty -three undergraduate men have signed up for this program along with eighteen alumni. 

The alumni liaison for this is Harry Barfoot, Class of 1977. Harry currently mentors students within the Smeal College of Business and is an Advisory Board member for the Smeal Tarriff Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Andrew Brown, the undergraduate Historian for Alpha Mu, is the liaison for the undergraduates. Andrew is from Erie and currently is a sophomore Schreyer Honors College student pursuing an Actuarial Science major and a Statistics minor. He also is part of the Smeal College of Business Sapphire Leadership Academic Program

“The alumni and students are encouraged to meet more than 3 times a semester and are also encouraged to meet in person, if possible,” stated Historian Andrew Brown.  “The program is what each individual student makes of it. The commitment should be generally low for Alumni, but more effort will significantly benefit the student. Football games and any other weekends the alumni may find themselves in State College are great opportunities to reach out and network with the students in person. For most typical meetings, Zoom will suffice.” 

“This is a great opportunity for alumni to stay connected not only to the Alpha Mu Chapter but of the young men living in the ‘House’,” said Harry Barfoot.  “Each generation views their experience at Penn State and Pi Kappa Phi differently. But it was the bonds we built together over the years that enable us to still stay connected today. As an example, we had over 45 alumni play golf this past August as we do every year. It’s an exciting atmosphere!  Plus, we have decades of combined experience and skills that we can use to help support these young men who will soon be out in the ‘real world.’ “ 

This inaugural program will evolve over time. Anyone interested in supporting this, or to volunteer to mentor an undergraduate, please reach out to Harry Barfoot at harry.barfoot@gmail.com 

Help Connect Us to Brothers from Your Decade

We want to keep each of you in touch with your brothers from your decade, but we need your help! We have some brothers who we have lost touch with over the years, and you can help us get back in contact. 

Find which brothers from your decade who we have lost touch with throughout the years by checking out our lost member list. 

See someone you know? It is easy to update us! Just click their name and send us their email and/or mailing address. 

Thank you to those of you who wrote in with contact information when last we asked; we need to bring everyone back to our alumni communications. No brother should be left behind! 

Homecoming at Penn State Through the Ages

Year after year, thousands of students and alumni take the opportunity to join together and celebrate Penn State’s homecoming. Have you been back to State College lately?

Pi Kappa Phi wants to hear from you! What is the best place to visit when you are back in town? Is it Champs? Do you have a fun homecoming throwback to share with everyone? Let us know by emailing us at alumninews@affinityconnection.com!

Haven’t been back to State College lately? No worries! Now is the perfect opportunity to plan your next get-together with some old Alpha Mu Chapter alumni. Use our directory to contact your old buddies or leave a note via email for us to include in the next communication!

Pi Kappa Phi Alpha Mu Announces Alumni Mentoring Program

Pi Kappa Phi Alpha Mu undergraduates are in the process of developing a new Alumni Mentoring Program with the goal of fostering relationships between actives and alumni. 

At a glance, this program will pair one student with one alumni mentor to develop a strong one-on-one bond, and many students and alumni have already signed up. This includes the alumni liaison, Harry Barfoot ’77, and the undergraduate liaison, Andrew Brown.

According to Andrew Brown, the commitment level will be “generally low” for alumni, and more involved on the student half. Ultimately, any time alumni are in State College, including during football weekends, would be a great time to connect with the students. 

Please stay tuned for our next eLetter for more details to come. This inaugural program will evolve over time. Anyone interested in supporting this, or to volunteer to mentor an undergraduate, please reach out to Harry Barfoot at harry.barfoot@gmail.com.

Undergraduate Membership Report

The undergraduates were excited to begin recruitment this fall with zone days starting up on September 5th and running through September 8th.

Our zone day was that Friday September 8th, and we were excited to show off the generous new renovations being done to the house. The parking lot, new ceiling in the basement, landscaping, and work on the beach look phenomenal and we are very gracious for the updates.

I knew that we were going to catch a lot of eyes during recruitment this semester, so we were making a conscious effort to be selective and find young men that we knew would represent our brotherhood to the fullest extent of our expectations and traditions. We officially started rush week off on September 11th and it ran through September 17th with a variety of different events including a football watch party, a basketball tournament, and a wing eating contest.

Every semester we look forward to picking the next generation of Alpha Mu’s and we could not wait to extend bids to our potential new members on September 18th.

-Liam Keppler, Undergraduate Membership Chair

Thank you, Brothers

Thank you to the following brothers who have helped support Pi Kappa Phi this past giving year. Your support helped us raise $20,312 towards our Annual Fund. Alumni support is at the heart of everything we do, and we can’t thank you enough for your continued support.  

We hope to see your name listed on the Honor Roll of Donors again as we enter the 2023-24 Give Year. 

DONATE HERE

2022-2023 Honor Roll

$1,000+
Ralf Sherry, 1978
Walter Rakowich, 1979

$500-$999.99
Richard McKnight, 1957
Harry Barfoot III, 1977
Michael Myers, 1978
Stephen DiOrio, 1978
Mr. Robert Simon, 1978
Richard C. Bonner, 1979
Kevin Coologhan, 1979
Frederick Kisner, 1979
Eric Soller, 1989

$250 – $499.99
David Ferraro, 1959
Charles Skopic, 1959
Thomas Burns, 1966
Dr Robert Healy, 1967
James Hugar, 1968
John Turchek, 1968
William Lane, 1972
Douglas Wilson, 1977
John Miller, 1978
Theodore Dinardo, 1978
Stephen Ferguson, 1978
Richard Parks, 1978
David Kyle, 1981
Ricky Speicher, 1984
Lt. Bryant McGuire, 1986
Matthew Curtin, 1998

