Phi Kappa Psi members may not be living together anymore, but the fraternity is still an active chapter at Iowa State.

Near the beginning of August, Phi Kappa Psi made an unconventional decision. In an attempt to relieve a strained financial situation, the chapter resorted to leaving its fraternity house. The House Corporation Board now owns the house, located at 316 Lynn Ave.

“We’re well below the break-even point, and it’s not viable to run the house when we’re not making rent,” said Phi Kappa Psi President D.J. Erdmann.

Phi Kappa Psi is currently composed of 14 members who were requested to move out of the house by Aug. 20.

“The greek system has been declining in numbers over the past five or six years,” Erdmann said. “In the 1930s and 1940s, [Phi Kappa Psi] was a huge house … about 58 in-house and 78 out-of-house.

“Originally the greek system was an alternative to living in the dorms,” Erdmann said. “But now there’s such an abundance of off-campus living that if students don’t want to live in the dorms, they have other options … and I think a lot of people would rather live on their own.”

Brian Tenclinger, greek affairs coordinator, said he hopes the situation at Phi Kappa Psi improves.

“This is a temporary situation,” Tenclinger said. “Hopefully, it’ll only last a year … It’s a really great frat, and it’s a shame they have to move out.”

The house is now trying to determine what their options are. One option is to rent the house to another chapter or a large group of people.

“It’s a really strange situation. I don’t understand why a house would ask their own men to move out and then rent it out to complete strangers … but I don’t know the history of the situation,” Tenclinger said.

The majority of the members are still living together and are close-knit. They continue to meet once a week and stay an active unit.

“Everyone’s got a positive outlook,” Erdmann said. “We’re not viewing anything in a negative light … I think we can make this work.”