Phi Sigma Kappa to recolonize at Penn

Penn’s Greek community will be expanding in fall 2013, as fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa is returning to campus after a six-year hiatus.

Earlier this week, the Interfraternity Council approved the re-colonization of the Mu chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa, which left Penn in 2007. On Tuesday, the Phi Sigma Kappa national headquarters received a letter from Office of Student Affairs/Fraternity Sorority Life Director Scott Reikofski saying that the University had formally signed off on colonization to begin next fall.

“Besides adding a different value-based fraternity option to our already strong Greek community, Phi Sigma Kappa will bring additional options and resources in terms of leadership and developmental programs,” Reikofski said. “They will reconnect hundreds of alumni back to Penn and their fraternity.”

Phi Sigma Kappa left campus in 2007 due to low membership numbers. According to Phi Sigma Kappa Expansion and Recruitment Coordinator Jason Waks, there were not enough men to sustain the chapter.

“We’re very excited to be bringing Phi Sigma Kappa back to Penn because of the historical significance the chapter has for us,” Waks said. “The Mu Chapter was one of the first chapters in our organization and was started in March 1900.”

Reikofski said the chapter is historically important for Penn as well.

“Phi Sigma Kappa was established at Penn during a fairly active expansion of the fraternity system in that era, so it was an active element in establishing and continuing the nearly 164-year Penn tradition that is fraternity,” he said.

Phi Sigma Kappa nationals has not reached out to prospective students yet because they were waiting to receive formal University approval for re-colonization. According to Waks, recruitment will most likely take place next fall semester.

“Soon, we’ll start reaching out to men through social media like Facebook,” he said. “We’ll also talk to members and alumni in the Philadelphia area who can recommend students at Penn to us.”

Nationals does not have a set number of men it is looking to recruit. Waks said that it is important to find quality brothers, and that the chapter could be as large as 50 members or as small as 20.

According to College senior and IFC President David Shapiro, the addition of Phi Sigma Kappa will provide male students with increased opportunity to join the Greek community on campus.

“The goal for IFC is to create an environment where there is a fraternal organization for every undergraduate male who wishes to join,” Shapiro said. “While we have been very successful in the past, there is still a significant group of those who rushed but were unable to receive a bid.”

The next step for nationals is to visit campus this spring. Waks said it is important for Phi Sigma Kappa staff to check out the Greek community at Penn and the atmosphere on campus so that they understand how to make the fraternity successful upon colonization.

“We treat every expansion we have differently,” Waks said. “Not only does Penn have a large Greek community, but it is also more urban than some of our other campuses. We try to be sensitive to the university culture and this chapter will definitely be different from a lot of our others.”

Both IFC and OFSA are excited about bringing Phi Sigma Kappa back to Penn next year.

“Phi Sigma Kappa staff, both current and past, has been great partners and resources in what they are able to share in terms of experience and programming,” Reikofski said.

“The fraternity, until a few years ago, had been on Penn’s campus continually for over 100 years,” Shapiro added. “The chapter has a large alumni base and rich traditions that have long held a place in Penn’s community. We know that they will continue their tradition of excellence at Penn.”

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