$100 – $249.99
H. White, 1950
Robert Buchwald, 1955
Richard J. Kleinert, 1959
Ronald Burdette, 1960
Theodore Schuler, 1960
Richard Vuono, 1962
John Funk, 1963
William Simpson, 1963
Thomas Keen, 1964
Douglas Prozan, 1965
Douglas Forbes, 1967
Jon Benedetti, 1968
James C. Murdough, 1969
Edward Korecky, 1969
David Kearney, 1969
Jeffrey Rebert, 1969
Donald Mizell, 1970
Ernest Hause, 1970
Al Olah, 1970
Richard Fidler, 1971
Michael Trull, 1971
John C. Mullane, 1972
Guy Kanak, 1973
Todd Kelly, 1973
Christopher L. Rebert, 1973
John Talone, 1974
D Wilson, 1975
Gregg Patterson, 1976
Scott D. Rebert, 1978
Mr. Bruce Berwager, 1979
Steven Earhart, 1981
Scott Horner, 1982
Paul Lerro, 1983
James Lawless Jr., 1983
Guy Williams, 1983
Philip Sechler, 1985
Mr. Timothy Clark, 1987
Michael Stevenson, 1987
Timothy Matson, 1989
Scott Maslowski, 1991
Albert J Musmanno, 1992
Michael Wells, 2020

$51 – $99.99
Keith Shaner, 1972
Jeff Lasala, 1980
Mr. Gerry Yantis Jr., 1982
Keith Bornmann, 1987
Steven Shelly, 1987
Daniel Dwyer, 1990

Up to $50.99
Richard Seidel, 1952
William Exley, 1955
John Gulley, 1966
Charles Ferraro, 1968
Theodore Webber II, 1968
George Mullin, 1969
Eugene Bruss, 1972
John Hickey, 1974
David Vensko, 1976
Randolph Albright, 1979
Edward Hassiepen III, 1994
Jarrett Laubach, 2001

2023-2024 Undergraduate Executive Board Announced

The undergraduates recently announced the Executive Board for the 2023-2024 school year. Congratulations to the following brothers, and we look forward to seeing all that you do for the fraternity.

2023-2024 Executive Board

Archon: Liam Keppler (Junior – Ridgefield, CT)

Vice Archon: David Ares (Junior – Springfield, NJ)

Treasurer: Patrick Hyrb (Junior – Lancaster, PA)

Secretary: Virgil Minnick (Senior – Rutherford, NJ)

Warden: Jayden Kim (Junior – Westchester, NY)

Philanthropy: Anthony Clinton (Junior – Allentown, PA)

Chaplain: Braden Kravitz (Junior – Cinnaminson, NJ)

Historian: Andrew Brown (Junior – Erie, PA)

Standards: Travis Madden (Senior – Malvern, PA)

Risk Manager: Sergio Visco (Senior – Pittsburgh, PA)

Alumni Profiles: Submit Yours Today!

Pi Kappa Phi alumni, we want to hear from you!  

As you know, our communications regularly feature alumni profiles from brothers across all decades. We love publishing these stories because our alumni are the heart of everything we do, and now, we are looking for more alumni to participate! 

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY

When life gets in the way, it can become increasingly difficult to stay in touch with our Alpha Mu buddies. That is why we want to hear from you.  

By filling out the survey, you can share what you have been up to since the Pi Kappa Phi days, your favorite memories at the house, and what being a Pi Kapp means to you. We will publish your responses in an upcoming communication in your own alumni profile. 

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Back to School with Pi Kappa Phi 

With summer winding down, it means a new school year is right around the corner. Soon, another class of students will be back on campus and in town, ready to experience another great year at Penn State.

Of course, students aren’t the only ones who will be back in town!

What are some places around State College that you can’t wait to get back to this year? Are you planning any nights at Champs or Café 210 with your Pi Kappa Phi buddies?

Is your favorite hangout spot the same as it was when you were a student? How have things changed around town in the years since you graduated?

We want to know! Share your thoughts with us HERE and be featured in an upcoming eLetter!

The older we get, the more we need our friends—and the harder it is to keep them

When you’re in middle age, you start to realize how very much you need your friends. After decades of relentless striving — kids, house, career, spouse — we find ourselves coming up for breath at some point in these middle decades. And what remains? With any luck, our friends.  

An Atlantic Monthly article (do yourself a favor and read it at tinyurl.com/lifelongfriends), says that according to the Stanford Center on Longevity, those of us over 40 have aged out of the friendship-collecting business, which tends to peak in the tumbleweed stage of life, and move into the friendship-enjoying business, luxuriating in the relationships that survived as we put down roots. 

The problem? Those friendships are awfully hard-won. Life’s significant upheavals and changes can prove too much for many friendships to withstand. As years go by, some of the dearest people in your life have gently faded away.  

But these bonds with friends are more than an extra in your life story — they are the story. Over and over, we hear stories of how Pi Kappa Phi friends drove overnight to be in weddings, wept together at funerals, cheered at the news of new babies, toasted promotions, and gathered together in adversity. In a nutshell: the friendships we gained — and still have — with our fraternity brothers are exquisitely rare in today’s world. 

Author Jennifer Senior says, “Practically everyone who studies friendship says this in some form or another: What makes friendship so fragile is also exactly what makes it so special. You have to continually opt in. That you choose it is what gives it its value.” 

Our Alpha Mu Chapter friendships have seen us through so much, but don’t take them for granted. Take a minute to text or call your roommate, or intramural teammate, and tell them that you are thinking of them. Our friendships have fueled these decades since graduation… Let’s keep it going.  

P.S. Don’t have the most recent contact information? We do! Log in and head over to our alumni directory page.