08/23/2019
Dear Gamma brothers,
It is indeed with a heavy heart that we share this disappointing news with you. On August 21, 2019 the Gamma Alumni of Alpha Kappa Lambda Corporation board completed the sale of our historic property at 401 E. Daniel.
If you have been engaged in our alumni communications over the last two years, you are aware of the challenges stemming from the lack of member interest for living in our fraternity. For the 2018-2019 school year, 32 of 68 members lived in the house. For 2019 and 2020, just 24 members of over 50 returning members elected to live-in. Our capacity is 70 members. The members understood the consequences despite our appeals to loyalty, self-support, and our valued history. A lack of interest to live together is not sustainable.
The reasons for the poor occupancy are many beginning with restrictive changes in university housing policy and the fashionable trend for juniors and seniors opting for apartment living. Lack of senior leadership living in house also brings many challenges to the brotherhood on campus and junior member motivation to live-in.
The corporation board worked tirelessly with the active chapter leadership assisting with chapter planning, recruiting weekends, and hiring a full-time live-in House Director under shared supervision with AKL National. We also reached out to many alumni for their time but simply could not gain enough ongoing engagement and continuity locally.
The sale of many historic fraternity properties to residential high-rise apartment developers is a recent trend since we rebuilt Gamma. The University of Illinois leadership and Champaign County administrations responded with no genuine interest in preserving fraternity residences as we remembered them. While our Greek residences were built to provide student housing exclusively for the university, University of Illinois investments in new residence halls place Greek housing in competition with residence hall occupancy goals.
Our national is equally challenged with the loss of other AKL iconic chapters such as Purdue. Frequent hazing incidents compelled the national organization to close chapters and discontinue the national new member programs. The lack of a bonding experience based on collaborative living and our ideals appear to have impacted the fraternal culture that once thrived. We expect that AKL national will close the chapter at Illinois as most all of the existing members have expressed interest in terminating their active affiliation.
We are pleased that Alpha Delta Phi is the buyer. They have a substantial capital base from the sale of their old house adjacent to Green Street and will be able to operate debt free. Their board members have told us that we are now part of their chapter house history and our alumni are more than welcome to visit. So, while AKL won’t continue at 4th and Daniel, there will be a strong fraternity presence that continues and welcomes you. We will also plan an alumni event at the house sometime in the next 18 months if there is enough interest.
Our Corporation Board is now turning to address the future of our alumni association. We are looking for your interest and input. I am available to share details and discuss your interest with your response.
Sadly, and sincerely,
Chris Disher
President, Gamma Alumni of Alpha Kappa Lambda
University of Illinois
