UNIVERSITY Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity re-opens after eight years By Jade Chan Pot thtji Oregon Cut f* imo*wkJ After eight years of silence, three of those as a colony. Pi Kappa Alpha is active once again on campus. Sometimus good tmhavior |)ftys off. but Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity's Gamma Pi chapter at the University had to learn that the hard way when it was forced to close in 1986. Originally established nationally in 1H»>H and at the University in 1931, Pi Kappa Alpha's l Iniversitv c hapter was shut down due to financial and behavioral difficul ties such as offii era' embezzlement and a few itic idents in which parties gig out of control Oik* it was closed, the chapter was dis affiliated with the national organization and no longer n part of the campus Mom tiers of the chapter wen* still part of Pi Kap pa Alpha, but they were notl-a< live and considered alumni. Basically, we were non-existent,” said Joel Bruner, tiamnin Pi president. The fraternity reopened ns a colony on campus in 1990. which meant that it was a part of the national organization but had no charter and was therefore not fully rec ognized. Two national officers selected 29 men to start the colony, but instead of being memliors. they wore merely pledges in charge of rush, reestablishing the chap ter, setting up committees and programs, and establishing laws and by-laws "It's hard to get the level of organization and the number of men of a strong frater nity." limner said. "After we got men with the commitment to make the fraternity strong, it was only n matter of months before we would lie granted a charter." Once those tasks were completed, mem bership size reached the average chapter size on campus of .’>2. and grades were brought up to the all-men's (fraternity) average of 2.7.r> for the fall term The colony was inspected December 6. After three hours of demonstrating what the colony h»;4/4 "T/4 of 7/4 SMrs