MU MUSINGS
THE ALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF PI KAPPA PHI AT DUKE UNIVERSITY SPRING 2025 EDITION
A LETTER FROM THE ARCHON Dear Brothers of the Mu Chapter, My name is Stephen Harris, and I am the current archon of the Mu Chapter. I am pleased to report that the chapter is thriving; our brothers have worked tirelessly to continue the tradition of excellence that is expected from Pi Kappa Phi. As you may know, nine fraternities and eight sororities disaffiliated from the university in 2021, including Pi Kappa Phi. Nonetheless, the Mu Chapter is dedicated to engaging with the campus and the broader community in a meaningful way. We increased our philanthropy efforts this semester in partnership with Canine Companions. We lead by example in our collaborative philanthropy efforts with Alpha Epsilon Pi. We also worked with Duke administration to host an on-campus event for the first time in nearly four years. Moving forward, we will be extending our reach with more on-campus service opportunities to live the Fraternity’s mission to create a lifelong brotherhood that develops servant leaders. Our chapter’s main priority is spring recruitment. The chapter is currently 65 men strong, and we are looking forward to welcoming new associate members in the spring. Additionally, our chapter is focused on highlighting our brotherhood on campus and beyond. We are in the process of creating an official service organization that will edify our commitment to improving the Duke community. We will continue to foster brotherhood in various events to make this fraternity the best it can be. Finally, I would like to thank the alumni that set the foundation for our success. I look forward to watching the chapter grow, and I have the utmost faith in the character and ambition of future undergraduate leadership.
ODH,
Stephen Harris Archon, Mu Chapter Pi Kappa Phi 1
SPRING 2025
CHARITY POKER TOURNAMENT In September, we kicked off our philanthropy for the school year with a charity poker tournament in collaboration with Alpha Epsilon Pi. More than 30 brothers from both fraternities participated in the event, which took place at one of our off-campus houses. In total, we raised over $400. Proceeds were split between Restoring Hope Ministries, a nonprofit dedicated to infrastructure projects in emerging countries, and Canine Companions, a program that provides service dogs to help differently abled individuals live independently. As a chapter, we were extremely happy with the results of the tournament and have already begun planning more events for the near future. Next semester we hope to start our Hoops for Troops program, which would provide opportunities for people to fundraise and play basketball with military veterans.
FLAG FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS
Over the past semester, 12 brothers of the Mu Chapter formed a team and participated in Duke’s Intramural 7v7 Flag Football League. After a challenging regular season, the team headed into the postseason as the eighth seed and won three straight games en route to a championship victory. In the final, the brothers of the Mu Chapter won 12-7, led by a strong effort from quarterback Blake Passe. Sophomore Jayden Ko commented, “It was a great season playing with my fellow brothers and connecting with some of the older guys in the fraternity. We hope to be back here in the spring.”
2
SPRING 2025
MU BROTHERS ABROAD
During the recent fall semester, brothers in the junior class ventured across the world to study abroad, living in various locations from Florence, Italy, to Sydney, Australia. Below are the reflections of a couple of brothers who studied abroad in Madrid and Berlin, respectively.
“Study abroad has been a great experience where I’ve gotten a lot of new perspectives and grew closer to my best friends. It’s been amazing!” - Michael Ferneini ‘26
“I was based in Berlin but traveled every weekend to a new country with fellow Mu, Samuel Wong. We had an unbelievable time exploring the history and culture of new places; we even took a nine day road trip through the Balkans” - Luke Jovanovic ‘26
RETURN OF SECTION FRIDAYS
Throughout the semester, brothers gathered at the Mu Chapter houses on Friday afternoons for ‘Section Fridays,’ an opportunity to hang out and catch up with other brothers about their semester. These gatherings helped brothers stay connected throughout the semester and build bonds between the classes.
3
SPRING 2025
YOU’RE INVITED TO MU
ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND Saturday, March 29, 2025 Time and Location TBA
RSVP to Nate Croce | nathaniel.croce@duke.edu | (201) 561-3772
ALUMNI UPDATES
Have you gotten a new job or moved to a new city? Did you get married or have kids? Would you like to reach out to the current brothers of the Mu Chapter?
If you have any life updates you’d like to share with you brothers, please let us know by sending your update to pikapporganizer@gmail.com or reach out to Historian Nate Croce at nathaniel.croce@duke.edu so we can feature your update in future newsletters.
MU CHAPTER EXECUTIVE BOARD Archon: Stephen Harris (502) 377-0109 | stephen.harris@duke.edu Vice Archon: Michael Sakellakis (201) 250-2104 | michael.sakellakis@duke.edu Treasurer: Nitin Nagarajan (917) 515-6348 | nitin.nagarajan@duke.edu Secretary: Ansh Amin (516) 637-5470 | ansh.amin@duke.edu Warden: Calvin Marenco (305) 968-3369 | calvin.marenco@duke.edu
4
Chaplain: Max Tobin (508) 333-9693 | maxwell.tobin@duke.edu Philanthropy Chairman: Quinn Mair (720) 450-6510 | quinn.mair@duke.edu Risk Managment Chairman: Jack Sabo (412) 522-6939 | jack.sabo@duke.edu Historian: Nate Croce (201) 561-3772 | nathaniel.croce@duke.edu Standards Board Chairman: Clarke Campbell (314) 513-8404 | clarke.campbell@duke.edu
SPRING 2025