Low numbers cause ATO-Iowa to close

[hoosier]

Low numbers cause frat to close
By Danielle Stratton-Coulter - The Daily Iowan
Published: Thursday, June 23, 2005


The days of decorating Homecoming banners, competing in Texas Hold 'em tournaments, and barbecuing at their red brick fraternity house are over for the eight remaining members of Alpha Tau Omega, which plans to sell their residence.
UI chapter Vice President Scott Murphy said membership has been so low that the group decided to sell the house at 724 N. Dubuque St.
"Our board voted this last semester that, because we didn't have enough guys to fill the house next year, we couldn't afford it," he said.
Murphy said the large number of members dropping out, quitting the UI, or being too busy to participate in activities has whittled the group down to fewer than 10.
"As far as the fraternity, it's not looking real good that we're going to be around anymore," he said.
The abode has been the home of Alpha Tau Omega since it purchased it from the now-defunct UI chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity in 2003.
The Kappa Sigma Housing Corp. sold the property without notifying the UI chapter's members or alumni, citing financial difficulties and low membership.
The move caused a stir among devotees who said they would have contributed funds to keep the house.
Alpha Tau Omega has faced similar difficulties, Murphy said. So few men were joining that some members had to act in numerous executive positions - Murphy himself served as vice-president, Homecoming chairman, and greek-week chairman - and then eventually got "burned out."
"Juggling all three was really difficult," he said.
Murphy estimated that the fraternity will have to be out of the house around Aug. 1.
Coldwell Banker real-estate agent Tim Lehman is in the process of showing the property to prospective buyers, he said, putting the price at $625,000.
"We've had some people look at it," he said, adding that no one has made an offer.
"I've had other fraternities and sororities who are looking at the house or starting a new house look at it."
The existing structure is "hands-off" for apartment developers, Lehman said.
Zoning stipulations for the property require a certain number of parking places for each bedroom, requirements that are waived for greek chapters, he said. The property has only four spots and 17 bedrooms.
Murphy said he and his fraternity brothers thought the abundance of bedrooms might attract rushees. They made renovations to the house themselves, he said, doing extensive cleaning and painting. But no matter what they did, the membership just wasn't there.
"We did a lot of work on it," he said. "It does suck to lose something like that."