Building changes from fraternity to boarding house
By Russ Morgan (Contact)
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Emporia State University will soon have more options for student housing.
“We hope to be able to open the place to students in January, maybe sooner,” said Hyunchan Shin, who along with his wife, Lee Pil Duck Shin, purchased the building at 1621 Merchant St. that formerly housed the Sigma Pi fraternity.
“We are doing a lot of work on the inside, painting and stuff,” Shin said, adding that no major renovations are planned. “We aren’t converting any of the rooms, but we are working on paint and carpeting.”
Shin and his wife, who both came from South Korea, plan to live in the house along with the students.
“By the end of the month we’ll move in, hopefully,” Shin said. “My wife is good at cooking, so we will offer meals to the students living here. We’re looking at having it as kind of a boarding house, student housing.”
Shin said the house will board “no more than 10 students,” but that it will be open to whoever can pay the $700 per month rent. “That includes the food and utilities,” Shin said.
As for Sigma Pi, the members currently are living in apartments. “We’re down to about 20 guys,” said Justin Sharples, president of the Sigma Pi Housing Corp. “Right now we are rebuilding and restructuring, which we plan to do for the next three to five years,” Sharples said. “After that we’d like to get a new fraternity house of some kind. Right now I don’t know what kind that will be.”
According to an earlier Gazette article, the building is more than 12,000 square feet, with the capacity to house 37 people in dormitory-style rooms.
Jamie Sauder, the Re/Max Realtor who handled the sale, said the fraternity house’s close proximity to the ESU campus gives it a great deal of value, the article stated.
Sigma Pi had occupied the property since 1988.
bobhornet (anonymous) says...
I'm very concerned about what's happening to our Greek system at ESU. It's really struggling, and has been for some time.
August 19, 2008 at 2:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Considering what most of the Greek houses were like when I went to ESU, my heart is not broken. Sure, they do charity work but mostly it was about popularity and partying. I don't want to offend anyone who belonged to one but that was the impression I got back in the early '90s.
August 19, 2008 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gazette_reader (anonymous) says...
Kind of a cool idea, and an alternative option for those who don't feel like dealing with the kind of crap that goes on in the residence halls, but aren't quite ready to be completely out on their own.
August 19, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alfalfa (anonymous) says...
$700 per month? College kids must be much wealthier than I was at that age, come to think of it I don't know if I could swing that now!
August 19, 2008 at 8:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Emporiafan (anonymous) says...
Great Idea! I don't think $700 a month when you consider what the dorms are is that bad....this includes all utilities and food also...the security of having people around you as a new student on their own would be worth it for some..
August 19, 2008 at 8:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slipandslide (anonymous) says...
considering rent on an apartment is between 300-425 month plus utilities its a good deal especially with home cooked meals included.
August 19, 2008 at 8:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bdprotheroe (anonymous) says...
I am an advocate for the Greek Community, as I am for any student association, as it does provide invaluable leadership and social skills. That said, there are some rotten apples out there that tend to give the rest of the Greeks a bad reputation.
It is with pride that I proclaim to be a lifelong member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. If I had not joined the brotherhood, I might still be the shy, wallflower that I was before I joined. The fraternity instilled within me self-esteem, and strengthened my belief that community volunteerism is very important. The fraternity has three cardinal rules of friendship, sound learning and morale rectitude; and I believe the local Kansas Epsilon Chapter of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity at ESU does a fine job of instilling these principles in all of its member.
Of course, every chapter of every fraternity is different on every campus, and some may not live up to the creed.
I believe there will again be a surge in the numbers of Greeks in the future, and hopefully all fraternities and sororities at the university will benefit. It's all about ebb and flow; numbers increased in the 1950s and 1960s, declined in the 1970s, increased in the 1980s, maintained in the 1990s, and are going through a slump during the first decade of this century.
Brian Protheroe
San Francisco, CA
August 19, 2008 at 9:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bdprotheroe (anonymous) says...
In the meantime, I happy to see the former fraternity house being utilized for student accommodations.
August 19, 2008 at 9:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
orlando (anonymous) says...
I am glad too, to see this use for that frat house. I don't understand the differences between Greek societies, other than some seem to party harder than others. It would seem that the smaller groups might be able to share a house, rather than have to give up their society totally.
Something like a boarding house would be good for part of that deteriorating motel at Merchant and I-35--part boarding house, part motel. Maybe ESU business school could acquire it as a learning experience for their business students.
Students in the tech college hospitality and culinary arts could run the restaurant portion.
Again, --to the Shins--good creative thinking!!
August 20, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
siamesefred (anonymous) says...
Cornell University's hospitality school runs an upscale hotel on its campus.
And both KU and K-State offer cooperative living houses as a cost-effective alternative to dorms. Residents pay less because they are assigned routine chores and cooking duties. The atmosphere feels Greek without the letters.
August 20, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )