Oh, brother!

Press-Telegram 5/1/07

One could easily argue with the lack of foresight that went into allowing a Cal State Long Beach fraternity to take up residence across from Fremont Elementary School in Belmont Heights. But the milk was spilled (reportedly on a polyester toga) in 1975, and there's no use crying about it now.

More than a generation of Sigma Pi fraternity brothers have come of age at 4121 E. Fourth St. In the process they and their guests have had sex on the neighbors' lawns, urinated on Fremont's grounds, played loud music, yelled and cursed late at night, revved and raced their cars and left their adolescent residue - used condoms, beer bottles, plastic cups and passed out friends - strewn throughout the neighborhood.

The problem is easy to identify: The fraternity men want to party, and the neighbors want peace and quiet. Neither group is wrong in their expectations, given their respective stations in life, but the location isn't right for this chlorine-ammonia mix.

Fraternity members, who are just living in the house during college, need to act like guests of the neighorhood. Residents, who tend to stay in this high-priced part of Long Beach, get new neighbors every year.

The best long-term solution would be for Sigma Pi to voluntarily sell the house and move either to a new house in a less-impacted area or find apartments and host their events in rented spaces.

If that doesn't work, and the problems resurface, the city and neighbors should band together and begin the process of forcing out the fraternity. We would much rather see a voluntary change than an expensive lawsuit or punitive action.

Recent efforts to make nice by the current crop of Sigma Pi members are commendable. Members participated in a neighborhood cleanup and apologized for their conduct at a public meeting. They said, and we believe them, that they didn't know they were causing so many headaches (hangovers not included).

We would like to see them volunteer at Fremont's many fund-raisers to make up for the damge their "brothers" have done to the school over the years. Community service is an element of the Greek system, and Fremont needs help raising money for academic programs.

But over the long haul it is better for Sigma Pi to move. Asking fraternity brothers not to party is a bit like asking an elephant to walk softly.

Any desire to be neighborly cannot compete with the seduction of youth.

If the boys are to stay, they should learn to behave like men. And men respect their neighbors.