In 1992, Bill Clinton Got the White House—and I Got the Frat House

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. While I was initiated in early 1989, my drive to be […] The post In 1992, Bill Clinton Got the White House—and I Got the Frat House appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 3 June 2026 | 4:13 pm

When Pi Kappa Alpha Ran ACAmania 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. Dickson’s mother ran the retailer, ACA JOE, at the time, and Rich organized ACAmania with some […] The post When Pi Kappa Alpha Ran ACAmania at the University of Maryland appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 27 May 2026 | 5:32 pm

Fraternity Away Weekends Were Fun and a Little Weird

I was at the University of Maryland for five years and one summer session, but I only went to four away weekends while I was there. During my final semester, in 1993, the fraternity’s finances were a bit unstable, and we didn’t have one. We went to Williamsburg, VA, for two or maybe three of […] The post Fraternity Away Weekends Were Fun and a Little Weird appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 20 May 2026 | 5:39 pm

Frat Boys Scalping Tickets to Pay for Tuition

The first time I can remember waiting out for tickets was probably early 1987 for the Genesis “Invisible Touch” tour that came through Maryland in May 1987. I was jammed in my friend Matt’s VW bus with a handful of Pi Kappa Alpha brothers. Matt and I were still in high school. It was freezing […] The post Frat Boys Scalping Tickets to Pay for Tuition appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 13 May 2026 | 4:06 pm

Four Important Lessons Learned Outside of the College Classroom

All these years, I thought I graduated with a 2.7. That is a lousy GPA as it is, but I was stunned when I came across my college transcript and saw that I had a cumulative GPA of 2.412 on 126 credits. My semester GPA ranged from 1.0 as a first-semester freshman and fraternity pledge […] The post Four Important Lessons Learned Outside of the College Classroom appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 6 May 2026 | 4:48 pm

The Night the Fraternity House Went Up in Flames

I graduated from the University of Maryland on May 20, 1993, and for the last two years of college, I lived in the Pi Kappa Alpha house at 4340 Knox Road. The house was far from perfect, but it was home, and I was sad to move out and on to the real world. And […] The post The Night the Fraternity House Went Up in Flames appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 29 April 2026 | 11:45 am

Greek Weeks Were My Favorite Weeks in College

Springtime in college meant fraternities pairing up with sororities for Greek Week, an annual, week-long tradition filled with parties, philanthropy, and various competitions. In spring 1991, at the University of Maryland, Pi Kappa Alpha (?KA) asked Kappa Alpha Theta (KA?) to partner, and then my pledge brother Joe Incaprera and I ran as co-Greek Week […] The post Greek Weeks Were My Favorite Weeks in College appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 22 April 2026 | 2:33 pm

I Got Arrested at the Fraternity Pledge Camping Trip

It was just weeks after I became a pledge when I saw a sign at the frat house about a pledge camping trip. I’d never gone camping before, so I was pretty excited. Each pledge had to bring a case of beer for the weekend. We drove from the University of Maryland out to western […] The post I Got Arrested at the Fraternity Pledge Camping Trip appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 16 April 2026 | 10:38 am

My Most Compromising Gen X Photo

I don’t think I had a camera in college. If I did, it was rarely used, because I didn’t have the money to get film processed. So, most of the pictures I have from those five years are the fraternity and sorority event photos. I have a whole photo album of these types of pictures, […] The post My Most Compromising Gen X Photo appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 8 April 2026 | 5:36 pm

I Was a Sorority Busboy During College

I paid my way through college with a combination of a Stafford Loan and working menial jobs. But often, there were shortfalls, and I couldn’t afford some expenses that would come up, like food. Fortunately, when I was a fraternity pledge in the first semester of my freshman year, I was sent to cover for […] The post I Was a Sorority Busboy During College appeared first on Shawn Collins' Blog.

Posted on: 1 April 2026 | 5:47 pm