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Sigma Nu house opens

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David O'Brien
January 9, 2009
SigmaNu010809KEN_LS02 WESLEY HUBER, SIGMA NU ALUMNI, TALKS WITH ADAM GOCKOWSKI, CURRENT SIGMA NU WHOSE ACTIVATION WILL BEGIN NEXT SEMESTER
SigmaNu010809KEN_LS02 WESLEY HUBER, SIGMA NU ALUMNI, TALKS WITH ADAM GOCKOWSKI, CURRENT SIGMA NU WHOSE ACTIVATION WILL BEGIN NEXT SEMESTER
SigmaNu010809KEN_LS03 MARILYN HERRICK, GILL HERRICK, ABBY SNOWBERGER, CLIFF GREIVE AND MARILYN FLOWER GET A TOUR OF THE NEW FACILITY
SigmaNu010809KEN_LS03 MARILYN HERRICK, GILL HERRICK, ABBY SNOWBERGER, CLIFF GREIVE AND MARILYN FLOWER GET A TOUR OF THE NEW FACILITY

By Dave O'Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

After 35 years without a dedicated residence to call home, the Zeta Gamma chapter of the Sigma Nu fraternity has just that at Kent State University: A state-of-the-art, spacious chapter house that will anchor the new Greek Village at Campus Gateway.

Located at the intersection of Ted Boyd and West Campus Center drives, the house is the first of six planned for the Greek Village, which is being developed in partnership with KSU and several local organizations as a means of welcoming students and visitors who enter campus from the south off S.R. 261.

The fraternity and its partners showed off the new house to brothers, friends and guests Thursday during an open house and social time.

At 6,500 square feet, the new house will be home to more than a dozen fraternity brothers and an on-site resident advisor. A chapter room, large common area and kitchen were designed to help alumni connect with current residents of the house, designers said.

Kent zoning code prohibits the construction of any new fraternity or sorority houses within city limits. University policy says any such buildings must be constructed on campus. Because it is on campus, the house also will be 100 percent alcohol free, according to Sigma Nu.

Visitors to Thursday's open house received tours and said they were impressed by the new house.

"It's a good fit for the campus and the city," said Dan Smith, director of economic development for the city of Kent.

New Sigma Capital Partners LLC and ASW Properties Ltd. of Akron obtained university and state support and capital funding. The building cost more than $600,000, with financing from Kent's Home Savings Bank, and developers said they hope to break ground on the second phase of the project by the end of 2009.

"Even though we're based in Akron, we wanted to keep it a Portage County and Kent project," said Tim Ziga, president of ASW. "It was too good of a project to not make it happen."

Sigma Nu brothers Gill Herrick, class of 1959, and Don Flower, class of 1960, worked with university officials and developers for more than 5 years to make the new house a reality. The chapter, which also counts former KSU trustee George Janik and current KSU trustee and Kent oral surgeon Emilio Ferrara among its member brothers, was re-colonized in 1985, according to its Web site.

Sigma Nu was first chartered at Virginia Military Institute in 1869. In a fitting tribute to Sigma Nu's history at KSU, the new house overlooks Schoonover Stadium, the KSU baseball complex named in honor of Sigma Nu brother and longtime KSU supporter Harold Schoonover, class of 1949, and his wife Julia.

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E-mail: dobrien@recordpub.com

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2.
    Posted by streakinduck January 9, 2009
Just so you know Gary, the Greek system at Kent provides tens of thousands of dollars of support to local charities every year. Go to KentNewsNet.com and read for yourself. Research the calls and you would see that most of the calls from the KPD are to non-Greek housing. I understand your frustration, but I think it's a little unfair to blame, what is it, eight houses for "all the partying."

1.
    Posted by Gary January 9, 2009
oh how wondeful to keep the frat houses on campus. Let KSU police deal with these kids so local neighbors don't have to contend with all the partying.

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