Life in Alpha Pi: A Social History
From Uwphitau
An article documenting Alpha Pi's social scene as a colony. An integral part of the Chartering Petition.
Life in Alpha Pi: A Social History
By JonClark
Looking back over our last full year I see that we’ve come a long way. Honestly the first few months I didn’t even know everyone’s name, much less know them decently well. From our first quarter on campus, just after Tim and Eddie had left, the Alpha Pi Colony was forced to create its own social programming, and that was a difficulty because of the lack of a common structure, among other things. The first brotherhood events Alpha Pi did was meeting every at the IMA fields to play ultimate Frisbee, or football, or soccer. That didn’t work for very long though because we were doing the same thing every week. During winter quarter, we experienced a bit of a falling out in the brotherhood, and most guys were down on the fact that the only thing we did was meet weekly for chapter meetings. So by the time spring quarter rolled around and we were living in the Theta Delta Chi house the colony took a great sigh of relief. Living in a common structure honestly boosted the experiences of brotherhood. On a daily basis we were able to eat our meals together, play basketball on the court, or just hang out and play X-box.
That same spring, the Alpha Pi colony competed in the Greek Week competition. With the other two houses we were paired with the Alpha Pi colony came in second. No small feat for the newest house on campus. Throughout this last year, Alpha Pi created cards and sent bouquets of flowers to all of the Sororities in celebration of their founder’s days. Alpha Pi has also carved pumpkins for two years now with a sorority’s letters and given them to each house. The first year we did this we carved the pumpkins at Jeffrey Coon’s house with Tim Hudson and Eddie Rauen. This helped the Alpha Pi colony break into what is a very repetitious social environment in Greek life (houses generally like to do the same activities during similar quarters with the same houses), so that we set up successful exchanges with houses like Alpha Delta Pi, and Delta Zeta, and set up an Alpha Xi Delta pledge class social as well as a raid with Zeta Tau Alpha. This colony actually had the guts to go to the Alpha Xi Delta house to bake cookies with them. We learned they really do like to dough better when raw.
The spring quarter was truly a busy one as a number of guys traveled to both WSU and Las Vegas for the Domain Conference and West Coast road trip. This built brotherhood among the occupants of each car; traveling the 20 hours it takes to get from Seattle, Washington to Las Vegas, Nevada. Once there, we were also introduced to various alumni and undergraduate brothers with whom we exchanged ideas, such as philanthropies, fundraising events recruitment, programming, and brotherhood activities.
Throughout the summer, the Live-Ins continued brotherhood experiences mainly through the recruitment programming. Being there to meet new recruits and men who were offered bids as well as go camping, bridge jumping, canoeing, out for food, etc. One such event was meant to be a recruitment activity, but no recruits showed up or could come, so we stuck with the plans anyway and went to Kevin Kotecki’s grandfather’s farm and picked berries, chopped wood, hiked with our chapter advisor, shot guns, and when we came back we made an Alpha Pie.
On any given day we would play a few hours of halo and Super Bomberman on linked X-box’s, play tennis, or just hang out. Once autumn quarter rolled around, the Phi Taus were very anxious to move out of the Theta Delta Chi house and into its own structure just a block away. The fraternity currently resides within the main DKE structure and is leasing it from their housing corporation.
The Phi Taus also introduced “Call on Me”, an 80's music video that became instantly popular so that it calls the brotherhood to dinner every night. We’ve also spent late nights competing in poker tournaments and playing Halo. Brad Joutras partook in both activities when he was here. This was also the first quarter of rallies (the Husky marching band plays parades through the Greek system) and football games for the fraternity. Some of the brothers bought “Dawg Pack” tickets. It’s at our current location that the brotherhood created its DodgeBall traditions and rules for the front yard, which has carried itself down to the IMA for competition. Now two four square courts reside in the formal room, and some of the men spent five hours straight, and invented ultimate two square as well as writing the entire rule book for Phi Tau Four Square, or as it’s better known among some of the members Phi Tau Phour Squizzie.
It’s been a long year and the progress that we’ve made from not knowing one another to having over 40 men comprising a strong brotherhood that competes in within the Greek system not only for quality members, but has fun and competition among its members is amazing.
