Current Kappa Sigma members and alumni gathered on July 13 at the soon-to-be-demolished Kappa Sigma house located on Washburn’s campus near Petro Allied Health Center.

The group held a cookout to celebrate the history of the house, which was built in 1929 and has been in disrepair for nearly a decade. Washburn administration plans to use the area as parking space for new student housing that’s also being constructed.

Some of the current fraternity members and recent alumni shared their opinion about the demolition.

Bradford DeYoung, a junior legal studies major and an active member of Kappa Sigma shared his conflicting feelings on the demolition.

“It’s conflicted,” DeYoung said. “I’m more disappointed with the reason why they’re tearing it down than the fact that they’re tearing it down. This house has been empty for going on ten years I believe now, so its been condemned for quite some time. So in order for any progress to happen it would have to be demolished and that’s sad because it’s a real piece of history.”

DeYoung said that he is more disappointed by the fact they are demolishing it in favor of a parking lot.”While I do believe that it is important that we have a parking lot because, as so many students have complained, there is quite a lack of parking space, it’s still a shame that’s what they’re doing it for,” DeYoung said.

Micah Offermann a recent Washburn graduate with a degree in mass media and a Washburn Law School hopeful was a four-year member of Kappa Sigma said he is a little bit disappointed that it is getting demolished but thinks it is about time.

“Its been used as a storage facility for all my four years here,” Offermann said. “I would like to see some type of monument resurrected in the parking lot. I think it would be really cool if they had, even just a light pole dedicated to Kappa Sigma in honor of the house. I really think that it would be cool if Kappa Sigma was honored in some way.”

Anthony Ho a senior English major and Active of Kappa Sigma said he thinks it is pretty unfortunate that all of the houses history is getting torn down but can see it as something that can be positive for the university.

“I think they’re really benefiting from the space they’re getting now,” Ho said. “I think its really unfortunate about the history being kind of taken down, literally destroyed.”

Sean Keller is a junior nursing major, and is the current fundraising chair for Kappa Sigma at Washburn. Keller explained how the celebration and the demolition made him feel.

“Well, coming here I knew that they didn’t have a house, but the history in the house is obviously pretty relevant with the amount of active and alumni here this evening,” Keller said. “Its good and sad, its almost bittersweet, because I get to hear the stories of all the old alumni being told while I’m walking around the house and everything and I can actually get a visual but I’m not here to experience it for myself. Like I said, its bittersweet, but it is nice to have everybody here together for a couple of hours.”