Though Campus Journey is gaining recognition for its shop, BorderTown Coffee, its activities are not limited to that. The group also runs Kappa Pi Alpha, a fraternity and sorority.

Kappa Pi Alpha doubles as a fraternity and sorority. The group, which is not affiliated with the greek system, is in its second year occupying the former Theta Chi fraternity house and features a wide variety of students.

The group’s members said they were brought in primarily through word of mouth.

“They don’t advertise or anything,” nursing junior Annie Miller said. “Basically, everybody is here because they know somebody.”

Despite Kappa Pi Alpha’s nature as an extended social network, residents said, the house features a broad variety of members.

“Diversity is the big thing,” history junior Chris Wagner said.

The house has residents ranging in age from 19 to 26, and each brings a unique set of skills, members said.

“Everybody in the house has their own talents and passions,” resident Lindsey Bauman said. “We all work together to make it run smoothly.”

Many of Kappa Pi Alpha’s members turn their talents toward volunteering at the group’s coffee shop.

Bauman helps put together the venue’s entertainment.

“I work on promotional stuff for our Friday night acoustic shows – booking bands, that sort of stuff,” she said.

The house’s residents note the benefits of living in the same building as a coffee shop.

“The coffee shop was a big thing for me,” said 20-year-old Britta Kalgren.

She said she likes the atmosphere it gives the building.

“It’s fun coming downstairs every morning and seeing all the strangers in the house,” she said.

Another part of Kappa Pi Alpha’s unique feel is the presence of both men and women.

“I’m glad it’s co-ed,” Kalgren said. “It would probably drive me nuts if it was just girls.”

Residents said mixing men with women hasn’t caused any problems. But they said students do have to be careful.

“It’s best not to walk onto the girl’s floor in the morning,” said Ben Cornish, a first-year mechanical engineering student.

The house is a Christian organization, and with that comes a dedication to community service, even if that service is done in a foreign community, residents said.

“Service is building the walls in an orphanage in Juarez, Mexico, and building rooms and basically reaching out,” Matt Wingard said, referring to the group’s upcoming mission trip during spring break.

“If you don’t balance questions about your own life with an outward focus, you tend to get self-centered,” he said. “We want college students to get involved in the world around them.”