Students returning to campus may be surprised by the transition the former Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house has undergone in their absence.
The house was renovated over the summer to become an on-campus residence, christened the Annex of Stouffer College House.
The new annex, which is located at 235 S. 39th St., was converted into on-campus housing after ZBT was shut down following an unsanctioned rush event in January.
At the time, the fraternity was already on probation for previous incidents, and this event provoked the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs to officially close the chapter. The ZBT brothers who were living in the house were allowed to remain there for the duration of last semester.
The decision to convert the former fraternity house, which is owned by the University, into student dormitories was made this summer, according to Faculty Director of College Houses Phil Nichols.
"The building was never owned by the fraternity," Nichols said, "so it was the decision of the University to convert it into housing for students. The assignment of space for housing on campus is made very high up."
Most freshmen had already been assigned housing when the decision to convert the former ZBT building was made, so the annex is inhabited mainly by transfer students and students from housing and admissions waitlists.
Renovations to the building were completed very quickly this summer. Work included technical updates such as electrical work and plumbing, as well as repairs to the roof, improvements to the security system and a new external coat of paint. Since the annex is now a campus residence, a PennCard is needed to access the building.
The annex is now home to 36 students, and many of the rooms that were formerly used as singles were converted to doubles to create more living space.
While some ponder the fate of the fraternity and whether or not the new annex will remain as student housing, Nichols had some insight into the future of the building.
"The University will require four years of residence in order to cover the costs of upgrading the building," he said.
No members of the former fraternity were able to be reached for comment.
