calendar

Michael Junker Memorial Scholarship

Having just celebrated his 21st birthday and days away from finishing his junior year at the University of Iowa, Michael D. Junker, a 2000 initiate of Iowa Alpha, was diagnosed with Advanced Colorectal cancer. After a three-month struggle, he passed away at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on August 28, 2002.

Friends remember Mike as having a dry sense of humor, compassion, devotion, and a love of sports. An active student majoring in English and journalism, he had served as Fraternity Educator and Chaplain. He was a member of Iowa City’s RiverFest executive council where he had recently served as Publicity Director. He had completed his training as a New Student Orientation guide and was looking forward to these responsibilities when diagnosed with the rapidly growing cancer.

Phi Kappa Psi played an extremely important role in Brother Junker’s involvement in college activities. He established the friendships he valued most with his Brothers. Less than two weeks before he died, 20 Brothers drove the three-and-a-half hour trip to visit Mike. This gesture marked the loyalty and devotion of the Iowa Alphans for their stricken Brother. It meant the world to him to have that one last memory of his fraternal brotherhood.

In his memory, the family and Brothers of Iowa Alpha have established a chapter scholarship fund – the Iowa Alpha Junker Memorial Fund. This scholarship is awarded annually to the junior Brother who best exemplifies Michael’s attributes, including involvement in the community, devotion to the fraternity, and a great sense of humor.

This year, a scholarship will be awarded to the Brother who most exemplifies those qualities.

Application Process:
Submit the following:
1. List of your chapter positions, campus leadership activities, and community service. Please include a short description of each item.

2. A (true) funny story about yourself written by one of your chapter brothers.

3. The best Dump you have presented in a chapter meeting in the last year.