Epsilon Omicron | March 2021

MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1

PI KAPPA PHI EPSILON OMICRON EXCEPTIONAL LEADERS. UNCOMMON OPPORTUNITIES.

EPSILON OMICRON By the Numbers

Rechartering date: October 29, 2016 Current Membership: 110 Undergraduates Total raised for Ability Experience 2020: $29,320 Chapter GPA: 3.72 Current Alumni Count: ~600 SAVE THE DATE!

Alumni/Undergrad Golf Outing at Linfield National Golf Club - April 17, 2021

STATE OF THE UNDERGRAD CHAPTER Dear Pi Kappa Phi Alumni,

The Executive Board of the Villanova chapter is on a mission to establish a relationship with both eras of Pi Kappa Phi alumni. With the help of National Treasurer Joe Brady, we have accumulated a list of contact information and are bringing you up to speed on our achievements since refounding and rechartering in 2015 and 2016.

ACADEMICS From Fall 2017 through this semester we have held the highest cumulative GPA of all fraternities on campus, averaging over 3.51 each semester. We have graduated members from each college on campus: Business, Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Nursing.

MEMBERSHIP Even in the face of Covid-19 restrictions, our strong oncampus recruitment continues. We successfully recruited a class of 18 members in the fall and have an active membership of 110 total brothers. Spring recruitment begins in February. **ALL photos in this publication taken pre-Covid19**

On Campus Involvement PHILANTHROPY Pi Kappa Phi is extremely proud to be the only fraternity in the nation with its own philanthropy, The Ability Experience. Philanthropy has been an important aspect of our fraternity, and through annual events like Bubble Soccer, the Tour De Pi Kapp, and Blind Dodgeball (which gained national recognition throughout the fraternity) we have been proud to contribute significantly to this great cause.

In 2019, we raised $29,230 and committed 3,275 hours of service, which were both the highest marks among fraternities on campus. We have built a strong relationship with our NOVADance Hero, Sebastian. Sebastian is nine years old and suffers from Burkitt Lymphoma. Since 2016, we've stayed connected to Sebastian and his family through Lego building parties, watching his youth basketball games, and organizing a drive-by Halloween parade through his neighborhood last fall.

We have many brothers who are very involved personally in various on campus philanthropic groups including Special Olympics, NOVADance, and LEVEL. In 2019, our Philanthropy Chairman, Lorenzo Penna, was recognized as Pi Kapp’s National Philanthropy Chairman of the Year.

One of our junior brothers, PJ D’Amico, is currently training to participate in Gear Up Florida, a national Pi Kapp 850-mile bike ride from Miami to Tallahassee, FL this summer in support of the Ability Experience. Kevin Innella (Biology/Pre-Med '18) is our most recent alumni to participate in the event.

ALUMNI EVENT SPOTLIGHT Our next event will be a golf outing at Linfield National Golf Club in Linfield, PA on April 17th.

Please email Sean Oates at soates2@villanova.edu for more details and we hope to see you there!

You can update your info to stay in touch with our chapter and the national organization at www.pikapp.org/updateyourinfo

Brotherhood UNDERGRADUATE BONDING We have kept our brotherhood strong among our 110 active brothers in many ways, even with the past year of Covid restrictions. Outside of social events, we have been staying connected through various group chat “committees”. These include chats for brothers to discuss everything from sports leagues, video games, organizing pickup sports, clothes, which classes to take, and even where to find the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia (John’s Roast Pork is our favorite hidden gem).

These chats helped strengthen our brotherhood immensely during quarantine when we were not able to meet in person.

One of our junior brothers, Sam Friel, also recently started the Pi Kapp Flag Football League, with involvement of over 70 brothers and set to continue through the entire semester. We have also kept active brothers and recent alumni connected for professional development purposes, with different networking chats for Business, Engineering, and other colleges of Villanova.

ALUMNI INVOLVEMENT One of our goals is to bridge the professional gap between our undergraduate members and our alumni. In the past, we have had informal mentoring and connections to help guide juniors and seniors into their professional careers. We invite any alumni interested in sharing their career journey to speak at our virtual chapter meetings. Please email Archon Jack Sorbo at jsorbo@villanova.edu if you would like to participate.

Since our rechartering we have had almost 150 alumni graduate and begin their professional careers. In upcoming editions of this newsletter we will highlight undergraduates and alumni of the Epsilon Omicron chapter. If you would like to be featured or nominate a brother for their personal or professional accomplishments, please reach out to our Historian, Sean Oates at soates2@villanova.edu.

Questions, comments, improvements?

We will begin releasing these newsletters on a regular basis and would love your input! Please let us know how we can better serve our alumni community through these communications. We appreciate you taking the time to read this message - it is our hope that you would like to connect with our chapter and be a part of our future achievements and alumni events.