Pi Kappa Alpha - Purdue University

Page 3 Pi Kappa Alpha C harles E. Rice '87 really has his sister to thank for his Beta Phi membership. Laurie, a senior ACW member, was friends with many Pikes and recommended Chuck visit them during recruitment. "The upperclass- men went out of their way to help me. I enjoyed the cul- ture and environment and decided I wanted to be around those kinds of people." Living with 80 other young men taught Chuck many life lessons. "I learned to value diverse backgrounds, ideas, and religions." It also helped him develop a moral com- pass. "You're forced to act as a group and can't think of just yourself." As its own small society, Beta Phi Chap- ter was the foundation for Chuck to cultivate leadership qualities and experience real-world responsibility that have benefitted him throughout his career. After Chuck graduated with a bachelor of finance in consumer financial services, he worked as an investment advisor for Penn Weber and later for Bear Stearns. This March he celebrates 10 years with Morgan Stanley Pri- vate Wealth Management. As the Great Lakes regional manager, he works with clients in the ultra-high-net-worth market. With 20 years in leadership and management, Chuck is happy to offer ad- vice to young alumni and undergraduates. "Be open to different paths— don't be predisposed to a certain career." He suggests spending a few years after graduation exploring options and investing in yourself and in edu- cation. "Learn about yourself, earn a Ph.D. or master's degree. You'll gain more knowledge, new relationships, and learn what's possible." Chuck has maintained friendships he developed as an un- dergraduate and is still in close contact with roommate Mike Kristakis '86, as well as Mike Wright '85 and Joe Conti '85. He attended the golf outing and reunion last summer with Kristakis and tries to make it to campus a few times a year. He enjoys meeting the undergraduates and hopes they are receiving the positive experience he once did. "I want Beta Phi to evolve and attract solid young men who are searching for a positive culture." Chuck believes alumni and the PKA leadership must provide members with an environment that guides them in making good de- cisions and helps them excel. College students need adults, other than their parents, to talk to and learn from. "As a group, they need to understand the ramifications of their actions and that making good decisions starts now." While he enjoys playing some golf and spending time with his family—wife of 19 years Gina and children Alex (27), Andrew (24), Emily (16), and Max (12), Chuck says about 95% of his free time is spent on a bicycle. He rides nearly 60 miles every weekday, 100 on weekends, and races all across the U.S. with a group of friends. If you'd like to contact Chuck and talk about cycling or just catch up, he can be reached at rice.chuck1@gmail.com. L ast fall and this spring have marked a period of focused development for Beta Phi Chap- ter. After receiving the Smythe Award last sum- mer, it became clear that to continue on the path of excellence we must expect much more out of the Chapter. Our primary goal with the transition to a new executive council has been to push the envelope of our operations even further. Beta Phi has consistently been a leader on Pur- due's campus in both philanthropy dollars raised and community service hours worked. In the fall we hosted our annual PIKE Firefighter's Chal- lenge and fielded multiple teams from many sororities. We expanded this event this year and included teams from other fraternities, which as- sisted in making this our most successful Fire- fighter Challenge to date. This spring we will participate in Relay for Life, where all proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Foundation. Beta Phi's recruitment has continued its streak of excellence as well. We initiated 29 quality men in the fall and have 22 new members to conclude our spring recruitment. Our recent pledge classes have been marked with a very large ROTC pres- ence. Consisting of multiple Army and Air Force ROTC members, we are very proud to have men of such high caliber joining our organization. After our most recent consultation visit from PIKE national, I am certain we have gone above and beyond compared to our operations last year. Our consultant had nothing but praise for how each officer is handling his responsibilities. I am very proud of each person in the Chapter for helping us grow and improve. Here's to another year of growth and advancement! In φφκα, Alex Durre '19 Chapter President purduepikepresident@gmail.com (260) 443-9254 Charles E. Rice '87: grateFuL For Beta Phi Foundation, hoPeFuL For its Future Conner Whitaker '15, Alex Durre '15, and Dhruv Bhargava '16 attended Chapter Executives Conference in Memphis. Pike Aims for Another Year of Excellence Recruitment Yields 29 Fall Initiates and 22 Spring New Members Leo Ohandjanians '17, Nate Bruns '17, Jordan Jones '17, David Falcone '17, McGwire Plumer '17, and Brock Eibling '16 volunteered at Boys and Girls Club in Lafayette.

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