Sammy to move back on campus

Sigma Alpha Mu brother and junior Andy Trus' away message on American Online Instant Messenger last night said it all -- "1500 N. Jordan, Sammy's Movin' In!"\nNext fall, Sigma Alpha Mu, nicknamed Sammy, will move back onto campus for the first time since 1998. Though Sigma Alpha Mu has had chapters at IU for decades, it also has had a history of being kicked off campus. The most recent chapter was started by four "founding fathers" in 2001, each of whom will graduate this year.\n"Ever since then, the fraternity has grown, and the brothers have been working to complete the fraternity experience," Sammy President Steve Bell said. "Finally getting a house on campus will complete this."\nThe brothers currently live in several locations: two main houses near Third Street, a house on the east side of campus, a section of apartments in College Park and the residence halls.\nThe brothers chose the house at 1500 North Jordan Avenue because of the availability. \n"We've been talking to the landlord for a while now about the possibility of working out a lease," Sammy Vice President Edwin Roger said. "We capitalized on it when the opportunity arose. Carpe diem."\nThe arrangements for Sammy to move into the house, which is currently leased by Phi Sigma Kappa, are completely unrelated to Phi Sigs' reason for no longer living there, Bell said. \n"We didn't 'steal' the house from them, so to speak," Bell said. "Our negotiations were completely separate from Phi Sigs'. We don't want to create any bad blood with them. They're great guys."\nPhi Sigma Kappa President Derrick Clark said the fraternity did not look into re-signing a lease at the current location because the house was no longer big enough.\n"We're thrilled that a smaller chapter will have the opportunity for growth and be able to use this house," Clark said.\nClark said Phi Sigs is currently evaluating housing options for next year. \n"Right now, our housing corporation is negotiating long-term options for living," he said.\nAs for the future of Sammy, Bell and Roger both said they agree there will be many benefits to living in one place. \n"Organization is just much easier when everyone lives together," Bell said. "Now that we're up to 55 members, communication is a lot harder, having us live in several places. But if we're in a house, we can pass on information about chapter and stuff by just posting something on the wall.\n"Also, from a rush standpoint, it's great because potential rushees now know that there is a house to live in. Before, lots of freshmen said that we were great guys and just a great fraternity overall, with philanthropy and that stuff, but since we didn't have a house on campus, they didn't end up signing with us. That problem is solved now."\nBell said living together in a house will also boost morale. \n"Living in different places creates a clique-ish environment; you can't help that," he said. "Everyone living together will just make us that much stronger."\nMost of the brothers will live in the house next year, and they're all looking forward to it, according to Bell and Roger.\n"Everyone in Sammy is ecstatic, and that's an understatement," Bell said. "We've all been shouting from the rooftops how excited we are."\n-- Contact staff writer Lori Snow at losnow@indiana.edu.