By Ben Block
Senior staff writer
Fraternity Delta Chi will take residence in Beta Theta Pi’s former house at 6 Fraternity Row as early as next spring, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life officials announced yesterday.
Delta Chi was one of two fraternities that applied to take residence at the house that Beta vacated in July after officials kicked them out of the university-owned house and refused to recognize their organization due to years of ignored warnings about their behavior.
Delta Chi’s 16-year presence at the university and alumni financial support contributed heavily to their selection over competing applicant Tau Kappa Epsilon, director of the office fraternity and sorority life Mike Hayes said.
“Everybody presented a really good case,” Hayes said. “TKE will be ready soon for a house, you bet.”
This year’s application was the third for Delta. After an unsuccessful application last year to take over Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s house, and another in 2002 to take over Phi Sigma Kappa’s former house, Delta President Frank Grzelak said the fraternity stepped up their academic standards, although it was not a conscious effort to get approval for a Fraternity Row house.
“Before, our chapter’s GPA was well below the average, we had low membership, we weren’t fulfilling all of our visionary requirements year-in and year-out like we are now. Other houses were much more qualified,” Grzelak said. “We’ve definitely turned the corner in a positive direction.”
Last semester, Delta’s 3.30 GPA ranked second place for all Interfraternity Council chapters. The fraternity will be allowed to move into their new home this spring after the university renovates the house.
“This will give us more exposure to campus,” said Grzelak, a junior economics major. “Overall, it’s something we’ve been wanting for a really long time. The guys are really happy.”
Although a house on Fraternity Row aids in recruitment, not all Delta members think the house fits their image.
“It’s out of character. We’re not into the cliche … bulls—, but [the house is] good for growth,” said senior civil engineering major James Behan, Delta’s former president. “Frat row is like a dorm. You have a sitter, you can’t be yourself.”
Behan said he would not be moving into the new house in the spring.
Delta now resides in a large white brick house on the corner of College Avenue and Dickinson Avenue. Two fraternities are competing to move into Delta’s current house, Grzelak said.
This was Tau Kappa Epsilon’s first application for a house on Fraternity Row. The fraternity has held its meetings in the Armory or Stamp Student Union since the colony was founded in 2005, President Erik Ramseth said.
“Initially I was a little upset, but … the reason they gave me was pretty solid,” said Ramseth, a senior philosophy major.
Chapters who wanted to take Beta’s place had less than three weeks to submit their applications, which Ramseth thinks could have deterred other chapters from applying.
Two to five chapters typically apply for an open Fraternity Row house, depending on whether chapters can fill the house’s 33 beds or settle their off-campus house leasing situation, said assistant director of Greek facilities Bob Nichols.
“We realize going into it, there’s always a possibility that if we have a house available, no one could apply. That’s the reality of it,” Nichols said. “But fortunately, behind TKE, there’s many chapters [which will be applying]. We’re always looking out into the distance.”
Contact reporter Ben Block at blockdbk@gmail.com.
