By GENE VERNACCHIO
Courier-Post Staff

 

GLASSBORO--Nearly a year after they were kicked out into the cold, members of Delta Kappa Epsilon are home again.

Following months of fixing up the tattered, 103-year-old fraternity house, eight members have moved back into their Main Street home, having finally satisfied building inspectors here.

"It feels so great to be back home," said Gary Altman, 22, a psychology major from Cinnaminson who is the fraternity's chapter president. "We were very, very happy to get all the work here done."

But other obstacles remain for the fraternity - including a civil suit brought by a former member and attempts to have its suspension from the Rowan University campus lifted.

Altman was among seven members forced to find alternate living arrangements after borough council revoked the fraternity's rental license last December because of building code violations.

The fraternity rents the off-campus building from its national organization. Fraternity members had to juggle classes with the repairs to the house, a three-story Victorian.

"It was time-consuming," Altman said. "There were times when we had scheduled inspections and we'd be up all night working to finish the work before the inspector came."

Altman said the fraternity has invested more than $50,000 in repairs and upgrades, including a new heating system, new electrical wiring, paint, windows, drywall, flooring and handrails.

"We redid the driveway and we redid almost everything in that house I think," said David K. Easlick Jr., the fraternity's national executive director. "It's probably now one of the better fraternity houses in our system."

Stuart Michalsky, 20, from Woodstown, said having a house is important to any fraternity.

"Pretty much every week, we thought we'd be getting the house back and the inspector would come out and find something else wrong," Michalsky said. "But gradually, the list kept getting shorter and we got the house back."

Now, the fraternity is turning its attention toward reinstatement on the Rowan campus. The fraternity lost its recognition in fall 2002 after a fight at a party at its house. The civil suit, which was filed recently, also stems from the October 2002 incident.

Rowan withheld recognition for 3 1/2 years, citing "multiple violations of university policy," said George Brelsford, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

Though the fraternity will be eligible to return to campus at the end of the fall 2005 semester, Brelsford said members have petitioned for early reinstatement.

"We have not yet responded to that request," he said.

During the suspension, DKE's 24 members are not permitted to participate in any school-related functions.

"They cease to exist as an aspect of the university," he said. "They cannot use campus buildings, they cannot participate in homecoming or Greek Week and they cannot take a pledge class."

In his civil suit against the fraternity, Rowan and others, David Conner III, a former DKE member who has since graduated and lives in Somerset County, contends the fight caused him serious injuries and great pain.

The suit states Conner was attacked by Vincent C. Gatto and Matt S. Flumenbaum, who attended the party but were not fraternity members. Conner was hospitalized after the assault.

Furthermore, the suit maintains the fraternity served alcohol to minors at the party and that Rowan failed to control and supervise the activities.

Easlick declined to comment on Conner's suit, other than to say the incident is what resulted in the fraternity's suspension from campus.

"We feel for David Conner and his family and all that they've been through," Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona said.

"There's just a limited amount of things we can do, but we have an extensive program where we try to educate the students," Cardona said. "They live off campus and are young adults who have signed private contracts with landlords."

Easlick said he sees some positives from the chapter's recent struggles.

"Funny enough, (the suspension and home improvements) has been a great thing for us because we redeveloped our alumni association and put in a risk-management program," Easlick said. "We're really trying to be a good example.