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The gentlemen of Alpha Kappa finished the year with several highly acclaimed honors in recent campus banquets. Between the Greek Leadership Banquet and Student Leadership Banquet held on April 14th and April 17th, respectively, the Chapter brought in seven major awards. Four of the awards were on an individual basis, while the entire Chapter was recognized for three. Individual recognitions include the following: Brother Brett Gaumond was recognized as an Order of Omega Greek Student of the Month. Brother Nick Mentesana was given the award of Order of Omega Student of the Year. Brother William Kirby brought home the Ned and Berna Harvey Volunteer Involvement Awards due to his extraordinary work as a Student Ambassador. Finally, Brother Daniel Ryan received The Student Council Keystone Award, the most prestigious award honor achieved by any individual Pike at the award banquets. As a Chapter, Pi Kappa Alpha obtained three admirable awards. Alpha Kappa accepted the Student Council Group Community Service Award, the Order of Omega Award of Excellence Gold, and the IFC Group Community Service Award for their outstanding efforts on campus and in the community. All of the Brothers of Alpha Kappa worked extremely hard to achieve such a successful set of leadership banquets and will continue to do so in the coming years.

To help them reach their community service goal this semester, 21 men from the Alpha Kappa chapter volunteered in Springfield, MO for Kids Against Hunger. The trip occurred during the weekend of April 11th-13th. The men assisted in bagging food for malnourished children in countries such as Guatemala and Kenya. A total of 780 service hours were accumulated from this trip. The Chapter would like to give thanks to Pastor Greg Esselman of the Woodland Heights Church for allowing volunteers to stay at the church for the second time this semester.

For this semester’s weekend long service trip, 46 men from the Alpha Kappa Chapter volunteered two full days from their busy weekend schedule to take a trip down to Springfield, MO on the weekend of February 22nd-24th. Working in conjunction with a Habitat for Humanity group run by Drury University architecture students, our brothers were split into two groups, where everyone contributed by building both interior and exterior walls to a new home, along with trusses to help support the roof. By the end of the trip, these men totaled just over 1900 hours of community service, and left with the satisfaction of knowing that they made an impact on those in need. The Alpha Kappa Chapter would also like to give special thanks to Pastor Greg Esselman of the Woodland Heights Church for giving our brothers a place to sleep for the weekend.

On January 26th, 2008, the Alpha Kappa Chapter initiated 20 new members from the Fall 2007 pledge class into the bonds of brotherhood. Throughout the past semester, these men not only proved their quality within the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, but also in the classroom and around the community. Together, these men posted an impressive 3.10 cumulative GPA (above the all-men’s, all-Greek, and campus wide GPAs), along with 2369 hours of community, where their activities ranged from baling clothes locally to a weekend long service trip to Steelville, MO. The active chapter welcomes the new initiates with much enthusiasm and confidence in their potential to be the future leaders of Alpha Kappa. Congratulations Fall 2007!

The men of Alpha Kappa are pleased to announce that their chapter G.P.A. for Fall 2007 was 3.11, which ranked second among 19 fraternities on the Missouri S&T campus. In addition to this, the Fall 2007 pledge class averaged a G.P.A of 3.19, which ranked second among all fraternity pledge classes at MS&T. These G.P.A.’s are the highest that AK has earned in recent memory. The chapter owes much of its success to the Scholarship Committee, which enforced mandatory study hours throughout the semester and organized a tutoring system where older Brothers could assist younger members in studying for certain difficult courses.

Effective January, 1st, 2008, the University of Missouri-Rolla will officially become the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Missouri S&T will better reflect the Universities focus as a technological research university and aid in the administrations goals of becoming one of the nation’s top five technological research universities by 2010. A more recognizable name will also attract more non-Missouri residents including some of the top graduating seniors in the nation.

Chancellor John F. Carney III states that, “Missouri S&T will better define the university as a leading technological research university. We believe the new name will help to differentiate this university in a highly competitive university market and provide a national competitive advantage.”

The Alpha Kappa chapter supports the Chancellor and fully embraces the name change. We will continue to improve our campus and will strive to help Missouri S&T be one of the best collegiate institutions in the nation. Also check us out at hello.mst.edu/watch.html

On the weekend of October 19th and 20th, the University of Missouri-Rolla held its annual Homecoming. Over 45 Alpha Kappa alumni visited Rolla to join in the celebration and to visit the newly renovated and expanded chapter house.

In an effort to encourage strong brotherhood and a life-long commitment to friendship and service for and by the members of Alpha Kappa, a new 8,000-square-foot annex was added to the Pi Kappa Alpha House and officially dedicated during a ceremony on Saturday, October 20, 2007. Rolla Mayor Bill Jenks, III presented a proclamation proclaiming October 20th “Dedication of Pi Kappa Alpha Annex Day.” The new Pi Kappa Alpha Annex, which symbolizes the same tradition of beauty and elegance that the Alpha Kappa of Pi Kappa Alpha House is known for, is a great addition to not only the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, but the UMR campus, and the greater Rolla community.

