Fraternity moves to smaller house, builds new brotherhood

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MSU’s chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity has downsized to a smaller house in East Lansing to rebuild a stronger membership.

In August, the fraternity moved from a 26-bedroom house, licensed for 42 people at 131 Bogue St., to a 16-person capacity house at 505 Albert Ave., because of low membership numbers, said chapter President and athletic training senior Eric Wehner. The move hopefully will increase foot traffic and interest in joining the fraternity, he said.

The Delta Kappa Epsilon house was located on Bogue Street for five years and was at another location on Michigan Avenue prior to that, Wehner said.

“It wasn’t an option to stay there anymore,” he said. “We were in such a big house before that we were trying to get anybody and everybody to fill up the house. Less room allows for us to be more selective.”

With less than 20 active members, Delta Kappa Epsilon is hoping to rebuild its membership and reputation starting with this fall’s rush week Sept. 20-24, Wehner said.
“We are looking for people who are ready to be leaders and be active leaders who are serious and committed,” he said.

Both properties are owned and managed by Community Resource Management Company, or CRMC, President Joe Goodsir said.

CRMC is remodeling the interior and renting out rooms to individual residents at the former Delta Kappa Epsilon house.

“Not too many frats own their own property,” he said. “They just chose to rent a different property and now the building will just be a rental house.”

Although the fraternity is undergoing changes, the MSU chapter still is fully supported by Delta Kappa Epsilon International, Executive Director Doug Lanpher said. The MSU chapter was founded in 1998 and continues to hold a charter.

“They are in good standing with us,” he said. “It’s a smart decision on their part. They looked at their membership numbers and addressed the issue.”

MSU’s chapter is facing a unique situation, Lanpher said. The fraternity’s membership numbers greatly depend on location and many Delta Kappa Epsilon chapters are very large, he said.

The goal for the fall rush is to attract 20 new members, almost doubling the current membership, Wehner said. The chapter also wants to improve the rush process and find a core group of dedicated brothers.

Staff writer Dillon Davis contributed to this report.

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