Built in 1996, the house of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity is located across from the historic baseball stadium in the center of campus. Home to 39 men, the house is among one of the largest fraternity houses on campus.
The house is preceded by a stately porch containing four Greek pillars, representing the four pillars of “SLAG." “SLAG" is an acronym standing for “Scholars, Leaders, Athletes, Gentlemen," all things the brothers strive to be.
Once inside, the house opens to an elegant foyer. The foyer includes a trophy case containing various awards, such as intramural and Greek Week trophies. When asked about the trophies, President Thomas McClure said, “We keep the trophies to reinforce our competitive natures and to remind ourselves to always strive for excellence. We believe, as Pikes, we should never settle for anything but being the best."
Beyond the foyer is the dining. Large and stylish, the dining room provides an ideal atmosphere for brothers to enjoy meals and host social events. Social Chair Jason Kolbush had this to say to say about the dining room: “It gives us a great area to host entertainment and an amazing dance floor for our parties."
Upstairs are the rooms where brothers live. The upstairs layout is designed as a square with rooms along the outside. Vice President Bryce Baily said, “The layout is unique among fraternity houses. With the rooms being so close, it really fosters an environment for brothers to spend a lot of time together. Brothers usually keep their doors open, creating a very welcoming atmosphere."
Boasting the largest rooms and lofts on average, the rooms have many unique designs and decorations. Brothers are always sure to get creative with their room designs, leaving their own personal touches.
Outside, the house has a new deck where brothers and friends regularly congregate. Philanthropy Chair Graham Burke boasted, “The deck is great for us to host events outside, such as philanthropy cookouts or parties. Like last semester, we had a philanthropy mixer with Phi Mu with puppies from a local animal shelter. The weather was fantastic and we were able to grill outside and raise hundreds of dollars for a great charity."
Adjacent to the deck is the house's basketball court. The court is the only full basketball court among all the fraternity houses. Brother James Davis stated, “The court shows our commitment to athletics. We like to make sure that brothers are exercising and staying healthy even with their hectic Georgia Tech schedules. There are always brothers outside playing pickup games. It helps us build a spirit of healthy competition among brothers."
With that, our tour of the house came to an end. The brothers left us with the statement, “The goal we have for our house is to create a welcoming environment, where people feel at ease and free to have fun." We want to thank the brothers for opening their home to us and being polite and courteous with our team.