History of Our Chapter

In 1998, the fraternity life at the University at Buffalo was tumultuous. The university had lost numerous fraternities and the remaining ones were struggling to find their niche. The Greek life was lacking and students had few options. Three students, Jeff Schindler, Scott Kramer and Jason Ascher, decided that they wanted more of a brotherhood than what they saw. They had rushed a few fraternities at U.B. and not one group seemed a good fit. It was then that they decided that it might be best to start their own fraternity.

These students, who later became just a few of the Founding Fathers, contacted several fraternities throughout the country to see if they had interest in starting a chapter at the University at Buffalo. Several responded, but only one stood out. This fraternity was Pi Lambda Phi.

Pi Lam was the best choice for several reasons. First and foremost, the values of non-sectarianism and brotherhood set them apart from every other organization. In fact, Pi Lam was the first fraternity in the United States to have a policy of not discriminating against people on the basis of their race, creed or religion at a time when most fraternities actively discriminated. Secondly, there had been two previous chapters of Pi Lam at U.B., the most recent in 1992. The history of the fraternity was rich both nationally and in Buffalo.

These students banded together with a few other friends to create the group that would later become Pi Lambda Phi - N.Y. Omega Epsilon. On March 23, 1999, the twenty-three Founding Fathers were pinned as they began their new member education. The original E-Board consisted of Jeff Schindler as Rex, Jason Ascher as Archon, Scott Kramer as the Keeper of the Exchequer, Ryan Lean as Scribe, and Todd Brundage as Marshal.

Over one month later, on April 24, 1999, the Founding Fathers were initiated as brothers and they were granted the status of colony. They had completed the first steps, but the hardest parts of starting a new chapter were still ahead.

The fall of 1999 gave the fraternity their first opportunity for recruitment of new members. Eight men began their new member process as the Alpha class. The following spring semester of 2000 was again successful, with Pi Lam ushering in the five new brothers of the Beta class. The five men who made up the Gamma class, who joined in the fall of 2000, were affectionately known as the Larrys.

After three successful semesters as a colony, the Omega Epsilon chapter suffered a setback, as they did not have any brothers initiated the following semester. Fortunately, they had shown exemplary work and brotherhood and had earned an elevation in their status.

On April 20, 2001, at a formal banquet held in the Niagara Hilton, the Omega Epsilon chapter was given its charter by Alan Wunsch (Executive Director of Pi Lambda Phi) and Paul Kaufman (International Executive Council President). Also on hand to celebrate this accomplishment was Alex Kushner. Kushner was an alumnus of the Beta Sigma Rho chapter at Buffalo (1957) which later became the original Omega Epsilon chapter. The chartering marked the culmination of approximately three years of rigorous work by the Founding Fathers.

The fall of 2001 presented the fraternity with an opportunity for large growth. A well-run Rush program headed by Dave Rutsky garnered seven new members, however only one finished. The Delta class consisted solely of Kevin "Wiggz" Schedlbauer. He remains the only brother to be initiated by himself.

Then in the spring of 2002, the Epsilon class crossed, bringing three new members to the fraternity. With many founding fathers leaving, the fraternity looked to rebuild its numbers. The brotherhood started at twenty-three brothers and quickly grew to over thirty, but it was now dwindling. Only four men had crossed into brotherhood in the last three semesters and the older brothers were graduating. There were now eight active brothers remaining and it seemed that Omega Epsilon was on the verge of extinction.

After struggling for three semesters, Pi Lam had now set the stage for growth. The Gamma class secured a fraternity house and held an incredible rush that year, chaired again by Dave Rutsky. The Fall 2002 Zeta class had seven members and the Spring 2003 Eta class had four members. The most successful Alumni Weekend to date was also held that spring on Founders Day and it seemed that extinction was now a distant thought.

Later that year in the fall of 2003, a rush chaired by Matt Ramnes saw four brothers initiated as the Theta class under Marshal Jordan "Liston" Rosen; then again in the spring of 2004, in a rush chaired by Joe Rauscher with Nate "Stiller" Auble as Marshal, another four members, the Iota class, were initiated. The same Gammas and Epsilons that had guided the fraternity through rough waters were now graduating. They now passed the responsibilities of running a fraternity off to the younger brothers.

Additionally that spring, one of the most well-known and beloved brothers of the fraternity, the Beta Class's Rob "Bluto" Mitchell, left for South America in February as part of his service to the Marines. He would be joining another beloved brother, Peter "Tackleberry" Woodworth, in military service that would eventually take them to Iraq. They would not return until the fall of 2005.

In the fall of 2004 and spring of 2005 Pi Lam saw two of the most well run Rushes in recent years - both of which chaired by the same brother, Joe Rauscher. Four brothers crossed as the Kappa class under Marshal Gifford "Sajak" Meyer and then six more initiated as the Mu class in the spring of 2005 under Marshal Jon "Kennedy" Yedin.

Today, Pi Lam looks to the future of the fraternity with the Nu Class. With it's numbers steadily growing and fundraising increasing, the state of Pi Lam - Omega Epsilon is better than ever.

SPRING 1999

SPRING 2003

CURRENT