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The Pi Kappa Alpha house remains uninhabitable as brothers of the fraternity work with alumni to fix the numerous problems that led to its condemnation earlier this month.
The house was condemned Sept. 13 for myriad reasons, including electrical problems and mold issues. According to Kenda Scheele, senior associate dean of students at the University of Maine, the building is no longer listed as condemned but is still unsafe. Thirteen of the 22 people displaced from the house are now living in residence halls until the problems are fixed.
Some issues remain with how the building was allowed to reach a point that was bad enough to lead to its condemnation. A fraternity alumni organization known as the PIKA Corporation of Maine is supposed to be responsible for the building’s upkeep.
The PIKA Corporation of Maine is an association of alumni that is a part of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity organization. Pi Kappa Alpha also has a national housing and real estate branch known as the White Horse Holding Corporation.
In addition, the building’s landowner, Sundance Campbell, is responsible for making sure the building is kept maintained and in a livable state.
In addition to poor maintenance, according to Orono tax records, the PIKA Corporation of Maine has been late on tax payments in the past. In the 2009-2010 Orono town report, the PIKA Corporation of Maine is listed as having an outstanding lien of $6,355 resulting from unpaid taxes. The house was assessed at $6,002.98 in April 2010.
The lien was paid after the report was published.
According to the Pi Kappa Alpha website, the organization is in charge of making sure chapters of the fraternity get competitive housing near campuses. According to IRS tax forms from 2010, the White Horse Holding Corporation had total assets exceeding $10 million.
Robert Dana, the university’s dean of students, believes the condemnation of the house was primarily the fault of the landlord.
“They did not feel supported by the landlord,” Dana said. “The boys had been trying to deal with it on their own. I believe, and they believe, that the landlord is responsible.”
According to Dana and Scheele, a contracting company is working on bringing the house back up to health code, but they were unsure which company had been hired.
John Dufour, a second-year marketing student and president of UMaine’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter, said the brothers are working with alumni to get the situation under control. Repeated attempts to contact the PIKA Corporation and also the national branch of Pi Kappa Alpha led to no success.
