OFFICIALLY HOME

Taking Ownership Of Our Legacy On The Ohio State University Campus

by Rachel Greene

IN 2012, PI KAPPA PHI PROPERTIES made an offer to purchase the property that the Alpha Nu Chapter (Ohio State) had been renting since they rechartered on campus two years prior. The offer was rejected, but neither the chapter nor Pi Kappa Phi Properties gave up hope of this house one day officially belonging to Pi Kappa Phi. In 2023, this enduring hope became a reality.

Originally chartered in 1927, the chapter left campus in 1936 after just nine years. The chapter had a long yet short history at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, with a nine-year presence and a 74-year absence when they returned to campus in 2010. Pi Kappa Phi Properties is committed to supporting an enduring legacy for this chapter at Ohio State. When initially rechartered, Alpha Nu had the ability to lease, but not yet purchase, a home that another fraternity at the institution had recently vacated. When the house inhabited by the chapter was put up for sale in 2012, Pi Kappa Phi made an offer, but was outbid by a local couple, members of the Columbus community.

Greg Buehner, president of Pi Kappa Phi Properties, added, “When the house went on the market in 2012, a local couple saw a great financial opportunity and we are grateful that the home ended up in their care while the chapter continued to lease it. They have made some incredible improvements to the home over the past 11 years.”

As for the chapter, they have been doing well on campus, which can almost certainly be attributed in part to their recognizable presence on Greek Row, an area that is walkable from campus and that fraternities and sororities at Ohio State call home.

Pi Kappa Phi Properties has stayed in touch with the homeowners since the original sale, building a strong working relationship and ensuring the chapter maintained their reputation as good tenants. With these factors already in place, Pi Kappa Phi Properties requested an appraisal of the home in 2023, which led to a discussion with the homeowners about selling the property. Upon learning that they were interested in selling, Buehner knew that now was the time to act, saying, “Other fraternities approached Pi Kappa Phi to ensure that we were buying the property as a courtesy to us since we had been inhabiting it for years, and to share that if we weren’t, they had a definite interest.”

The already highly competitive real estate market in Columbus, Ohio, and the added pressure of other fraternity interest in the desirable Greek Row location of the home pushed Pi Kappa Phi Properties to operate under a tight timeline, making a strong, competitive initial offer. The offer was accepted, and the property finally became the official home to the Alpha Nu Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi.

“We were gone from this campus for a while, and now we want to secure our presence here forever,” said Buehner, adding, “despite just officially acquiring this property, this has been Pi Kappa Phi’s home on this campus for many years. Owning this home provides Pi Kappa Phi with security and control, ensuring the continued legacy of Pi Kappa Phi on this campus for years to come.”

Ole Miss Property

In addition to the purchase of the property at The Ohio State University for the Alpha Nu Chapter, Pi Kappa Phi Properties was able to secure a property at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for the Alpha Lambda Chapter, despite a competitive fraternity landscape and real estate market in Oxford, Mississippi. “Ole Miss has always been a very strong fraternity campus and we are committed to continuing our work to ensure Pi Kappa Phi is competitive there,” said Buehner, adding, “This is the sort of campus that the staff members who came before us worked so hard to make successful in order to make a lasting name and legacy for Pi Kappa Phi.”