AEPi brothers forced from house for year

The brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi who were planning to live in their University-owned chapter house will now be taking shelter under four separate off-campus roofs instead.

The fraternity's house at 3940 Spruce St. was closed for renovation this summer due to structural damage to the building's front wall and foundation.

Problems were initially discovered by a structural engineer during the summer of 2004, and timber supports were placed along the walls as a temporary solution.

A burst sprinkler pipe in January and spring rains exacerbated the situation.

Although the University originally planned to make repairs over the summer, a second set of engineers who inspected the house in May after the brothers had moved out discovered more extensive damage and deemed the house uninhabitable until the west wall could be reconstructed.

A week after discovering that the house would be uninhabitable, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs notified AEPi members that they would no longer be able to live in the house during the academic year.

During that time, OFSA worked with real-estate firms to find comparable housing alternatives, but the brothers ultimately secured their own living arrangements.

"It was a crappy situation, but we reached out in every way that we could possibly conceive of to be able to support them," OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said.

Renovations, which will cost $900,000 and be paid for by a loan taken out on behalf of AEPi's national fraternity, will not begin until the fraternity decides on its long-term plans.

Options range from renovation to demolition and reconstruction to moving somewhere else.

"This isn't a decision that's really made lightly, and we want to make sure that we've got every particle of information that we need to make the right decision," Reikofski said.

AEPi President and Wharton junior Will Morel said the week in which he found out the house was uninhabitable was the most hectic of his life.

"I know it would have been an unforgettable experience [to live in the AEPi house], but I understand that sometimes things happen and you just have to stay optimistic," Morel said.

Bryan Sather, an AEPi brother who lived in the house during his sophomore and junior years and graduated last spring, was less optimistic.

"It's an experience you just can't replicate in an off-campus house," he said.

Other fraternity members have also expressed frustration over the situation and with OFSA.

One member of the fraternity created a group on facebook.com called "F___ OFSA," which several other AEPi brothers have joined.

Sather believes OFSA did not handle the situation appropriately.

"I don't know how a house can go from livable one year to condemned the next," Sather said. "If there were systems in place to check structure or condition of the house, then I don't think something like that should have happened."

The University makes monthly inspections of fraternity houses to keep safety issues in check.

However, according to Morel -- the only active brother to comment on the situation -- OFSA has been a valuable partner throughout the process.

"I've been Verizon's best customer," Morel said of the time he's spent on the phone working out housing issues with OFSA.

Shortly after the house was deemed uninhabitable, College junior and AEPi brother Jay McCarrie told the Summer Pennsylvanian that the fraternity was investigating its legal options.

"Our national lawyer helped us immensely in terms of exploring our options in how to approach the situation," Morel said. "But by no means does that imply any animosity toward the University."

In response, Director of Finance Pamela Arms from the Office of the Treasurer said, "We understand their frustration. ... A lot of things that are going to need to be discussed are legal in nature. There are leases, dorm agreements. ... These are legal documents. [AEPi brothers] need to understand their options that make them feel comfortable."

The brothers of AEPi will continue to convene for weekly meetings and dinners at University-provided space on campus and to contribute to interfraternity events.

"We plan to rebuild the frat house and have it be a landmark of the neighborhood," Morel said.

Although AEPi has not yet determined whether it will return to the house, the brothers plan to work with University officials and their national fraternity in order to ensure that a house that can accommodate 24 brothers will be available for the 2006-2007 school year.

"We will be very aggressive about making sure that there's a solution for next year," Morel said.

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