Pi Kappa Alpha
The history of Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity dates back to March 1, 1868 when six men in Room 47 West Range at the University of Virginia elected to include Julian Edward Wood in the formation of Pi Kappa Alpha. The most recent era of Pi Kappa Alpha's history, however, began in 1960. This period has included the decision to expand north of the 49th to make Pi Kappa Alpha an international organization. Currently, Pi Kappa Alpha has three Canadian Chapters; Iota Omega at University of Western Ontario (chartered 1994), Kappa Mu at Wilford Laurier University (chartered 1996), and Lambda Epsilon at University of Alberta (chartered 2000).
The years 1998 to 2000 saw considerable growth not only for the colony members, but also for the entire Greek system at the University of Alberta. The U of A colony displayed leadership both on campus as well as in the community. Through their successes and efforts in athletics, student politics, scholarship, and student group activities, the "Pikes", as they are more commonly known, attracted the attention of other fraternities, both male and female. Non-Greek students, the student union executive, professors, and department heads were also admiring the growing Pi Kappa Alpha presence at the University of Alberta. It wasn't long before Pikes were seen as the leading fraternity on campus.
On August 11, 2000, the University of Alberta colony made Pi Kappa Alpha history by being the first colony to be inspected via video conferencing. The inspection was done during the 2000 International Conference in Atlanta.