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A FORMER ARCHON’S PERSPECTIVE
REFLECTING ON THE TRANSITION TO THE CURRENT HOUSE IN 1994 BY DAVE CALZARETTA
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his next academic year marks the 30th anniversary of Pi Kappa Phi finding its new home at 1720 N. Jordan Avenue. I was fortunate enough to be the archon during this historic period for the Alpha Psi Chapter. When I reflect on this period of my life, my first thought is, “How the heck did I get so old?” Once I get passed this notion, I find myself with a big smile on my face as I harken back to my college days and think about all that had to happen for Alpha Psi to make this move. It was a beautiful spring day, and I was walking back to our old house at 1415 N. Jordan Avenue. I moved in as a freshman during my associateship, so this was my third year in this house. It was certainly an upgrade from the rechartering days in the Ashton dormitory, but being frank, the house was falling apart, and if you drove by quickly, it was easy to mistake it for the Brady Bunch house with its distinct ’70s features. I would pass 1720 N. Jordan, the old Sigma Kappa sorority house that was sitting empty every day on my way home from campus. The house was built only a few years before, in 1991, and the sorority lived in it for all of two years before they lost their charter. “I wish we lived in that house,” I used to say to myself as I walked by. I decided it was time to make a phone call down to Vincennes University to speak to the legendary Dr. Phillip Summers, our National President and Alpha Psi brother. “Dr. Phil,” I asked “what is going on with the Sigma Kappa house?” In his booming voice, Dr. Phil said, “I don’t know, brother Dave, why do you ask?” “Well, I certainly appreciate that we have a house, but we are a growing and thriving chapter. That house is way nicer than ours, and I think it could be just what we need to take Pi Kappa Phi to the next level at Indiana University.” Dr. Phil and I talked a bit more, and he agreed to look into it for us. Within weeks, things started to move quickly. An empty sorority house on the North Jordan extension was a white elephant. The only thing that could move into that house was another fraternity or sorority, so the bank was eager to make a deal work. This was a defining moment for our chapter. While it was certainly a huge opportunity, it was also a huge risk. The capacity at 1415 was 71 brothers. To make it work at 1720, 95 brothers had to live in. That would mean we would need a large recruiting class, and we would need all the seniors to live in, many of whom were looking forward to living off-campus in their own apartment. Dr. Phil and I talked about this a lot. If we made this move and couldn’t get to and maintain capacity, it would mean putting the chapter’s future in danger. I remember having a bold moment and telling Dr. Phil, “If you get us that house, I promise that I will get you 95 brothers willing to live in it.”