Meet Skyler Frye – Learning the ropes about chapter support and expansion
On his first day working for Pilam, Skyler Frye ’23 (Roanoke) literally reached new heights at the Leadership Institute by cheering on brothers scaling the ropes and rock walls of the tower course to build their confidence.
He took naturally to helping guide the undergraduates through the Leadership Institute’s curriculum to build up their leadership qualities, and the IHQ has every confidence that he will continue to ascend to new challenges as Pi Lambda Phi’s new Coordinator of Chapter Services and Expansion.
Building a bigger and better Pilam
In his first months, Skyler has already travelled to WVU to help them with recruitment. His next assignments include the expansion to St. Joe’s University in Philadelphia, and working with Frostburg U to plan their 30th anniversary and homecoming.
His goals are to build new chapters, boost recruitment, and support some existing chapters that may need help in gaining momentum. He said, “I feel like this was something that was natural for me to do. I’m always going to give back to Pilam. This Fraternity did so much for me for personally and socially.”
Skyler hopes to share the same positive impact and experiences of Pi Lambda Phi that he enjoyed in his undergraduate years to students across the country.
He’s enthusiastic about sharing the benefits of joining Pilam. He said, “the men of Pilam are goal-oriented and strong minded. We’re not your typical ‘frat bros.’ I feel that Pilam really brings out the best in people.”
What brought him to Pilam
Skyler went to high school in Plainfield, NJ, where he was an accomplished two-sport athlete in baseball and wrestling. Though he was initially shooting for a “big school” like Penn State, he joked, “I wound up at at college smaller than my high school.”
He decided on Roanoke, but only had one normal semester before Covid hit. When he was allowed to return to campus, it was pretty much a ghost town with most students electing to stay remote. Among the few that stayed were some Pilam brothers.
In this condensed college community, Skyler met a brother named Aidan Dougall and found that they had much in common. He didn’t even know that Aidan was a Pilam brother until he was invited to a rush event. When he met more Pilam brothers, he said, “I started to bond with other people.” He decided to join, and Aidan became his big brother.
At a small, remote school, Pilam was a refuge. It provided an active social life and a diverse group that had many commonalities. One of his favorite brotherhood Pilam traditions was on initiation night, where brothers and the newly initiated would form a circle and sing, “he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”
When Skyler decided to join Pilam, it gave him opportunities to socialize and develop his leadership skills. He got involved as a peer advisor and served on the recruitment and new member education committees.
What’s next?
Skyler’s experience working for the IHQ will serve him well in his future endeavors. He wants to pursue advanced degrees and teach US Policy, Politics, and Political Theory. What’s more political than the governance of a fraternity?
When he’s not being a “Pilam rep” he prefers to be outdoors, swimming, kayaking or hiking — pretty much anything out in nature. He likes hanging out with friends, socializing, and games of skill like billiards, bowling and video games.