Theta Xi fratvacates house

Many former Theta Xi fraternity members spent Friday afternoon moving out of their Locust Walk house, complying with a University eviction notice forcing them to vacate immediately. The brothers, many of whom were packing belongings into U-Hauls to the stares of visiting parents, were adhering to a Friday deadline of 5 p.m. although an extension was granted on Thursday. The University extended the original deadline "for a reasonable amount of time" on the condition that a University representative or a parent supervises the remaining residents. The final deadline will be set today. Despite the extension, most of the former brothers moved out of the house by Friday evening to live together in their new houses at 3951 Baltimore Avenue and 3820 Sansom Street. "We've lost our charter, but not our unity," said College senior Andrew Holmes. Theta Xi's national organization revoked the University chapter's charter two weeks ago. Many of the former brothers left with bitter feelings about the University's hasty eviction process. "They can take all our names off their mailing list for alumni contributions," College junior Will Castle said. College sophomore Elizabeth Kieff, a girlfriend of one of the former brothers, criticized the University's treatment of the fraternity as well. "It's not that their reasons for kicking them out are unjust, but they lost their sense of the human element in doing so," she said. She said she feels the University failed to recognize the former brothers' responsibilities to their academics and athletic practice which hindered their search for new housing. A number of the brothers said they feel the University was particularly harsh in light of the recent death of their fraternity vice-president, College junior Jack McSorley. Meanwhile, the fate of the house, located at 37th Street and Locust Walk, is still unknown as negotiations between the University and Theta Xi alumni continue. Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta explained the present status of the house ownership. He said the University holds the title for the house, but the fraternity alumni retain its market value under a reversionary agreement letting both parties share power in the house plans. Under this treatise, either party may end the agreement with six months' notice, after which the University may pay off the house's market value to the alumni and fully own the house, or the alumni may give up the market value to the University and gain full rights to the house. Moneta said no future plans for the house can be made until a decision about the reversionary agreement is reached. Until that time, the University cannot choose the house's future residents. However, he said the house "needs serious renovations" before it may be further occupied. He also said that if the University does possess the house, the choice of tenants will probably lie among groups in the Bicultural InterGreek Council, sororities and other residential communities, given the diversification plan proposed two years ago.