This article, which appeared today in The Daily Collegian, offers one more great example of how greek life at Penn State is on the verge of a renaissance. In this rare instance, Safeguard Old State and Mr. Spanier can both agree: Acacia represents “one of the leaders” in greek life at our university.

Spanier Eats Dinner At Acacia Fraternity – The Daily Collegian – “Yes, you have great parties,” [Roy] Baker said. “But you also raise a lot of money, do a lot of service, do a lot of good.” He added that Acacia “consistently helps us change the fraternity culture at Penn State.”

Acacia member Jared Wolfe (senior-biochemistry) said he had misconceptions about fraternity life before coming to Penn State.

“Fraternities do have their problems,” he said. “Being able to develop positive aspects of fraternities would really benefit the greek system.”

Sims said it is important for fraternities to reach out to the Penn State community to dispel misconceptions about greek life, adding administrators want to help support greek life at the university.

“If any fraternity on this campus fails, it’s our failure, too,” he said. “It’s very important for you to know you have a place where can seek such support.”

Over the past few months, I’ve grown to appreciate immensely the unique contributions of various leaders in greek life at Penn State. High on my list is Luke Pierce, head of SAE.

Luke appreciates the special relationship his fraternity must have with the wider campus and community if it is to be successful, and has a remarkable grasp of the kind of long-term strategic thinking necessary for the continued success of his fraternity.

A number of us here at Safeguard Old State have chimed in on the matter, and I’d like to take this opportunity to offer some background on why we are advocating, first, for the brothers’ to be given a second chance, and second, for the administration at Penn State to preserve their house rather than demolish it if the brothers do end up being evicted later this summer.

So, again, we are not condoning the misdeeds of the brothers at Phi Delta Theta, but supporting them out of a belief that they deserve a second chance. While I am not a member of any fraternity, I am a great admirer of the Greek system and the contributions of the Greek community over the course of our history at Penn State. These contributions include the early development of a strong tradition of pride in ourselves and pride in our community here in Happy Valley.

We hope the brothers at Phi Delta Theta are able to resolve their dispute with their national chapter and regain their charter with Penn State University. I don’t mean to condone their misdeeds or their breaking of the rules, because that’s not something any of us at Safeguard Old State were happy to hear.

More than anything it’s important for us at Safeguard Old State that the house at 241 South Burrowes Street not be destroyed if the administration obtains control of the land. Their house was completed in 1905; it has graced the face of our campus with its stately presence and architectural beauty for over 100 years, and was finished in time for President George Atherton to admire its beauty before he died a year later.

I often find myself talking about the importance of preserving our traditions at this University. I do this because, while I appreciate that customs and people change with each generation, it’s our common traditions that help unite each class of Penn Staters as one body and buttress our faith in this school as genuinely unparalleled.

Our common spirit is embodied in the traditions we share with our alumni and will share with future generations of Penn Staters. These traditions, flowing out from that common spirit and certain universally held values, have survived world wars and riots, protests and controversy, near financial ruin and the rise of the modern land-grant University as a powerhouse among its peers throughout the nation.

Do we now, in this Nittany Valley, accept that the traditions and values we have held dear since practically our founding are now fit for the bulldozer?

To be a Penn Stater is to celebrate that certain values are timeless, even if not certain institutions, from our faith in the importance of the Greek system and the way of life and thinking it makes possible for so many students, or our love of student initiative and its historically transformative power to give rise to everything from student philanthropies like the Dance Marathon to student newspapers like The Daily Collegian to student radio like The LION 90.7fm.

So it is with a deep appreciation of these universally held and deeply moving values in youthful student initiative, sportsmanship, fair place, academic excellence and the genuine pursuit of excellence in discovering truth through a liberal and practical education that we call on the administration to stay true to these values that have built and nourished Penn State as we now it.

In this instance, that will mean preserving and restoring the house that Atherton built if the brothers at Phi Delta Theta should lose their appeal and the administration comes to legally acquire the property. That house represents something greater than mere brick and mortar, and to destroy it would to go one step further down the dark road in dismantling and disgracing the physically and historically significant parts of a glorious University campus.

As readers of Safeguard Old State’s Greek blog will know, we’ve been covering Phi Delta Theta’s struggle to regain their charter and recognition from both their national headquarters and the administration at Penn State University.

On April 24, The LION 90.7fm’s public affairs talk program, Radio Free Penn State, welcomed Phi Delta Theta President Kevin Haslam on for an exclusive in-depth interview on the entire controversy. The interview last for just over one half hour and is well worth your time if you’re interested in learning more about the greek system in general at Penn State and Phi Delta Theta’s history at our university.