Escape Goat

While I didn’t get academic accolades while I was at the University of Maryland, i was very proud of my induction into the Order of Omega, a leadership honor society for undergraduate members of fraternities and sororities. This clip is from my hometown newspaper, the Laurel (MD) Leader.

I wrote articles for the short-lived Greek Insider newspaper at the University of Maryland. In the February 1990 edition, I wrote a chapter update for The Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity with important news on spring rush, parties, philanthropy, a refurbished basement bar, and the AOPiKA Greek Week.

It was the night of Friday, October 30, 1992, and we didn’t have a party going on at the fraternity that night. So, I got a handful of brothers and the pledge class and headed to the Cellar, a beer bar at the University of Maryland that was the easiest to get into for underage students.

The bar was pretty dead when we got there, and we took turns buying pitchers and dancing. After an hour or so, more people started filtering in, and the dance floor got increasingly more crowded.

I was a few beers in and feeling good when a fist came out of nowhere and smashed me square on the nose. I never saw it coming. This guy who threw the sucker punch never said a word to me.

How I Managed to Break My Nose in College (Without Being in a Fight) I still don't know why this guy from another frat sucker punched me

In the early 90s, an anonymous newsletter called Clubside circulated around the University of Maryland.

I invited the guys behind it to a PiKA toga party in 1993, and they stopped by to review their experience. I can't remember which band was playing, but based on their description, it may have been Hard as Nails, a DC Go-Go band I heard about from a friend.

They came to the house to play for a fee of $100 and free beer for their friends. This was a big band with 8-10 members!

They brought a lot of friends, and they were mostly well-behaved, except for one guy whom I had to ask not to smoke crack in our basement.

PIKE - University of Maryland Maryland Interfraternity Council (IFC)

When it was 9:42 pm in College Park, MD, in the 1980s, everyone knew where the party was… 4340 Knox Road.

Here is the Pi Kappa Alpha Spring 1987 rush schedule featuring some 9:42 clubs and other parties to bring in new pledge prospects.

One of the things that attracted me to Greek life was the opportunity to take on leadership roles. From the start, I was excited to be more than just a brother. I wanted to help, give back, build, learn, and support the brotherhood’s success.

In 1992, Bill Clinton Got the White House—and I Got the Frat House I was elected as President of the Delta Psi chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha in 1992

Room 13 at the Pi Kappa Alpha house at 4340 Knox Road, College Park, MD. This is probably the room in the house I spent the most time in without living in it. I was hazed a lot there in fall 1988, and then spent many days and nights, and a summer, there after.

When I moved into the house in fall 1991, I was originally going to live in this room, and it was a nice perk that the room had its own full bathroom, but it was such a busy room, being right at the front door to the house, that I thought I’d never get any sleep.

So, I ended up in room 7 (I think), which was right at the top of the second set of stairs, and the window led out to the roof over the front porch - that was an excellent place to chill.

I’m not sure of the date on this photo, but it was definitely after December 1988, because our fall 1988 pledge paddle is there in the background of the old Pi Kappa Alpha TV room at the University of Maryland.

It was early 1989 when my PiKA brother, Rich Dickson, mentioned at one of our chapter meetings that the fraternity would be running a large-scale, multi-day sale of ACA JOE clothing to benefit Family Stress Services in Washington, D.C.

When Pi Kappa Alpha Ran ACAmania at the University of Maryland For a couple of years, we had a big sale of the clothing company's products to benefit charity

I don’t remember this show, College Mad House, at all, but it was going on while I was at the University of Maryland. I looked it up: it ran from 1989 to 1991, and Greg Kinnear hosted the first season.

On this episode, it's University of Maryland Terps vs. University of Virginia Cavaliers (1990).

College Mad House - University of Maryland Terps vs. University of Virginia Cavaliers (1990) Hosted by Greg Kinnear