Next semester, Kappa Sigma will move into Alpha Epsilon Pi’s (AEPi) former house at 17 Eagle Row and Media, Literature and Arts Outreach (MLAO) members will move into Kappa Sigma’s current house at 20 Eagle Row, according to Assistant Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life Joshua Gamse. The plans follow AEPi’s suspension and subsequent removal from their house after allegedly violating Emory’s anti-hazing policy.
Gamse said that Kappa Sigma is moving to the smaller house to provide a “more reasonable” number of beds to manage and fill.
“We have been working with Kappa Sigma over the last two years to ensure their success with housing,” Gamse said. “It’s an opportunity for Kappa Sigma to focus less on the overwhelming numbers of filling house 20 [Eagle Row] with 49 beds versus the more reasonable 23 [in 17 Eagle Row], and I think the chapter is excited about that.”
Kappa Sigma Chapter President Zack Spickard (20B) did not respond to the Wheel’s request for comment.
The house at 17 Eagle Row will remain vacant for the remainder of the Spring 2019 semester, according to Campus Life Senior Director for Communications Tomika DePriest.
MLAO was scheduled to move to Clairmont Campus next year as Kappa Alpha Order (KA) is scheduled to return to its “historic” home at 14 Eagle Row in Fall 2019. The fraternity returned to campus in Spring 2018 after being suspended in 2015, the Wheel previously reported.
MLAO currently houses 37 members, MLAO’s Resident Adviser (RA) Ethan Mock (20C) said, but he is confident that MLAO would be able to fill the remaining 12 beds at 20 Eagle Row.
“Our goal and plan is to fill every one of those beds,” Mock said. “In the five years MLAO has existed, it’s never had issues filling up its beds in the Fall semester.”
If MLAO is unable to fill to capacity by the end of the Spring 2019 semester, the remaining spaces will be made available to upperclassmen and transfer students, according to Greg Hollinger, complex director for Eagle Row and themed houses.
“Our greatest concern about moving to Clairmont was how we were going to continue providing those venues to other organizations on campus that we had such a close connection with,” Mock said. “What excites me most about the new house is [that for] all of those organizations and any projects that our community members will want to initiate, we will have a conducive space for that.”
Mock and MLAO President Raegan Clark (16Ox,19C) said they were both happy to remain on main campus next year because it will better allow the organization to continue its arts outreach to the Emory community.
Clark said that MLAO, which is a theme house, is working to become an established on-campus organization.
“Most of this year has been spent trying to establish MLAO as something permanent,” Clark said. “What we’ve been trying to do is get an MLAO constitution, get chartered, just establish the framework to function as a permanent organization.”
Mock said that one of MLAO’s assets was their ability to provide venues for the arts community at Emory, adding that MLAO has hosted more events to promote engagement this year.
“We believe there is an artistic side to everyone that can be brought out,” Mock said. “All you have to do is want to be a part of this community and the community will open its doors to you.”
Correction (3/17/19 at 12:40 p.m.): A previous version of this article stated that Ethan Mock serves as a co-president. In fact, Raegan Clark serves as the president and Ethan Mock is the resident adviser (RA).
Ninad Kulkarni (he/him) (22C) is from Hyderabad, India, majoring in economics and mathematics. You can catch him cheering for Bayern Munich and making poor attempts at playing sports.
