Pike Feature
Pi Kappa Alpha's Smythe Chapters
How they got there... And how your chapter can too.
When the celebration died down after the
International Convention in July 2008, one question remained that will be asked by
hundreds of undergraduates. This simple question will be the inspiration for chapter
leaders over the next academic year during their executive board meetings. It will guide
them during chapter retreats, be the central topic of conversation around the chapter
house, and be the focal point of motivation, discussions and decisions with members at
chapter meeting.
How are we going to contend to win a Smythe award this year?
What better way to help answer this question then to look to our fellow brothers who had the same challenge a year ago, and to leaders who worked so zealously to achieve a level of performance that led them to be one of the eighteen Smythe chapters this past year.
| As we continue to strive for excellence as a Fraternity, the challenge to inspire your fellow brothers to achieve the highest levels of success will start with an understanding of what that level of performance is. From a chapter on a campus with 2,000 students to a chapter on a campus with over 30,000, the leaders within our Smythe chapters have defined what success is to them and have learned how to empower their men through a common vision based upon the values of the True Pike. | |
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Excellence for our chapters is measured through four different areas of performance, membership, operations, brotherhood, and leadership. These statistics will give you a better understanding of what that level of performance is for our Smythe chapters, and challenge your men this upcoming year:
| Rank | |
| • | 16 chapters were tops in size on their campus |
| • | 15 chapters were tops in recruitment on their campus |
| • | 13 chapters were tops in athletics on their campus |
| • | 12 chapters achieved a 3.0 GPA |
| • | 11 chapters committed 100% to the Phi Phi Kappa Alpha Club |
| • | 10 chapters were a 100 man chapter |
| • | 9 chapters were of “Champion” status |
| • | 6 chapters were of “Dynasty” status |
| • | 3 chapters were of “Legacy” status |
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| Average | |
| • | 26 men average sent to Pike University events |
| • | 95% average involvement on campus |
| • | 95% average collection of dues |
| • | 6,700 hours average for community service |
| • | $14,700 average philanthropy dollars raised |
| • | 3.68 average performance score from consultant visit |
We asked some of our Smythe chapter presidents to share some insight into how their chapters achieved top status, and in some cases, how they have maintained that winning edge for years.
Eta Omicron Chapter at the University of Louisiana-Monroe
led the pack with its tenth consecutive Smythe. Asked how his chapter stays on top as a
Dynasty Level Smythe winner, Chapter President Joseph Beard ’05 remarked, “Hey
– that’s 10 in a row, and 15 wins in the last 17 years! It takes incredible
concentration. It’s a never ending journey from Smythe to Smythe, but if we’re
winning a Smythe, then we’re doing all the right things. As chapter president, I am
charged not only with keeping us on track, but with keeping us ahead of the previous
year’s pace. I’m grateful to have a chapter that is dedicated to Pi Kappa Alpha,
and an alumni association and set of advisors dedicated to Eta Omicron Chapter.
We use the ideals of scholarship, leadership, athleticism and gentlemanly conduct when we recruit men to expand our brotherhood. If a young man meets S.L.A.G., he is a winner. Our reputation at ULM brings winners to our front door – we just have to make sure we invite them on in. When a young man pledges Eta Omicron Chapter, he already knows we’re winners – and he quickly learns that we don’t like to lose. The slogan on our bulletin board is ‘if you’re not a winner, you don’t belong here’ – that’s how we feel. When you recruit scholars, leaders, athletes and gentlemen, they already know how to win. Once they learn what a Smythe is, what it takes to win one, and what it takes to stay on top for as long as we have, they work hard to do their part.
We set goals each year and periodically update the chapter on our progress towards meeting and exceeding those expectations. We don’t preach Smythe, we preach doing the right thing.
Also, Eta Omicron Chapter has an advisor, Tommy Walpole (Eta Omicron ’80), who sets a strong tone for us and then expects us to do what we know is right. Our alumni association, house corporation and advisory board help keep us pointed in the right direction. I can’t tell you how much time, energy and money our alumni continue to pour into our chapter. It is a very comforting feeling to know not only are they there for us, but that when I assume alumni status, I’ll immediately be put in a position to assist my chapter. I never have to take on a challenge alone – there are over 900 brothers who have my back.
