Former Beta Theta Pi house to become Informatics office

Next to the School of Informatics building on 10th Street is a boarded up house with greek history behind it. But soon, the building will gain a new history similar to the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and the Delta Tau Delta fraternity houses’ transformations to the School of Informatics and the Army ROTC house at 814 E. Third St., respectively.\n919 E. 10th St., where the currently vacant Beta Theta Pi house sits, remains a memory on campus until the University decides its fate. \nAfter the chapter got kicked off campus in 2001 for not meeting standards, Beta Theta Pi, also known as Beta, has been working on its reputation to get back on campus. The new Beta house on North Jordan Avenue will open in August.\nCurrently, plans for the old Beta house remain in the University’s hands. \nThe house is to be leased to the School of Informatics to serve as an office space for faculty, University Architect Robert Meadows said.\n“The Beta’s house, that’s an interesting situation because they swapped their house for a new location on Jordan,” Interfraternity Council President Mike Piermont said. “The University came to an agreement with Beta to give them a new house because the old house is in the middle of campus.”\nBecause the Betas could move into a new home on North Jordan, the University bought the former residence because it had “a need” for it, said Lynn Coyne, University Real Estate assistant vice president. \n“The University has to have some need or use for it,” Coyne said. “We would buy it because it is located in a certain area of importance.”\nIf the University does not buy a greek house when it becomes vacant, the house remains empty or is usually rented out to another chapter, Coyne said. \n“Most of the houses are on Jordan (Avenue),” said Beta Theta Pi President Greg Baumer. “When those are vacant those sit empty until another fraternity comes, or they remain empty.”\nPiermont said the majority of the Greek houses are located on North Jordan Avenue and a vacancy of a house depends on the situation.\n“If a house gets removed, it could be because of financial difficulty or the charter of the fraternity is lost,” Piermont said. \nThe construction project has started and should be done in a year, Meadows said.