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Condemnation by an Orono code enforcement officer forced members of Pi Kappa Alpha’s Kappa Tau chapter to leave their house last year after their roof partially collapsed. This year, brothers of the Beta chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha have vacated their house for similar reasons.
The Lambda Chi Alpha house on College Avenue regularly houses about 12 of the 16 brothers and is more than 80 years old, according to the chapter’s public relations chair Dustin Snow. The chapter has been considering repairs for some time and will begin later in the semester. The brothers living in the house had enough notice of the construction to find apartments in Orono and Old Town for this year. The planned repairs include shingling the roof, refurbishing the attic and front porch and fixing part of the foundation. The chapter’s alumni association is paying for the construction.
After it was decided the construction was needed, the chapter’s alumni gave the brothers a choice: They could move out and complete the repairs in one year, or space them out across several years.
“We decided it was better to do the whole project at once rather than do band-aid patches this summer and the next summer and the next,” said Lambda Chi Alpha President Robert Collins.
If construction remains on schedule, the brothers expect to be in their house by fall 2010.
“We didn’t want to fix just one or two things; we wanted to fix everything,” Snow said.
The chapter, which recently celebrated its centennial, is carrying on operations as usual, holding meetings and events in the Memorial Union or at the chapter president’s house. The issue of meeting space and confusion about the house’s vacancy have not affected the chapter’s rush this fall.
“We just mostly want campus to know we are still here, we are still rushing and we are expecting to have our largest associate member class in 20 years,” Collins said.
The chapter has been working closely with Campus Activities and Student Engagement Coordinator Kevin Taschereau to find spaces for events.
“My role is to offer assistance and guidance wherever I can,” Taschereau said.
According to Taschereau, the need for repairs in fraternity houses is common at the university, especially on the roofs and foundations of the buildings, which need to be replaced periodically. He expects more fraternity houses will need similar construction in the near future.
Taschereau, along with the Interfraternity Council, is planning for the possibility of more vacant fraternity houses.
“I would like to find one or two spaces on campus to use in case of emergency,” Taschereau said.
There is currently a waiting list for Greek chapter rooms on campus, with Kappa Delta Phi fraternity at the top and Lambda Chi Alpha in second. Ideally, these spaces will not be needed if fraternities recognize a need for repairs before it becomes a health or safety issue, as Lamba Chi Alpha did.
“We are all in the business of keeping fraternity houses open,” Taschereau said.
