Pat Kantor (left), Jake Steinweiss (center) and John Packes (right) hold
their awards from the Lion Trophy competition.
@DKEMANHATTAN / INSTAGRAM
By Emmanouel Sofillas, Asst. Sports Editor
The Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) Phi Mu Chapter at Manhattan University received recognition in several categories at this year’s Lion Trophy competition, including awards for philanthropy, service and leadership.
These honors reflect the chapter’s efforts in community involvement and leadership development, showcasing their role in campus life and beyond.
Jake Steinweiss, a senior civil engineering major and chapter president, expressed his pride in the achievement.
“I felt great. It’s definitely a step forward,” Steinweiss said. “We did place last year as well, so we wanted to improve on where we placed. We repeated in philanthropy, but in areas like alumni relations, we really wanted to boost it.”
The Lion Trophy is awarded annually to the top-performing DKE chapters in the U.S. and Canada, judged across four categories: philanthropy and service, chapter operations, leadership and scholarship. Phi Mu’s focus on philanthropy has been a cornerstone of their success.
John Packes, a junior chemical engineering major and chapter rush chair, reflected on the significance of the chapter’s recognition at the awards, especially given their status as a newer chapter.
“Even getting third place in certain categories for the Lion Trophy was big for us because we’re still a relatively new chapter compared to a lot of other ones,” Packes said. “Getting our name out there and being recognized, it feels great. It shows the work that we’re putting in really does mean something.”
Pat Kantor, a junior civil engineering major and brother of DKE, expressed his enthusiasm for the chapter’s commitment to philanthropy, highlighting how much their community efforts mean to both the fraternity and those they help.
“I think philanthropy is one of the most rewarding, because we get to give back to our community,” Kantor said. “We get to help people that are less fortunate. We get to clean up our community, raise money for people that are struggling financially or with health issues like cancer. You give back to the American Heart Association, American Cancer Association. Giving back is very rewarding.”
When asked about the role of teamwork and collaboration in achieving the chapter’s awards, Kantor stressed how crucial it is to their success and overall fraternity life.
“Teamwork is the biggest part of it. We are a group that strives on helping each other throughout life and schoolwork,” Kantor said. “A big example is when brothers who work as tutors in the SRC step in to help whenever someone is struggling with a class. The most important thing about going to this school is our grades.”
Looking ahead, Steinweiss emphasized the chapter’s determination to aim even higher in future competitions.
“I think that we’re hungry to win the whole thing,” Steinweiss said. “It felt great to win it, but there was a bitter-sweetness to it. Yes, we came in third, and that’s great to get that recognition, but we want that first place.”
Looking ahead, the Phi Mu Chapter remains committed to building on their achievements in service, leadership and community involvement, with a clear focus on continuous improvement and growth.