Alpha Kappa is very appreciative of the support the alumni and University had to offer in making this addition a possibility.

On the weekend of October 5th – 7th, the men of Pi Kappa Alpha took a service trip to two separate local destinations. Twenty people went to Springfield, MO where they volunteered under the Council of Churches: Connection Handymen Service. This particular group worked primarily on the demolition of a 20 feet by 30 feet shed. While there for the weekend, the group stayed at Woodland Heights Presbyterian Church. A second group of 25 people went to Steeleville, MO to work under the Ozark Trail Association. This group constructed about a mile of brand new trail from scratch, and while there, camped out at Roth’s Farm. Alpha Kappa is also planning another service trip to the YMCA camp at Potosi, MO on the weekend of November 9th – 11th. With the completion of these service trips, the Chapter will be well on there way to another year of 10,000 plus hours.

On September 29th, Alpha Kappa Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha held their first annual Mom’s Day. Mom’s Day is one of the new annual events by the newly started Parent’s Club. Over 40 mothers, fathers, and grandparents were in attendance for the event. The day started out with a family brunch immediately followed by a scholarship ceremony. Academic scholarships were given out for the spring 2007 semester as well as other leadership and outstanding member scholarships for the 2006 – 2007 academic year. Over $43,000 in scholarships was given out to deserving brothers, courtesy of Alpha Kappa’s generous educational foundation. Proceeding the scholarship ceremony, house tours were given to the visiting family members. Later in the afternoon, everyone went to the St. James winery for an opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of our guests. The gentlemen of Pi Kappa Alpha would like to thank all of the family members for the great showing and the alumni for their charitable donations to the scholarship fund, which makes all of the awards possible.

Monday night, Sept. 10th, the gentlemen of Pi Kappa Alpha were recognized for their services toward the St. James Tourist Center. The Chapter was very excited to be acknowledged for their hard work in helping to upkeep and maintain the Center. Alpha Kappa also plans on a service trip the weekend of October 5th. A group of 30 men will go down to Springfield, MO to work for the Connection Handyman Service, a branch of the Council of Churches. On the weekend of October 5th, the rest of the chapter will be working on the Ozark Trail, east of Steelville, MO.

On Saturday, September 22nd, Pikes wrapped up Greek Week with a first place victory. This is the second time in the past three years that the AK Pikes have brought home the championship trophy. Pikes dominated opening games on September 15th and that lead carried through the week in the idi-odysseys. During closing games, Pikes lost a few events in the early rounds, but had such a large lead coming into the final events that they took first place with ease. Alpha Kappa is going to try to carry this momentum on to help win Homecoming in October.

On September 7, 2007, the men of Alpha Kappa initiated four more brothers into the bonds of Pi Kappa Alpha. Among the new initiates were Brothers Brett Gaumond (AK ’07), Brian Tucker (AK ’07), Matthew Wilson (AK ’07), and Nicholas Landon (AK ’07). The pledge class of Spring 2007 truly proved quality over quantity, and the entire chapter sends their congratulations to the New Initiate class.

The start of the Fall semester this year is an even more exciting moment than past semesters for Alpha Kappa’s due to the new addition to the Pike house. A 40 man addition on the Fraternity house for the gentlemen of Pi Kappa Alpha at the University of Missouri-Rolla was a much needed and deserved amenity. Alpha Kappa has 100 plus brothers and 20 plus pledges; moreover, the addition proves its value in the ability to keep the strong chapter together. The house now sleeps 106 men, and is believed to be the largest house with respect to accommodations in the nation. The already immaculate property is now valued at five million dollars and covers over 36,000 square feet. The gentlemen of Alpha Kappa hope to see many alumni back for the dedication of the new addition at Homecoming.

The brothers who attended the Pi Kappa Alpha Academy returned to Rolla with much more then they arrived with. Not only did they leave Memphis with great new ideas on how to improve Alpha Kappa, but with a barrage of awards as well. Of course those who contribute to Alpha Kappa’s success don’t commit all their time and effort to win awards, but those trophies are simply and way for those contributions to be recognized.

In recognition for Alpha Kappa’s excellent programming, cornerstone awards were received in the categories of Alumni Relations as well as Community service. In addition, Alpha Kappa was acknowledged as a runner up in three additional categories including new member education, continuing education, and international fraternity participation. Cornerstone awards are designed to recognize chapters for excellence in specific areas of chapter programming. Only sixteen cornerstones were given out by the International Fraternity overall.

