The Indiana Gamma chapter of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sorority, Pi Beta Phi (Pi Phi), will close its doors on May 11, 2027, after nearly 130 years on Butler’s campus. This decision follows a vote from the chapter’s active members to relinquish their charter on Sept. 20.
Pi Phi’s Butler chapter was founded Aug. 27, 1897, and has initiated more than 2,700 women. The sorority is the first to close on Butler’s campus since Delta Delta Delta closed in 1995 due to a decline in membership before being reinstated in 2005.
According to the Sept. 23 press release from Pi Phi’s executive office, the closure comes after many years of membership struggles despite receiving help from volunteers and fraternity staff.
Indiana Gamma’s chapter president Erica Plier supported this sentiment in a statement emailed to The Butler Collegian and given to Butler’s Panhellenic Council delegates to share with other chapters on campus.
“Our number of active members has become unsustainable, financial burdens are looming and our members have exhausted every effort to stay afloat,” Plier stated. “Our chapter has been compromising sisterhood for survival for too long.”
In January, Pi Phi did not participate in primary sorority recruitment alongside other members of Butler’s Panhellenic Council. Instead, the chapter relied on the Continuous Open Bidding (COB) process to grow their membership.
Pi Phi also asked Butler’s Panhellenic Council members to consider accepting a COB moratorium — in which there would be a two-week period at the beginning of the fall 2026 semester where only their chapter could recruit potential new members and host events. The moratorium passed in April but was called off in August.
“The COB moratorium was called off because conversations regarding the chapter’s future were occurring,” Plier stated. “The effort that would be required for the moratorium did not seem warranted in light of this and would not have benefitted active members.”
Devin Whelchel-Hall, director of Butler’s Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL), shared that Pi Phi will not participate in primary recruitment in January 2027, and the same approach facilitated this past January will be used.
“As the organization transitions to not accepting new members, our office will continue to support the sorority experience and lasting memories Pi Phi seeks to create on Butler’s campus,” Whelchel-Hall stated in an email to the Collegian. “We will work with the undergraduate women to better understand the experience they aspire to have this upcoming year and how our office and community can support those experiences.”
Pi Beta Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation owns and operates Indiana Gamma’s chapter facility. In August 2024, Pi Phi began sharing the facility with Beta Theta Pi’s Alpha Psi chapter. In light of the recent announcements, the future of the house and its occupants has been questioned.
In a statement emailed to the Collegian, TG Livak, Pi Beta Phi’s senior director of brand experience, explained that despite rumors on campus, “no decisions [regarding Indiana Gamma’s chapter facility] have been finalized at this time.”
Livak’s statement also clarified the future of active members who will not graduate by May 11.
“Indiana Gamma members will spend the remainder of the academic year together as collegiate members of Pi Beta Phi, with opportunities to celebrate their sisterhood and the memories they have created together,” Livak stated. “Pi Beta Phi will continue to support members through this transition and welcome them into alumnae life.”
As Pi Phi’s chapter comes to a close, Butler’s Panhellenic Council President, Amelia Black, prepares to lead Butler’s Greek life in supporting them.
“Pi Beta Phi is a valued member of our Panhellenic community, and we are grateful for the lasting contributions they have made to our campus,” Black stated in an email to the Collegian. “We understand that chapter closures are never easy, and we approach this transition with empathy and a commitment to supporting the women of Pi Beta Phi. As they enter their final semesters on campus, we look forward to honoring their legacy, celebrating their sisterhood and recognizing the meaningful impact they have made on our community.”