Fate of greek house unclear

If Rudi Yogananda gets his way, the empty Pi Kappa Alpha house may soon be home to troubled teens looking for a way to get out of their current situations. \nYogananda, whose real name is Donovan Roger Berlin, said he intends to turn the vacant house into a group home for young adults who want to attend IU but do not have the means. \nThe "Millennium Project," as Yogananda calls it, would be located at Third and Faculty streets, smack in the middle of a row of sororities. \nLocal Bloomington real estate investor John Seeber, who has a 30-day option from Bank One to purchase the lot for $1.1 million, said he is willing to work with Yogananda to establish the home.\n"If this project can help the community, great, but I have a mortgage to pay so if they don't come through, I'll move on in a different direction," Seeber said. \nSeeber said he may still rent the lot to a fraternity house.\n"If a fraternity walked into my office tomorrow and wanted to rent the property from me, I would probably give it to them. A fraternity fits in better with the campus. It's a good investment, and it's why I originally bought the property."\nRight now, IU officials and Bloomington zoning board officials say they have no knowledge of the plan.\nCity officials said they have yet to be approached regarding the matter and refused to comment any further. \nCraig Howerton, of Shelter Inc., said Yogananda asked his company to contribute to the "Millennium Project." Howerton and his associates, however, decided that the project was not doable.\n"Based upon what I see, I don't think it's a feasible project," he said.\nThough he is still unclear where the money will come from, Yogananda is enthusiastic about the future of the plan.\n"I have support from powerful people in this community," Yogananda said. "I am good at getting money. If I want this to happen, I can snap my fingers and make it happen. I mean, look at me."\nHe claims to have received orders for the project from Richard Nixon over two decades ago.\n"The U.S. Justice Department and President Nixon contacted me in the early '70s regarding this issue," Yogananda claimed. "They wanted me to take action."\nHis Web site, www.cia-stargate.org, adds, "The man you are about to meet has served 7 Presidents, the C.I.A., the U.S. Department of Justice and hundreds of U.S. Corporations in the capacity of PROBLEM SOLVER!"\nYogananda said he is holding a town meeting to discuss these plans in the next few weeks.\n"The Project reaches out to young adults who have been addicted to drugs, abused or even thrown in jail," Yogananda said. "However, they have all successfully completed detoxification and/or counseling programs and have demonstrated that they are ready to take the next step in life."\nThe young adults who have proven their commitment must be directly referred to the Millennium Project, Yogananda said. If they qualify, they will be invited to stay in the old Pi Kappa Alpha house and attend classes at IU, both of which would be fully funded by the Project. \nThey have 18 weeks, one semester, to prove themselves. If they receive one failing grade or get into trouble, they will be asked to leave or escorted back to jail, Yogananda said. \nOnce the students have successfully completed the semester, they are on their own. The Project intends to help the students find tuition money, housing and jobs; in short, whatever it takes to keep them enrolled at IU.\n"IU students should in fact take this idea as a compliment. We are bringing troubled students onto a beautiful, motivated campus. They want to be like you; they want to have a future," he said.\nIn addition, Yogananda said he wants to give IU psychology and sociology students a chance to help with the program. He said he hopes that IU will give academic credit to those students who volunteer at the group home. \n"They will act as mentors to the students in our house, saying, 'Look, I am getting an education. I am making plans for my future. Here is your opportunity to come with me,'" Yogananda said. "We will have the best of the best working with us, from psychologists to sociologists to the IU community as a whole. There is no reason for failure."\nThough uncertain whether the project will indeed take off, Seeber said he doesn't mind giving it a chance. \n"Donovan's intent is to do good for people. He tries to bring people together to help those on the streets," Seeber said. "He is just trying to get the Millennium Project idea together and at the minimum, raise awareness of the homeless problem in our community"