Pi Kappa Alpha - Purdue University

spring 2017 Candlelight Beta Phi Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha • Purdue University Published by the Beta Phi Foundation A pril 12 will mark the 96th anniversary of Beta Phi at Purdue. With that thought in mind, I want to bring a significant turn of events to your attention. Some 40-plus years ago (as best anyone can remember), the original charter document for the Pike Beta Phi Chapter in West Lafayette, Indiana, was lost. It has now been found. Sometime just after our reunion last fall, the charter was received in the mail by Chapter President Andrew McGowan '17. There was no return address, but the postmark was from near Columbus, Ohio. To whomever found and returned our charter to us, THANK YOU! It has fallen on us to preserve, protect, frame, and get our charter displayed. We feel it would be a great addition to our new Alumni Room, especially with our centennial anniversary just around the corner. We are planning a display in the Alumni Room with our petition for charter, the charter itself, and some historical Chapter location photos for all to see. From the local Emanon Club to the current spring pledge class, everyone should know and remember our history. The charter itself is printed on lambskin, so preserving it is a little more complicated than just picking out a picture frame. We have already been in contact with PKA National, and they have recommended some individuals to contact, but cannot offer much assistance with this process due to the lambskin. The cost will be significant. Initial estimates look to be as high as $3,000. If there are any alumni who wish to donate to this historical preservation by contributing to the Beta Phi Foundation, it would be greatly appreciated. Our goal is to have this project completed for our football reunion and Purdue Homecoming September 23 vs. Michigan, so mark your calendars and please join us. We look forward to another great weekend of fellowship. Hopefully our new football coach will improve the team so we can enjoy the game. Every year, the Beta Phi Foundation supports many events: Homecoming, scholarships, mailings, databases, Old Masters, and the golf outing, which is on June 24. Some of the most successful programs we have put in place over the last 10 years are the tutoring program and financial support in sending our new Chapter officers and chairpersons to Pike Leadership Conferences such as Pike University. We are proud to announce that Beta Phi sent 23 undergraduate members to Pike University last winter. We have seen a direct correlation between these leadership events and the improvement and use of the Chapter House. In addition, the undergraduates have now achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.04. This is above the all-men's average and continues to climb. It is only through your generous contributions that these programs are possible. We sincerely hope those of you who have supported these invaluable programs in the past will continue to do so in the future. It is also our hope that many of you, who have been watching and waiting to see improvements, will also begin to support these events and everything that the Chapter House and the Beta Phi Foundation oversee. Now that our capital campaign is drawing to a close, we need your yearly support more than ever to make sure that our 96-year-old fraternity continues to remain as strong and vibrant as ever. Sincerely in ffka, Joe Conti '85 President, Beta Phi Foundation (812) 629-3356 joscon_61@yahoo.com Beta Phi Reclaims Original Charter Document Historic Chapter Heirloom Returns Home to West Lafayette L ast fall was wildly successful for our Chapter with many great accomplishments. We welcomed 29 new members to Beta Phi during a successful recruitment season. In addition, we raised more than $16,000 for charity (placing us second on campus) and logged over 2,500 hours of community service (putting us number one out of fraternities). Perhaps our proudest accomplishment was our Chapter GPA of 3.04. After several semesters of continual improvement, we were able to break the 3.0 mark, putting us a full .2 above the campus-wide average. Thanks to some of our alumni donors, I have attended two leadership conferences this past year and have brought along over 20 other members. We all learned many valuable skills, which we will use to better Beta Phi. Thank you to those who helped us attend these conferences. Please consider continuing to give so that we can send more members this year. We hope to further excel on campus and increase the strength of our brotherhood. This spring, we have many great events lined up. I am very excited for the things that are to come during my run as president. In ffka, Wesley Groves '18 Chapter President purduepikepresident@gmail.com Brothers from the Beta Phi Chapter in Chicago for the Pike University Leadership Summit. Beta Phi Surpasses Purdue's Academic Average 96 Y ear s at Pur d u e

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