Sororities and fraternities may want to double-check their chapter rooms upon returning to DeMattias Hall this fall.
According to Angie Cooper, DeMattias Hall community development coordinator, members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity noted several entertainment items missing on Sunday, Aug. 19. The items included a brand new DVD player, VCR and stereo receiver.
A report filed the next day with the Department of Public Safety states, “It should be noted that the items might have been relocated by contractors. A further investigation is currently under way to locate the missing items.”
Whether or not additional items have been stolen, damaged or moved from other chapter rooms remains uncertain. “We have to wait until everyone’s back before determining that,” Cooper said.
“We are dedicated to finding out exactly what happened,” she added.
Though DeMattias did not house students during the summer, contractors working on the sprinkler and smoke systems did occupy the building. Various conferences for outside groups also occurred intermittently, said Denise Taylor, assistant vice president for facilities planning.
According to several fraternity and sorority members, the groups were assured that the chapter rooms would remain locked during the summer. Taylor did confirm that at least one of the chapter rooms was found unlocked, though she said that none of the contractors would have had any reason to be in those rooms other than to install sprinkler systems.
“We still have the receipts for the items that we purchased, so we hope this will speed up the replacement process,” said Sig Ep fund raising chairman Jim Sarcone. “The fraternity would like to think that [Saint Louis University] and Res Life are in some way going to reimburse the chapter for our full losses.”
Sarcone said that the fraternity was told that its property would be safe during the summer.
“We were also told that the rooms would only be unlocked when the workmen were to be in them, but we have since found out, in the last few days, this was not the case,” Sarcone said.
Lauren Smith, president of Sigma Kappa sorority, noticed the chapter rooms unlocked and occupied frequently throughout the summer. On one occasion, she noticed a television set turned on in one of the rooms.
“We do have concerns about the fact that the chapter rooms were open,” Smith said. “Even though the school is not liable for our [property], it should shoulder a certain amount of responsibility when we’re entrusting them with our private property.”
The approximately 19 chapter rooms in DeMattias Hall are locked throughout the school year, and only fraternity and sorority members have access to them.
Each houses items including furniture, entertainment and computer equipment, ritual boxes and recruitment supplies.
“We have asked for an additional lock for our door, and I don’t think that we will leave our chapter valuables in the chapter room over the summer again,” Sarcone added.
