Preserving Historical Treasures

by Jessica Savrock

They are some of the most beautiful structures in town. Penn State’s fraternity houses are architectural treasures with rich histories. And the alumni who once called them home are doing all they can to preserve them.

Fraternity houses serve as more than historic landmarks on and around campus. They’ve been home to literally thousands of men who have walked through their doors since the first offcampus house was purchased in 1889 by the Gamma Phi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta (previously, fraternities had operated either on campus or as secret societies since as early as 1872). In the 120 years since the first house was purchased, more than 50 fraternities have followed suit and bought or built permanent residences. Today, many of these structures are in need of renovations. Some are literally falling apart due to years of wear and tear. Others face the challenge of upgrading for the 21st century. With advances in wireless technology and competition from campus apartment complexes, many fraternities have recently or are looking to renovate or rebuild their homes to ensure they remain an attractive choice for incoming students. Additionally, the State College Borough has mandated that every fraternity house must install a sprinkler system by October 2008.
 
Alumni Love their Home Away from Home

Since the majority of off-campus fraternity houses are owned by their alumni associations, it is up to these alumni to plan to for their houses’ future. Through volunteer labor and financial contributions, these alumni members open their checkbooks to make significant financial contributions and pour their sweat into preserving the place that they can always call “home” at Penn State.

Members of Sigma Chi have committed more than $ 2.1 million to pay for the sprinkler installation project and necessary upgrades, including updating the electric and plumbing systems and enabling wireless technology throughout the house. The chapter also built living quarters for a full-time live-in resident director who will serve in a landlord-type role.

In 2006, an alumnus of Beta Theta Pi committed $ 3.5 million to the chapter’s renovation efforts. His initial $ 1.2 million donation was designated for a “complete roof-to-cellar makeover” of the chapter house.

And just last month, the president of KDR’s alumni board moved into the house for six weeks and worked with the undergraduates and other alumni volunteers to demolish the top two floors. The fraternity will use funds from their current capital campaign to renovate the interior.

What makes alumni want to give back to their fraternity in such a substantial way? These alumni know that there’s a very real chance that their fraternity house could be turned into a parking lot or sold to another fraternity unless they take action. It is up to them to keep their organizations running for years to come, so that future generations of students can have the same great experiences that they did.

Why Fraternities Deserve to be Preserved

What do the current Penn State athletic director, the CEO of Eat N’ Park, and the co-founder of Fisher Price Toys have in common? They all were involved in the Penn State Greek system as undergraduates. Greek organizations make a positive impact on the community.

Fraternities and sororities make up a large part of the annual dance marathon, which has raised more than $ 46 million for The Four Diamonds Fund since 1977. In 2008 alone, more than $ 6.6 million was raised for kids with cancer. Additionally, fraternities contribute both time and money to numerous local and regional organizations, including The Village at Penn State, the Red Cross, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the State College Area YMCA.

Penn State is getting involved to preserve fraternity and sorority life in its own way through the Greek Pride: A Return to Glory campaign, which is committed to building on the past and developing the future of Greek life. Through this initiative, the university has established new standards and corresponding rewards for chapters that are committed to making Penn State fraternity and sorority life one of the premier Greek systems in the country.

Students and alumni fraternity volunteers are working hard to preserve the positives of Greek life, most notably their houses, so fraternities can continue to recruit quality young men for generations to come.

The $ 3.5 million donor to Beta Theta Pi says it best. “I believe that if we give these young men the chance to experience excellence, beginning with this project, and then living within the restored house, that we can build an institution that will be something tremendously special,” he said. “To me, it all begins with the house.”

A History of Greek Life at Penn State*

1872 - Delta Tau Delta chartered on campus, but was soon shut down by faculty and fraternity life was banned. Due to the ban, secret societies began to operate.
1888 - New University President George Atherton lifted the ban on fraternities; Phi Gamma Delta became the first fraternity officially allowed by the University.
1889 - The first fraternity house was purchased off campus by Phi Gamma Delta.
1923 - Forty-seven national and local chapters were represented at Penn State, and fraternities housed more than half of the male student population.
1926 - Chi Omega was the first women’s sorority to arrive on campus.
1940s - The Army and Navy took over the fraternities to house cadets for special training during WWII, as the Great Depression caused a decrease in fraternity membership.
1966 - Penn State boasted the second-largest Greek system in the country.
1973 - The first Dance Marathon was held as an actual competition among participants. Two-thousand dollars was raised and donated to the Butler County Association Retarded Citizens.
2002 - The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) was founded as the governing body of the growing number of diverse and multicultural Greek organizations that were emerging on campus.
2004 - Greek Pride: A Return to Glory was established as a plan of action for making the Penn State Greek system one of the premier Greek communities in the nation.
2008 - October: The deadline for fraternity houses to install Borough-mandated sprinkler systems. Organizations that fail to meet this deadline will be shut down.

*Information derived from the University’s Greek Life website.