Upon returning to campus, members of Phi Kappa Tau (Phi Tau) set foot in their newly renovated fraternity house. The new property at 92 Broad Street was owned previously by the Alumni Corporation of Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), a Colgate fraternity that is no longer active.?In recent years, the house has been used for residential and storage purposes, particularly during the construction of Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology. Last spring, the property was sold to Colgate with the request that the school place an active fraternity in the house.?With their former house at 104 Broad Street in need of repairs, Phi Tau was the obvious choice to occupy the property.

So what will happen with the former Phi Tau house? Some possibilities include a new house for the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, a leadership center or a dining facility. But according to Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Greek Life Tim Mansfield, there are no definitive plans as of yet, and the house will remain unoccupied for the remainder of the year.

“104 Broad is safe to occupy, it just isn’t up to Colgate standards as of now,” Mansfield said. “There are a lot of good ideas floating around, and renovations will surely be made on the house, but for this year, it’s going to stay vacant.”? Much remains to be done to make 104 Broad a respectable house again, including painting and updating security systems and smoke detectors. These renovations, with the current existence of unexposed asbestos under the ceilings and floors, will be tricky and time-consuming procedures.

?As for Phi Tau’s new house, a lot has been done to prepare it for this year, including porch renovations and the addition of a fully functioning kitchen. Mansfield believes that these new living arrangements will not only bring the fraternity brothers living in the house closer together, but also build a lasting relationship between the house’s current residents and its previous owners.?

“It’s a great partnership between the undergrads of Phi Kappa Tau and the Alumni Corporation of Alpha Tau Omega,” he said. “I’m sure the members of Phi Tau greatly appreciate and will continue to respect the property.?This ensures that everyone in both groups can enjoy the space together.”

Phi Tau President senior Harry Jacobs agreed.

“All of us in Phi Tau are thrilled with the move to the new house,” Jacobs said. “The house is significantly bigger, which allows for more of our brothers to live together.?We appreciate the?opportunity?given to us by Colgate and ATO to live in such a great new house.”

According to Jacobs, members of Phi Tau were all in favor of the move when the idea was announced last spring, and their excitement has continued to grow as they settle into their new home.