In first shift since 2002, chapter will replace Pi Kappa Alpha
麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 and Phi Mu officials said Monday the organization will move into the Greek Village after this semester, taking over the house currently occupied by Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
The move marks the Greek Village鈥檚 first housing change since it opened in 2002.
Phi Mu鈥檚 replacement came after Three Undergraduates Inc., an outside entity that subleases the two-story house at 6 Fraternity Circle, chose not to renew a 3-year lease with the fraternity.Three Undergraduates instead signed a letter of intent with Phi Mu.
The contract between Three Undergraduates and Pi Kappa Alpha concludes at the end of the spring semester, said Anna Edwards, director of Student Services at 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒.
The house is the sole one in the Greek Village not owned by the organization that inhabits it, Edwards said, as the 36-bed house was built for Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, but the organization didn鈥檛 have enough interest to occupy it. Phi Mu colonized at 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 in 2009 and has been in discussions with university administrators concerning a possible house since, the sorority said in a release. Phi Mu President Brittany Walls referred all comment to national headquarters, which couldn鈥檛 be reached late Monday.
鈥淧ursuant to University policy, and as required under the lease, TUI has received the University鈥檚 approval of its decision not to renew the current lease,鈥� the corporation said in a release.
James Means, a spokesman for Three Undergraduates, said terms of the lease with Phi Mu weren鈥檛 finalized yet. He declined to say why the corporation chose to not renew the lease with Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Pi Kappa Alpha President Will Caldes said the fraternity is examining the legality of the lease鈥檚 termination. Caldes said he was told the situation late Friday afternoon and criticized Edwards and Jerry Brewer, 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒鈥檚 associate vice president for Student Affairs, for being 鈥減retty slack on communication.鈥�
鈥淲e want to make sure we鈥檙e not getting the short end of the stick,鈥� Caldes said.
Caldes, a third-year management science student, said Pi Kappa Alpha was strong enough without a house.
鈥淭he house doesn鈥檛 make the fraternity,鈥� Caldes said. 鈥淭he fraternity makes the house. Obviously, it鈥檚 nice to have a house, and the news is frustrating to hear. But it鈥檚 not going to change the way we do business.鈥