Pi Kappa Alpha Iota Delta Chapter

A week ago at nine in the morning, brothers and alumni converged in the back lounge to receive the many jobs planned for work day. Projects included adding an overhang to the barn roof, trimming the trees along the back field and along the road into the Fraternity, patching up and fixing the drywall in the main house and annex, tidying up the trail leading to the Heritage Trail, fixing the sidewalk torn up when the water main was fixed, filling potholes in the parking lot, building a waterproof storage room in the basement, and cleaning off the roofs of the buildings on the grounds. Thanks to all the brothers who spent their Saturday working around the grounds. A special thanks goes out to all the alumni who came back and helped us complete all the projects we had planned.

About a month ago, the first step was taken to transform the GMC pumper firetruck into the ultimate tailgating machine. The original 800 gallon steel tank was removed to make room for the tailgating equipment. A 200 gallon plastic tank will be installed so we can still pump out water onto unsuspecting individuals. Futhermore, a tailgate will be installed with removable grills and mounted speakers on the back of the truck. Add to that a new deck and lights and everyone will be able to tell where the burgers are at. Implementation is expected to take two years. Pictures from the recent Fire truck workday can be found here.

For the second time in three years, Pike has brought home the Samuel F. Hulbert Cup for Greek Games with a first place victory this past Sunday. The 2007 Greek Games consisted of the following events: Chariot Race, Relay Race, Dodgeball, Tug of War, Field Events, Eating Contest, and Pyramid. The school's spring blood drive also counted for points. Pike finished runner-up in the Blood Drive, Tug of War, Field Events, and Pyramid and victories in the Chariot Race and the Eating Contest pushed Pike to victory.

On Friday, starting at 6 pm and lasting for twelve hours, Pike Rose participated in the Vigo county Relay for Life. Throughout the night, brothers walked around the track, supported other booths, and ran their own jail to raise money for cancer reseach and education. At 8:30, a memorial lap was walked to remember every person that had fought cancer and passed away, as well as for the people who survived. The overall goal for Vigo country was to raise 25,000 dollars. As the event wound down, it was announced that over 35,000 dollars had been raised. Great job to all who participated and come back next year for an even better event.

Nicholas Corkill, a sophomore civil engineering major from Normal, Ill., helped organize members of Rose-Hulman’s Cecil T. Lobo American Society of Civil Engineers chapter to construct a 30-foot wheelchair ramp for an elderly Terre Haute couple. The ramp now allows the couple to leave the home for doctor visits. Corkill designed the ramp, with assistance from ASCE faculty advisor Kevin Sutterer. For stepping up and leading the project, as well as putting in more than seventy hours of planning, Corkill was awarded the prestigious Winter Student Leadership Award from Rose-Hulman.

Brent Covele was named as Pi Kappa Alpha's Greek of the Year at Rose-Hulman for 2007. At the banquet this past week, sponsored by Rose-Hulman's Office of Student Affairs, Rose-Hulman President Gerald Jakubowski delivered the keynote address, commending each Greek organization's Greek of the Year winner on their service to their organizations, the campus, and the community.

Brent Covele, a senior physics major of Iota Delta, served as scholarship chair for the chapter, volunteers to lead other chapter activities and organized a team that participated in an Anchor Splash fund-raising event. Other accomplishments include his membership in the physics honor fraternity and his recognition on the dean’s list for every quarter at his time at Rose-Hulman.

In the spring 2007 issue of the Shield & Diamond, Pi Kappa Alpha's national quarterly magazine, Iota Delta's house has been recognized via a two page article in the Myths and Legends section. The article contains a history of the house, along with some pictures of the house and information on some of the ghost stories it has gathered over the last 104 years. Read more at Do Orphaned Ghosts Haunt This Terre Haute Mansion?

On Saturday, March 24, members of Pi Kappa Alpha teamed up with the organization TREES to help plant trees at Terre Haute North High School. Overall, 58 trees were planted along the roadside, beautifying the campus.

TREES Inc. is a local non-profit environmental volunteer group founded in January 1990 to encourage the planting of trees to:

• Replenish the declining urban forest.
• Educate citizens about the importance of maintaining the existing trees.
• Improve the environment.
• Beautify the community.
• Stimulate community participation and civic pride.

Rose-Hulman held its annual Intramural swim meet this past Wednesday and the men of Pi Kappa Alpha came away with a sweeping victory, taking home all 31 possible IM points from the meet by winning every event as well as the overall meet. Event results included:

With this victory, Pike takes the overall IM points lead by 21 points.

Pi Kappa Alpha has shown its dominance in the water by taking home the ISU Delta Gamma Anchor Splash gold trophy for the fifth year in a row. Event firsts place finishes include the medley relay, beach ball relay, ping pong ball relay, two man relay, and synchronized swimming event. Congratulations to all brothers that contributed to the win and to all those who attended and supported them. Anchor Splash is a Delta Gamma annual philanthropy event for Service for Sight/Sight Conservation.