Mu (Durham) Fall 2021 Newsletter

Mu Musings -  Mu Chapter Abolish IFC Movement on Duke Campus

Spring 2020 PC at Beach Week

Spring 2021 PC at Kurama

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Prior to the start of the 2020-2021 school year, a group of students began a movement to eradicate Greek life from Duke’s campus. Proponents of the Abolish IFC and Panhellenic movement presented a petition of thousands of signatures to the University’s administration. The effects were significant across the IFC and Panhellenic Council; in total, 3 sororities and 1 fraternity disbanded, with Pi Kappa Phi losing over half of its members, mainly upperclassmen. For the 2020-2021 academic year, the Mu Chapter was left with 17 sophomores, 4 juniors, and 1 senior. This, coupled with the coronavirus pandemic, made it feel as though the Mu Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi had reached its end. However, thanks to the exceptional work of the remaining 22 members, the Mu Chapter has managed to recover. We have been able to welcome a full class of 19 members last spring, and we look to continue our growth this coming spring.

Disaffiliation From Duke and the Durham IFC In February 2021, the Mu Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, along with eight other fraternities, announced that they were disaffiliating from Duke University. The action was in response to two new policies enacted by the University.

The first restricted freshmen students from rushing fraternities, permanently moving rush to a student’s sophomore year. The second removed on-campus section housing for fraternities. These decisions—apart of Duke’s new transition to a residential college system—were made without the consultation of the fraternities. Under the direction of the North American Interfraternity Council, Pi Kappa Phi and the eight other disaffiliated fraternities established the Durham Interfraternity Council to serve as their governing body. The Durham IFC successfully held a virtual rush last year and plans to do so again this spring.

Chapter Address

A newsletter from the Mu Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi | Page 2

Letter from the Archon Dear Brothers, I hope this newsletter finds you well. I would like to give a brief update on the current state of the Chapter. As you now know, the student-led movement to abolish the IFC and Panhellenic Association at Duke, in addition to the University’s new policies regarding rush and on-campus section housing, has had a profound effect on Greek life at Duke and the membership of the Mu Chapter. That being said, the members we were able to retain are all extremely passionate about this chapter and have worked diligently to rebuild our fraternity. I would like to recognize the work of our current members, as well as Blake Rasnake, our Chapter Relations Manager, and CEO Mark Timmes for helping the Mu Chapter throughout this period.

I’d like to take this time to introduce myself. My name is Hank Tsekerides, and I am a Junior from Long Island, New York. I am studying Environmental Sciences with a minor in Economics. I hope to work in clean technology, renewable energy, or corporate sustainability after graduation. Outside of my role as Archon, I am the house band drummer for the campus record label, Small Town Records, and I am involved with various consulting projects through the Energy Club.

I joined Pi Kappa Phi in the spring of 2020. This semester was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I was able to form strong relationships with the members of my pledge class. And even though the movement to abolish Greek life almost destroyed the Mu Chapter, our remaining members were reliable and supportive. I had an amazing experience with my brothers, and I wanted to be able to provide that experience to a new generation of members. I was elected as Archon, and I have been proud to lead the Executive Council through these past two semesters.

The journey was not without difficulty. We learned how to operate a fraternity without upperclassmen mentorship, disaffiliated from the university, and conducted virtual recruitment while competing with organizations four times our size. The unfortunate reality was that, of the disaffiliated fraternities, PiKapp was the only one stricken with membership issues due to the Abolish IFC and Panhellenic movement. Despite the obstacles, we were able to recruit and initiate 19 brothers into the Mu Chapter. We have been able to hold various brotherhood and philanthropy events, and we are looking forward to carrying out more events in the future.

I hope this newsletter provides you with the opportunity to reconnect with the Mu Chapter. We are excited to host alumni events and meet you all, so stay tuned for more information in coming newsletters.

Though we have made significant progress in rebuilding the Chapter, we still need your help.

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved with the chapter, then you can do so in one of several ways: 1.Update your contact information as appropriate so that we can best communicate with you.

2.Reach out to me by phone, text, or email to share your Pi Kappa Phi story or favorite memory.

Talking with alumni about traditions lost during the pandemic will allow us to cultivate a quintessential Mu experience for current and future brothers.

3.Make a tax deductible to donation to the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation on behalf of the Mu chapter by visiting https://donate.pikapp.org/PKCMU. These donations cover costs associated with PiKapp College and Supreme Chapter.

Please contact me if you’d like to pass along any experiences and traditions that were meaningful to you and your time here as a Mu, as well as whether you would be interested in contributing financially to the Chapter. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

All the best,

Hank Tsekerides Archon | Pi Kappa Phi – Mu Chapter het11@duke.edu (631) 807-0502

A newsletter from the Mu Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi | Page 3

Brother Spotlight: Marcos Arias The Mu Chapter would like to highlight the exceptional accomplishments of one of our very own: Marcos Arias (pictured right).

Marcos has served as Secretary (2020) and Social Chair (2021) of the Mu Chapter, bringing an immense attention to detail to all his duties. Had it not been for Marcos’ leadership and organizational skills, the Mu Chapter would likely no longer exist.

Outside of the fraternity, Marcos is involved in the Latin Business Organization, Mi Gente, and Scale and Coin, in addition to his work as a Mathematics Teaching Assistant. Following his junior year, Marcos plans to return to Microsoft, where he will be a software engineering intern.

Philanthropy Spotlight On August 28, we held a bake sale during the Have U Heard Fest at Durham Central Park. The proceeds benefitted Arts Access—a Durham nonprofit that seeks to make the arts more accessible to those with disabilities. We were able to generate over $700 for this worthy cause. A special thanks to those who donated and Philanthropy Chair Ivan Petropolous (pictured below far right) for arranging the event!

Countdown to Craziness (2021)

Contact Information Address:

923 Clarendon St. Durham, NC 27705

Phone:

(631) 807-0502 Hank Tsekerides

Email:

het11@duke.edu Hank Tsekerides