Eastern’s chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha has surrendered its charter and is no longer an active fraternity at Eastern.

The Zeta Gamma chapter submitted its letter of intent to surrender its charter on Oct. 12, according to an email sent to alumni of the chapter. The Supreme Council of Pi Kappa Alpha voted to accept the surrender of the chapter.

The email states that part of the reason the chapter surrendered its charter is because of “the university’s steadily declining enrollment over the last ten years” and the contribution that has had to the chapter’s “increasing debt to the International Fraternity.” At its closing, the Zeta Gamma chapter had six members and an outstanding balance of $19,292.50 to the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity.

Eastern’s Pi Kappa Alpha has seen a steady decrease in the five years leading up to the chapter’s closure with 25 members in Fall 2016, 21 members in Fall 2017, 20 members in Fall 2018, 17 members in Fall 2019 and 9 members in Fall 2020.

According to the email, Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity is open to working with the university in the future “for a mutually beneficial time for return.”

If and until the charter is reinstated, members of the now-disbanded fraternity will not be allowed to operate in the name of Pi Kappa Alpha or any of the nicknames commonly used for the fraternity like PIKE or Pikes and they will not be permitted to represent themselves as a chapter, recruit or educate new members, reserve rooms, sponsor or co-sponsor activities or events, live in Greek Court or participate in any other activity as an organized group.

Eastern is now down to eight Interfraternity Council fraternities. IFC was back at nine fraternities in 2020 when Sigma Chi was re-colonized in 2020 following a suspension in 2017 due to “alcohol-related accountability issues with the chapter.”

Eastern’s Pi Kappa Alpha officially opened in 1964 with a colony of the chapter being founded on Dec. 14, 1961. Before becoming a colony, the organization at Eastern was a local fraternity called “Chi Nu.”

Corryn Brock can be reached at 581-2812 or at deneic@gmail.com.