On April 4, 2024, Blaise Anthis ’27 contacted the central office of Pi Kappa Phi (aka Pi Kapp) about starting a chapter at Syracuse University.

A year later to the day, he and 72 other “founding fathers” were initiated into the historic brotherhood that includes National Baseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda and Earth Day Founder Gaylord Lenson.

“It was a 12-hour ceremony that ended at 2:30 in the morning,” says Anthis, who has served as vice archon and rush chair of Syracuse’s Lambda Beta Chapter of Pi Kapp. “From that moment on, we’ve been committed to raising the standard of brotherhood.”

Since its establishment more than 120 years ago, Pi Kapp has earned a reputation for molding strong, self-aware leaders.

Syracuse’s Lambda Beta Chapter is no exception. Anthis and his roommate, Luke Hoffman ’27, both of whom came up with the idea of starting a chapter, put service and belonging above all else.

“True, purposeful leadership emerges by lifting others up and championing inclusion,” says Hoffman, Lambda Beta’s past president and the 2025 recipient of the University’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) Member of the Year award. “We integrate service as an ongoing journey, from undergraduate initiation to alumni involvement.”

Of the 18 IFC fraternities on campus, Lambda Beta boasts one of the highest cumulative GPAs (3.42) and among the most service hours per semester (500).

The chapter recently made history by welcoming the first InclusiveU student, David Bulan ’28, to the IFC community.

He considers Lambda Beta and InclusiveU—a School of Education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities—a win-win.

“My brothers make me feel welcomed,” Bulan says. “I also like what they stand for—supporting students with disabilities while making a difference in our community.”

Celebrating Brotherhood

Hoffman and Anthis looked at multiple fraternities before deciding on Pi Kapp.

In addition to being in a growth phase, the Charleston-based organization is synonymous with access and opportunity. Witness the more than $30 million that Pi Kapp has raised through its nonprofit organization, The Ability Experience.

“The Ability Experience doesn’t just support people with disabilities. It also shapes how society views them,” says Hoffman, a dual major in inclusive adolescent education and history, who also serves as IFC’s vice president for philanthropy. “At Syracuse, we sponsor bike-a-thons, adaptive sports demonstrations and multiday events like War of the Roses.”

Service projects are also in large supply, as evidenced by Lambda Beta’s partnerships with the Coach Mac Food Pantry in Hendricks Chapel and We Rise Above the Streets Recovery Outreach.

To keep pace with the chapter’s membership, which has nearly doubled in size, the brothers have acquired a house on Harrison Street, between main campus and downtown Syracuse.

For Bulan, the ornate, turn-of-the-century building symbolizes unwavering brotherhood.

At his chartering dinner in January, he publicly informed his father—an alumnus brother of another Syracuse fraternity—that Pi Kapp ruled. Under no uncertain terms.

“Everyone cheered for me, and I began to cry,” Bulan remembers. “It was incredibly awesome.”