When Eta Omicron’s name was called for that 10th consecutive Smythe, well, I was as proud of being a Pike that day as I was the day I got initiated and the day I was elected chapter president!”
This year, Dynasty Level Epsilon Chapter at Virginia Tech won
its ninth consecutive Smythe Award. Tyler Greene ’05 served Epsilon Chapter as rush
chairman, president, and vice president during his undergraduate years. He also spoke
about the importance of recruitment in chapter excellence:
“The motivation to stay on top is derived from the men we recruit and the surrounding Greek community. As the Greek community has strengthened, it has continually motivated our current membership to stay above the campus norm and not conform to the traditional ‘Greek’ stereotype. Also, we recruit competitive men who want to be part of the best organization if they are going to join one at all – that is our niche.
The key to our continued success is one-on-one recruitment. The recruitment chairmen program the events, manage the database of names or ‘green book’, and set up interviews. But it’s up to the individual members to do the recruiting. Epsilon has always done 20-minute informal interviews with two or three brothers and a rushee to explain what Pike is and answer any questions. This differentiates Pike from every other fraternity on campus, illustrates professionalism, and shows personal interest in the individual being interviewed.
It’s hard to translate the feeling of winning a Smythe Award at an Academy or Convention. Winning a Smythe is a great goal for a chapter, but doing things just to put them on a year end summary defeats the purpose of the award. Simply do the right things, be your brother’s keepers, do community service, participate in philanthropy, play intramurals, and be social, just because you can. If your chapter does those things, then the awards will follow.”
Carlos Lindo ’05, president of Dynasty Level Delta Lambda
Chapter at Florida State – which took home its seventh consecutive Smythe,
spoke about his chapter’s pride and reputation:
“Too many times, chapters that constantly win become laid back because they feel like winning is inevitable. This is wrong. For us, we have to constantly remind the chapter that we will never be handed any trophy – we must work hard every day to retain our great reputation. The moment we become complacent will be the day we lose our status.
We recruit great men who are competitive and have won or been on top for most of their lives. As well, our pledge process instills a mentality of working hard to stay on top. This process fuels our members’ desire to remain the best.
Our alumni, too, have instilled in us a desire to be the best. Their stories, trophies and contribution do not allow us to be anything else. We set a standard of greatness and do not drop below that standard. Everything you do must be set about that standard. If it is not, make it. Without a mindset of greatness, you’ll never be able to achieve it.”
Adam Muszynski ’06, president of Legacy Level Smythe Beta Eta
Chapter (Illinois), added, “It is very difficult to rise to the top and be
recognized as one of the best. It is far more difficult to remain on top and ward off
those ever so pesky feelings of complacency. With an extremely large chapter (around 160
men), we find that demanding participation from all members brings us together as a
chapter. We call on each and every member to fulfill his obligation to the chapter, and it
is that sense of individual accomplishment that keeps everyone active in the Greek
community and beyond.
There is a particular attitude that defines a Beta Eta Pike. It’s a demeanor, a confidence. Never cocky, never too outspoken, but outgoing, never-say-die attitude. That is the type of man we recruit at Beta Eta. Throughout the new member education process and beyond, the active members of our chapter preach the Smythe mentality. We recognize the men who have come before us and who have gotten us to where we are now, and we strive to continue that legacy. The chapter truly desires to achieve that Dynasty status with our next Smythe award, and we refuse to let anything stand in our way. This mentality is truly instilled in all of our members, even new initiates.
Our senior involvement, dwindling in years past, has surged forward, as former leaders of this house continue to contribute to the chapter, offering advice and recommendations where necessary. If the older guys are still willing to give 110% to this house, even on their way out, the younger guys had better fill their shoes. This is the attitude of the sophomores and juniors. And our alumni involvement has increased dramatically in the past few years. We are in the middle of an extensive capital campaign to fund the construction of a new chapter house. Our monthly newsletters to alumni have been getting stronger and stronger reviews, as potential donors desire updates and a feeling of connection with their chapter.
It truly only takes the work ethic of one man to rub off on his brothers and completely change the attitude of a chapter.”
