Kansan file photo

The Phi Kappa Theta fraternity house will soon be home to members of a different fraternity at the end of the summer. Members of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity plan to move into the house in August after vacating their previous house at 1232 Ohio St.

Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity will move into the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity house in August, Tau Kappa Epsilon members said.

Alex Plassmeyer, Tau Kappa Epsilon president, cited several reasons for the move to 1111 W. 11th St., including a better location and the desire to increase its membership. The fraternity has about 50 active members, Plassmeyer said.

Fourteen members live in the house at 1232 Ohio Street this semester. Next school year, the chapter would like to have about 50 members live in its house, Plassmeyer said.

The new house will generate more living space for the fraternity. Tau Kappa Epsilon had trouble recruiting members in previous years because it did not have adequate room in the Ohio Street house, said D.J. Soper, Atchison junior.

A lack of space made it difficult to conduct chapter meetings at the house. Meetings had to be held in the Kansas Union.

Plassmeyer said he would use the new house as a recruiting tool.

“In the past when we rushed guys, the house was at capacity,” he said. “Now that we have space available for guys, especially incoming freshman looking for a place to live, you can show them where they’ll sleep and study, so it definitely gives us an advantage over previous years.”

The new house will have a house mom and cook, whom were missing from the Ohio St. house, said Tyler McMillan, Garden City sophomore.

Living arrangements will depend on summer and fall recruitment. If the fraternity attracts pledges, current members of the fraternity would not have their own rooms, McMillan said. Even though members will run the risk of sharing rooms, it’s a sacrifice they would be willing to make.

“It would be nice to come back in 20 years and see 150 kids,” Soper said. “Once we get our house, we want to continue that momentum and be a power house on campus.”

Tau Kappa Epsilon has been a fraternity since April 25, 1942. The fraternity sold its Stewart Avenue house in 1999. The fraternity sold its house because of difficulties in upgrading the fire code, said Joseph Lantz, Tulsa, Okla. senior. Eleven members refounded the fraternity in the fall of 2002.

The fraternity will get the opportunity to live in the 11th St. house because of a Feb. 19 Phi Kappa Theta unregistered party, which led to their expulsion them from campus. Members of Phi Kappa Theta will live at Highpointe Apartments, 2001 W. 6th St., next year.

Tau Kappa Epsilon will not be under scrutiny because of Phi Kappa Theta’s past troubles, said Scott Shorten, IFC President.

“I don’t think that’s an issue,” Shorten said. “It will give them a chance to boost their membership and increase their presence on campus.”