Being successful in the cornerstone areas helped Alpha Kappa obtain several other prestigious awards including the coveted Robert Adger Smythe Award. Alpha Kappa was one of only seventeen chapters to receive this award. Also, for the first time since 2003 Alpha Kappa was given the title of “House of the Year”. This award (only given out to one chapter) recognizes a chapter’s programming used in maintaining their physical facilities. Other awards and recognitions Alpha Kappa received included the following: chapter excellence award, scholarship plate (GPA above 3.0), pike university highest attendance award, 100 man chapter, international work day participation, and 100% participation in phi phi kappa alpha. The Alpha Kappa chapter would like to thank all its members as well as alumni who helped contribute to its success.

Alpha Kappa will be sending a few members to Memphis, TN from July 25th - 29th to represent the Chapter for the Academy. The Academy is an opportunity for all 200+ Chapters to come together for leadership improvement activities and to talk about the opportunities and problems within the Greek community. During the weekend the International Fraternity will be giving away the coveted Smythe Awards (awarded to the top 5% performing Chapters), and Alpha Kappa hopes to bring home one for the fourth year in a row.

Alpha Kappa was awarded the fourth and final House of the Quarter Award in May 2007, from the Pi Kappa Alpha International entity. The International Fraternity recognizes chapters who do the best job of maintaining and managing their houses, chapter rooms, and general living environment. Four House of the Quarter awards are granted each academic year.

Each winner receives a $500 grant for maintenance and improvements, a certificate and recognition in the Fraternity’s newsletter. From the quarterly recipients, an overall winner is chosen for House of the Year. Good luck Alpha Kappa on bringing home this years House of the Year Award.

The Alpha Kappa Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha will be holding its annual Alumni Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 19 at Sugar Creek Golf Club in St. Louis, Missouri. The tournament is a 4 person scramble that will begin promptly at 8:00AM Saturday morning with a semi-shotgun start and a luncheon directly after play. The cost of the tournament is $55 which includes greens fees, cart fees, and the price of lunch. There will be two flights for scoring and trophies will be awarded to the top teams. All alumni and parents are strongly encouraged to attend this fun and enjoyable event.

On March 8th Alpha Kappa defeated Deuces Wild, an independent team, in overtime 58 - 54 to secure the championship for intramural basketball. This was a very big win for the Chapter as it has put us in a good spot to again win intramurals overall.

Alpha Kappa traveled to Springfield, MO to assist with cleaning up form the ice storm. The men of Pi Kappa Alpha that attended the trip helped elderly people who could not clear the brush and tree limbs from their yards themselves. It was a successful weekend, contributing to our chapter's annual goal of 10,000 community service hours.

On February 3rd, Alpha Kappa held its annual semi-formal at The Resort of Port Arrowhead, in the Lake of the Ozarks. It turned out to be a spectacular event with about 60 Pikes and dates in attendance. Everyone enjoyed a formal meal and dancing. We hope to have just as successful of an event next time.

The AK Alumni Association held its first social event of the New Year on Tuesday, January 30th at Bernie Federko’s for happy hour, billiards and Blues hockey. It proved to be a fun event for the 15 or so in attendance who enjoyed free appetizers and billiards in a private room provided by Brother Alum, Joseph Maul at the Scott Trade Center neighboring restaurant.

If you were hard pressed to make it to this event we hope you will be able to attend future monthly AK events. We e-mail information regarding event times and locations so if you haven’t received an e-mail from the AA yet for previous events please contact the Chapter to make sure your information is up to date.

Congratulations to the New Initiate class! On January 20th 2007, Alpha Kappa initiated 21 men into the bonds of phi phi kappa alpha. This initiation pushed AK to over 1500 members since 1905. Among those initiated was a special initiate, Charles Blaschke III (AK’07), father of Charles Blaschke IV (AK’04). Brother Blaschke graduated from the University of Missouri with a BS in Animal Sciences in 1979 and is currently a Lt. Colonel in the US Army National Guard as well a defense paralegal for a law firm in Kansas City, MO.

On November 29th our Brothers at the Zeta Phi Chapter at UMSL suffered a devastating loss when a fire at the Chapter house took the life of Brian Schlittler. Once Alpha Kappa was notified of the tragedy, actions were immediately organized to assist the Zeta Phi Chapter. One of the ways in which Alpha Kappa assisted was by hosting a Bowling Night at a bowling alley near the UMSL campus. Pikes from several campuses throughout Missouri and Illinois were invited to attend. The night consisted of dinner, bowling and brotherhood with over 125 Pikes, friends and family in attendance. The event raised over $2,200 which was then donated to the Zeta Phi Reconstruction Fund. Alpha Kappa would like to thank all our friends and family that attended especially our Alumni: Kyle Verhoff, Chris Swallow, Dick Bauer, Chad Raley, Joe Young, Todd Wilfling, David Reinhardt, Chris Leonard and Paul Leonard.