Representatives of both the alumni of the Sigma Chi fraternity and the alumni of the now-defunct Pi Eta fraternity say the two parties are close to reaching a settlement over the ownership of the building that Sigma Chi has used as a clubhouse since 1996. However, neither side would provide any details of proposed settlements.

Likewise, Sigma Chi President Michael G. Housman ’01 declined to comment for the fraternity. He said Sigma Chi plans to release a statement when the settlement is finished.

The building in dispute is located at 45 Mt. Auburn St. It served as the clubhouse for Pi Eta until the fraternity was disbanded around 1990.

The dispute over the building’s ownersip led the alumni board of Sigma Chi to file a lawsuit in Middlesex County Superior Court against the alumni board of Pi Eta this spring. Pi Eta’s alumni board followed up in May by filing a countersuit against Sigma Chi’s alumni board.

The ownership dispute arises out of the argeement made between the two alumni boards in 1996 over Sigma Chi’s use of the house and its responsibilty of making capital improvements to the building.

Both parties agree that under the agreement, the board that oversees the building would be composed of a majority of Pi Eta alumni for the first ten years. However, the parties disagree on many other details of the argeement.

According to Pi Eta’s understanding of the agreement as stated in its court filings, Pi Eta was given the option to dissolve the agreement at any point in the first decade. Sigma Chi disagrees and says that it was given “ownership interests” in the building because of its place on the board.

However, Pi Eta says that the two groups were never able to develop “synergy” and the Pi Eta board members moved to end their relationship with Sigma Chi last fall.