Champion Level Lambda Lambda Chapter at the University of
California-Irvine won its second consecutive Smythe. Chapter President Kyle
Holmes ’05 observed the following critical strategies:
“One aspect of remaining competitive in the race for the Smythe has been acknowledging the achievements of other Pike chapters and working to either emulate them or improve upon them. Lambda Lambda strives to be amongst the best in the nation, and in doing so, attempts to develop methods of bringing successful programs from the national arena to our local community.
This requires extensive research and answer-seeking. Generally, the ideas that we glean from other chapters, and our staff, stem from policies or practices learned at leadership events. Lambda Lambda invests heavily in our membership development and in our leadership training for this reason; to continually update our programming for the year so that it models itself after the most successful chapters in Pike. This practice has also permitted us to realize gains in our community and has improved our performance at Irvine.
Enthusiasm and a positive attitude are important. The hardest working men of your chapter, the executives, have to make sure that they exude fun. They have to show the actives that they are having a great time, or else everyone becomes worried that the chapter is not doing well. If the chapter is well organized, has good meetings, and has an engaged active membership, the last part of the puzzle is staying positive.
The greatest thing about winning a Smythe is that in the process of doing so, everyone, as a team, gets to celebrate in the individual and collective achievements of the chapter and of their brothers. It brings the members closer together and it demonstrates to each brother his potential for success.”
Alpha Upsilon Chapter at New York University received its
first Smythe Award since 2004. Chapter President Karol Kocemba ’05 talked about the
strategies his chapter uses in its unique situation at a large, urban private school:
“Our senior class last year was full of driven and involved brothers whose attitudes trickled down the younger members. We made our pledging process more organized, purposeful and motivational which gave us a tremendous influx of highly active brothers once our fall class was initiated. This year we made it clear even during rush: we are only looking for driven men. We sold that as our standard, we highlighted that while we are a very diverse chapter we all share the quality of being hungry to succeed – academically, socially, financially, personally. With the momentum behind us of the largest pledge class in chapter history and great relations between younger and older brothers, spring rush was easily a big success.
Our biggest strength is marketing through many different mediums. We have a massive Facebook campaign early in the summer where we invite hundreds of incoming freshmen and existing students to our rush events. Our recruitment chairs actively hound brothers for recommendations and referrals. Our fall pledge class always holds an event in the fall to invite their floormates and other non-Greek friends out to meet the Pikes (months before spring rush even begins). We’re very organized in recording contact information for all the potential new members we meet, then we choose the best medium and best times to contact them. I as president contacted over 200 students through a combination of individual personal calls, emails and text messages halfway through rush week to ensure high attendance at our pivotal event.
Many of our alumni live in NYC and come out regularly to our events. We have semesterly meetings with a panel of influential alumni and allow our existing officers to benefit from their insight.
Our situation, our Greek community, and our student body are different than almost any other school and because of that our approach to everything from rush to social events to risk awareness is different. But in more general terms, I think that the key to a successful chapter is consistent demonstration of active brotherhood from the most respected, most senior, most charismatic members of the organization. I’ve found that once the leaders initiate a culture of brotherhood it quickly gains momentum and spreads to all levels of the chapter.”
“Beta Beta works
hard to recruit men that have a certain hunger and passion for the Fraternity, which in
turn carries over into a winning mindset.” “It’s really about getting
all of the guys in the chapter into the mindset of being the best you can be. 18-22 year
old guys in the midst of their college careers are often difficult to motivate, and a lot
of times complacency is the easiest and simplest form of participation in the chapter. I
think that the key to such success is to constantly be thinking of how to become even
better. If you’re not the best, what can you do to be the best? We may have won
Smythes four consecutive years, but that fifth Smythe is what’s most important to our
guys.” “Our source of motivation
includes challenging each other to top last year’s accomplishments. Our executive
board drives this by pushing to have our chairmen perform at the highest level. We also
seek to empower our new members to come in and make a difference right away. We’ve
found that the best way to get new members to ‘take a stake’ in the
chapter’s success is by giving them responsibility early, and help them to learn how
to run successful chapter programming from day one of their membership.” “Recruit around your
‘core’: athletics, academics, philanthropy, and social involvement. Building a
winning and sustainable fraternity is all about your human capital, or the quality of your
Brothers. Seek out and get guys that want to win and set high expectations for
themselves.” “Winning a Smythe came naturally when
the house dedicated itself to bettering the community. If the chapter leadership can set
an attitude of excellence, the younger members will follow.” |