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For the past two years (or so), the National Interfraternity Conference has been actively lobying Congress to pass legislation that would make it much easier (from a cost perspective) for fraternities to retrofit fraternity housing with sprinkler systems.

The bill (S.1246/HR.1523) is called the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2003 and is currently in committee in both the house and senate.

This bill allows for national educational foundations (501(c)(3) organizations) to take tax deductible gifts and give grants to a local 501(c)(3) organization for any housing or infrastructure improvement that directly benefits a student organization. If passed, the bill would allow for all fraternal educational foundations to use tax deductible gifts to make grants to local housing corporations for housing and infrastructure improvements (such as fire/life safety improvements, a new roof, new furniture, etc.). The bill applies to all student organizations, not just fraternal organizations, and it is anticipated many religious organizations will be able to use this tax change for improvements to their campus facilities.

Not that this makes any difference for the guys at ATO, but this is something that fraternities in general are concerned about.

Thanks for that information. Do you know if that has been passed to Greek national organizations around the Country? It also needs to get to every Greek organization on campuses around the Country and to their parents. I will make sure this gets in the next Parent Club Newsletter for XI Chapter of AOII that I send out.

I know when AOII moved into the former ATO fraternity house, there were new codes for them and it cost quite a bit for them to be up to code with a sprinkler system, etc.

My son who is now a GA at PI was a member of IFC here at OU as President his fraternity. I am going to pass this information on to him and to my daughter's sorority Corporation Board so maybe we can get Congressman Cole on board with this bill and the rest of our Oklahoma delegation.

I knew there were items that our Parent Club buys that are tax deductible for us but if the people donated to the Corporation Board they are not tax deductible. This would make a huge difference IMO in donations for bringing older houses up to code.

Thanks again for this information -- this needs spread far and wide. If you have any further information, please freep mail me and I will give you my email.