SAS, not Greeks, to take over FIJI house

The Phi Gamma Delta house, made vacant this past spring when FIJI brothers forfeited their charter, has been committed to the School of Arts and Sciences for use by several academic programs, University officials announced in July. The Penn-owned building will house the recently created Humanities Forum and the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, according to Provost Robert Barchi. A third program, the Center for Folklore and Ethnography, may be added if space and architectural design permits. The programs will not move into the building until the needs of each are assessed and interior renovations are underway. With its central location and large interior space, the FIJI house quickly became a prize sought after by numerous university organizations last spring, most notably the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. OFSA unsuccessfully petitioned in April that the facility be occupied by another fraternity or sorority. Barchi said SAS will likely occupy the house for at least four years, at which point FIJI will have the opportunity to reapply for a Penn charter. If the fraternity does in fact return to campus -- a prospect that remains uncertain -- it is not guaranteed rights to 3619 Locust Walk. "We have made a commitment to consider the return of FIJI in four years? not necessarily to consider its return to that location," Barchi said. The FIJI brothers forfeited their house in early April after violating alcohol and risk management policies at an alumni dinner on March 20 that ended in the death of 26-year-old 1994 College graduate and FIJI brother Michael Tobin. The fraternity was suspended by its national office shortly after the incident. Though the Greek future of the house remains uncertain, the heads of the SAS programs slated for occupancy plan to take full advantage of the central campus location. According to SAS Dean Samuel Preston, the use of the FIJI house will reduce an academic space crunch within the school, preventing new programs from being overlooked. English Department Chairperson and Humanities Forum Director Wendy Steiner said she is thrilled with the facility's larger capacity, noting that it provides "a wonderful way of allowing us to have coherent space to use." Barchi said the addition of a third program "will depend on what the architects tell us we can do with the space," as will the time frame for renovations, which he hopes can be finished within the year. "It is a beautiful house and we don't want to do anything to destroy the architectural integrity of [it]," he said. Barchi also stressed the University's intention to preserve it as an historical landmark, along with all FIJI historical documents and artifacts.

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