Tobin funds will benefit frat housing

Two funds designed to aid fraternity and sorority houses with renovations will be established this fall in memory of 1994 College alumnus Michael Tobin, who fell to his death following an evening of drinking at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house at 3619 Locust Walk in March, 1999.

The two funds have been created as part of a settlement agreement reached between the Tobin family and the University in June, according to University officials, who announced the creation of the funds earlier this week.

Tobin's family filed a wrongful death suit against the University and FIJI two years ago, alleging that Penn's failure to maintain the stairs behind the house led to Tobin's death. Tobin's body was found lying in a garbage pile that had accumulated behind the University-owned fraternity house. His family originally sought $5 million in damages, a figure based on Tobin's potential earnings.

The details of the settlement reached between the University and the Tobin family remain confidential while specifics regarding the size of the memorial funds will not be released until this fall, when the funds are established.

One fund, the Michael E. Tobin Memorial Fund, will support maintenance and repair projects at University-owned residences, including fraternities and sororities over a five-year period. The other fund, the Michael E. Tobin Greek Housing renovation Fund, will be desgined as a revolving fund, from which fraternity and sorority houses can borrow funds for capital improvements.

In 2000, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology agreed to a $6 million settlement with the parents of Scott Krueger, a freshman who died while taking part in a fraternity pledging event at MIT's Phi Gamma Delta chapter in 1997. The school agreed to endow a $1.25 million scholarship in Krueger's memory, and pay $4.75 million to his parents.

Comments (4)

Well "cynical" I think the fund is a great idea. The Greek system does a lot of things for the Penn community (community service, fundraising, etc) and there are a lot of hard working, well respected students in the Greek system. The University doesn't give a lot of support to Greek houses and I think that this fund is a good way to take the sad death of one alum and actually turn it into something good. liz, student philly

Call me cynical, but I see this fund as simply subsidizing filthy frats so they can buy more beer rather than spend their own money on doing basic cleaning and maintenance. Good luck. N, Class of 2005

Liz--I'm not saying there's no hard-working or well-respected students in Penn's frats. But have you actually spent time in a frat house outside the context of a party? Shitting in ones own nest does not show much character or maturity. There may be exceptions, but most frats I've spent much time in are rank, piled with refuse, sticky with beer, and make one wonder how any sober person could stand to LIVE in these noisome, infested hellholes. Yes, Michael Tobin's death was tragic. But blaming the university for this grown man's drunken death in dilapitated, filthy frathouse only goes to show that the frats are incapable of managing themselves and need a paternal university to hold their hands. cynical, Class of 2005

This is a university fund, and as such fraternities have to get approval to use the funds. Ergo, I can assure none of it will be used to fund parties. Frat boy 2001 Frat boy, grad student Chicago

Comments are closed for this item.