FULLERTON : CSUF Fraternities to Reapply for Permits

Members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Pi must move out of their fraternity houses near Cal State Fullerton--but when and for how long remains to be settled.

After hearing neighbors and police tell of frequent loud parties at the houses and a brawl between the two fraternities in December, the Fullerton City Council denied operating permits for the fraternities this week. Fraternity members will be required to move out of the houses on Teri Place so that the structures can be converted to four-plex apartments.

But once that work is finished, fraternity members may move back in as long as no fraternity activities take place inside, City Atty. R. K. Fox said Thursday.

“If all the work can be done in one day and they move out in the morning and move back in in the afternoon, then fine,” Fox said.

Fraternity officials said Thursday that they plan to continue renting the buildings as apartments, and hope to seek permission from the city to reopen as fraternity houses. Under city law, parties denied operating permits can reapply in six months.

City officials will meet with fraternity members and owners of the two buildings to set a deadline on when the houses must be vacated and what work must be done to convert them to apartments, associate planner Ted J. Commerdinger said. A meeting date has not been set, he said.

The Sigma Pi house is owned by alumni of the fraternity, and they hope to continue running the building as an apartment house for fraternity members once any required work is finished, said John J. Merino Jr., an alumni adviser and co-owner of the house.

“We’re just waiting to hear from the city on how they’re going to handle it,” Merino said Thursday. “We’ll comply with whatever we have to do.”

The owner of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, Cal State Fullerton computer science professor Demetrios A. Michalopoulos, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Greg Simonian, 20, an an executive officer of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said that he believes the 18 fraternity members living in the house will be allowed to continue renting the apartments once required changes are made.

The fraternity is trying to be a good neighbor, Simonian said, noting that no fraternity parties or events have been held since September.

However, city officials said police have been called to the house twice since September, once to break up a fight and once because of a noise complaint.

Simonian said that both incidents were unfortunate and that steps have been taken to avoid such problems. “We have changed,” he said. “We’ll continue to be good neighbors.”

Fox said he believes that the behavior of fraternity members in the six months they must wait before reapplying for new permits will hold much weight in determining if they will be allowed to reopen.