The former Sigma Chi fraternity house at 550 Lasuen Mall — currently a self-op — will be allocated to one or more University-recognized Greek organizations for the 2020-21 academic year, Residential Education (ResEd) Associate Dean Nate Boswell told house residents in an email sent Monday afternoon.
Students will be able to draw into 550 Lasuen as a non-themed self-op for the 2019-20 academic year, before the house becomes a Greek residence for the following academic year. The email from ResEd did not specify which Greek organization will receive the house, or whether the house will be shared by multiple organizations, in the same way that 1047 Campus Drive is occupied by both the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and multicultural sorority Sigma Psi Zeta.
Stanford notified the Alpha Omega House Corporation (AOHC) — a group of a group of Sigma Chi alumni who serve as landlords of the residence — that the University decided on Monday not to renew the term of the former Sigma Chi chapter house’s ground lease, an agreement by which the property would house Sigma Chi fraternity members. This decision will not affect the house’s current residents or staff, who will maintain their positions until the end of spring quarter.
The news follows a single year of self-op status for the residence, which housed Sigma Chi fraternity members until the Stanford chapter lost its charter in May 2018 following a membership review process conducted by the Sigma Chi International Fraternity organization that concluded there were “few members who would carry the chapter forward in a positive manner.” The chapter is not currently active with the international Sigma Chi fraternity, nor is it recognized by Stanford.
The Daily reported in Jan. 2018 that Sigma Chi International began investigating the Stanford chapter after an alleged drugging by a non-Stanford affiliate at the Sigma Chi house.
Though Boswell’s email did not specify how ResEd came to its decision to reallocate the house to Greek life, he noted that it was not the result of the ResX task force and is not applicable to any other Row houses.
Contact Holden Foreman at hs4man21 ‘at’ stanford.edu and Erin Woo at erinkwoo ‘at’ stanford.edu.