January 15 , 2007 - On September 24th, 14 new brothers were inducted into the Kappa Alpha Order, the well known fraternity that had been suspended during the fall 2005 semester.          

Although the organization had been established on campus previously, this group of men was faced with a number of challenges that led them to once again be considered an active chapter on Wesleyan’s campus.

While they were only considered a provisional chapter during the Fall semester, they participated in many events as part of Wesleyan’s Greek Community including the Food Village, the President’s Inauguration, Alcohol Awareness Week, chaperoning SYC’s Halloween dance, and even fundraising to support upcoming projects and events.   

In addition, the Kappa Alpha house has been reopened for the first time since its closure in the fall of 2005. Over much of last semester and winter break, several renovations were made to the house.

Nearly the entire second floor has been renovated as each room has received new carpet, windows, drywall, and doors. The first floor was also worked on. Originally, the first floor had a fairly open floor plan. Now walls have been added to create several rooms including a formal chapter room.

Andrew Baldasare, a recent transfer to Wesleyan and new member explained what convinced him to join:  “By having Kappa Alpha Order Organization re-establishing themselves on campus I saw an opportunity to make friends while encountering a once in a life time opportunity.  Not every person gets a chance to establish a fraternity, therefore by joining I could make my college experience memorable”

While this point of view is very common for many of the new brothers, the returning members were faced with some harder decisions when asked to rejoin.

Anthony Petrutz’s decision to rejoin was made from a much different perspective. “I knew that by rejoining I could bring back some of the heritage and traditions of the Kappa Alpha Order I pledged, while at the same time mixing in different views and personalities.”

The brothers are now preparing for rush and have planned events to attract potential new members to the brotherhood. They will also be attending a “Promise Council” in February and are excited about reinstating the values and traditions that are associated with the Order.

Liz Titchnell