Now entering the 40th year since chartering, our Zeta Pi Chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity at Oakland University has built an amazing brother tree with many branches and strong roots.
We’ve had ~453 Brothers who’ve been initiated into our Brotherhood, with pledge classes ranging from the original Founding Lines to our Gamma Eta pledge class in Fall 2025.
Each Brother gets a Big Brother when joining the fraternity. Generally, a Big Brother is meant to serve as a mentor in the fraternity. This relationship between each “big” and “little” can be unique and can extend well beyond the college years into the rest of life.
Of the original 19 Founding Brothers who were a part of the Omega Nu Pi Colony, only some of them adopted Littles and began our Brother Tree.
12 Lines came from those early days. 4 lines survive, as of the current 2025-26 undergraduate chapter.
Current Surviving Lines
Michael Hess
Michael Martin
M. John Pearson
Charles Surinck
NOTE: In Fall 2025, the undergraduate chapter decided, after alumni consultation, to resurrect Brother Chuck Surnick’s line and directly grant him a new little brother, who had transferred to OU from another Michigan chapter.
This unique circumstance represents the first time in our chapter’s 40-year history that we’ve resurrected a formerly extinct line.
Our Undergraduate Chapter has 22 active members as of year-start 2026.
Brother Lines No Longer Active
(Click on each Brother’s name to see their Line)
Brother E. Craig Porter (Founding Sage)
Joseph Farrug (Beta Pledge Class Transfer)
Ever-Evolving Brother Tree
We presented the Brother Tree at Orchid Ball in March 2016, which marked our Chapter’s 30th anniversary. This was a months-long labor of love to create this historical record of our chapter’s brotherly lineage.
Thanks to Brother Mike Hoskins who worked tirelessly with many other brothers to compile the initial Brother Tree, and to keep it updated each year afterward. Continuing thanks to Brother Mike LaFerle, who is also instrumental in creating and maintaining the visual layout of the tree each year.
And special thanks to Brother Rob Waters for generously donating his printing services to create the 4’x6’ spread on display at our milestone Orchid Balls.
With any history, some things have been lost to time. Although we work hard to ensure the accuracy of the tree, if you are an alumnus or active brother who has found an error, please let us know and help us get it right!
You can contact our Alum-Active Chapter History Team — Mike Hoskins, Mike LaFerle, and Chuck Surinck (plus the current Herald at the Undergraduate level) — directly at ZetaPiAA@gmail.com or MHoskins2179@gmail.com.
MWH
