Fraternity Court residents to get a new neighbor

CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article said Sigma Alpha Epsilon leased two houses. The fraternity owns its main house and has leased its annex. The article has been updated to reflect this change.

After five years without an official house, the members of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity have finally found a place on campus to call their own.

In fall 2013, members will move into Fraternity Court, assuming the annex between Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s house and Sigma Nu’s house. The annex is currently occupied by Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish brotherhood, signed a seven-year lease with the Lawler Development Group. The group owns about 20 rental properties in the area, said Scott Bissinger, an Alpha Epsilon Pi alumnus who worked alongside the fraternity to find housing.

Aaron Bachenheimer, director of fraternity and sorority life and community involvement, said Sigma Alpha Epsilon has been leasing the annex in addition to its main house.

“There have been other fraternities in that house in the past, but in recent memory, it has been essentially the SAE annex, and a lot of upper-class guys in the fraternity have been living in the house,” he said.

But the development group approached Bachenheimer and asked him if other fraternities were looking for housing, so he gave them a list of four that did not have on-campus housing, including Alpha Epsilon Pi.

Bissinger said the fraternity was able to acquire the space for several reasons, including its size, establishment and reputation.

He stressed that Alpha Epsilon Pi received the lease because it was a smarter financial opportunity for the property’s owners — not because of personal reasons.

The property currently houses 13 Sigma Alpha Epsilon members, but Bissinger said it is capable of accommodating 27 people.

“The development group had a pretty clear mindset that they basically wanted to increase the amount of money that the previous owners were generating from the property,” he said.

Alpha Epsilon Pi President Jason Steinberg said the decision to pursue the house was nothing personal against Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

He added that the fraternity hopes to maintain good relationships with all of the fraternities, especially those residing in Fraternity Court.

“We see this as a really great way to get involved with the Greek community,” he said.

“We share a lot of the same goals as all the other fraternities on campus — to contribute to the school and allow the school to help us become better young men,” Steinberg said.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon President Matt Goolsby said he does not foresee any problems with the transition, adding that Sigma Alpha Epilson was the only fraternity for a long time that had two houses. He said the fraternity has been leasing the annex since 2000.

“Obviously they’ve been hunting for a house for a while, so good for them for finally getting one,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at university@dailytarheel.com.