Brother Pi Reily Scott writes:

“As the Spring ‘24 semester approached, my excitement grew. I recalled my time as a pledge of the 169th being the most mystical point in my Kenyon career, and I knew that I had to fulfill that immense sense of something greater for the young gentlemen, scholars, and jolly good fellows that would soon stand where I stood two years prior. My opportunity to serve as Pi was an honor that I didn’t take lightly.

“My process began three weeks before I was introduced to our 171st pledge class. I went to the Lodge as often as possible. I immersed myself in any form that would rekindle that intense feeling of curiosity. I spent countless hours reviewing the archives and other  important parts of our history. I reminisced about the smell of lighter fluid and bonfires. I listened to Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine” several times. I also reached out to past Pi’s from the past decade, all who gave me valuable insight on how I should conduct myself so our process would be as effective as possible. A very special thanks to my pledge brother CJ Morris and our very own Pi, Andrew Eric Kotler, for picking up the phone whenever I called an hour before an event to ask a clarifying question. 

So when the time came, I entered the Grundy room to greet the class of nine young men, confident in my ability to guide them through the months that would follow.

“Our brothers did an impressive job of recruiting, including many international gentlemen, each who brought a unique experience to our process. During rush, many of these guys were unsure about joining a Greek organization, because they didn’t understand the point or the deeper purpose of our fraternity. However, when they held faith in those active brothers who assured them that it was worth their while–and took that leap–I knew that these young men would have the integrity and desire necessary to become a ∆KE. 

“As our process progressed, I saw the bonds between these pledge brothers start to form. The first significant instance was when each shared a personal story when they had to have considerable faith in another person. They all listened and learned from each other, getting a better understanding of their backgrounds and experiences. My philosophy throughout the entirety of their pledging process was that I would give them the tools necessary to understand our values and objectives, while creating an environment that allowed them to thrive and connect with each other through circumstance and camaraderie. 

“As of April 4th my time as Pi had ended, which was bittersweet. I enjoyed helping this class strive toward their goal of overall brotherhood, but that feeling quickly dissipated the next day when I could finally call them my brothers. Needless to say, our champagne formal was a blast.

Congratulations and welcome to our newest Actives:

Alejandro Gonzalez Alvarez ‘27 - Mexico City, Mexico

Gianluca Bocanegra ‘27 - Trujillo, Peru

Michael Theodore D’Eletto ‘26 - Maplewood, NJ

Charles Irwin Flamm ‘27 - Brooklyn, NY

Lucas Richard Friedman ‘27 - Millbury, MA

Charles Eugene Heywood ‘27 - Columbus, OH

Murathan Kocaman ‘27 - Istanbul, Turkey

Joaquin Sanchez-Korenfeld ‘26 - Santiago, Chile

Pablo Andres Portillo Olivo ‘27 - San Salvador, El Salvador

Below: Spring ‘24 pledges build a table to learn problem solving and teamwork skills