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Originally Posted by Hoosierxgirl
Does anyone know why three chapters left IU all in the same year? That's kind of bizarre.
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I was there at the time. Of course I'm not privy to any of the official information, but based on what was reported in the IDS and the yearbook at the time, all 3 of them were struggling with low membership. ASA and Tri Sigma didn't have houses and there was no land available for them to build. As 33girl mentioned, it is a HUGE disadvantage at IU - when all the other sororities have gigantic, gorgeous houses to live in, how do you sell living in a dorm? And when a housed chapter has left, many times the University snaps up the house and the land. I know the old AOPi and Beta Theta Pi houses on 10th Street are now used for the School of Informatics, and I think the Pike house on 3rd Street was demolished (or if not, is also being used for some other purpose)
One thing that was noted in the yearbook story about Tri Sigma, when it was announced that the chapter would close, the pledge class was given the choice to be released before initiation (so they could rerush) or be initiated into Tri Sigma even though there would be no chapter next year. All the pledges chose to initiate. Sisterhood right to the end!
Sigma Kappa did have a brand new house (I think they moved into it in 1990 or 1991, and their former house became the IU Office of Admissions). That one was a surprise - if I remember correctly, that news came right at the end of the 1993-1994 school year. (The others were announced earlier in the second semester.) (A couple of my APO brothers were also in Sigma Kappa) Pi Kappa Phi is now in that house, but I don't know if Sigma Kappa sold it to them or if that chapter is leasing it.
Interestingly enough, lack of housing doesn't seem to affect fraternities, as there are quite a few unhoused fraternities at IU.
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