River Road Groundbreaking
Over 100 Sigma Nu actives and alumni were in attendance to witness the Oct. 21, 2008 groundbreaking ceremony for the new home of Mu Chapter on the campus of the University of Georgia. It was a giant step forward in Mu Chapter’s 12-year-long path to return to River Road, the site of Sigma Nu’s house for 54 years.
The ceremony celebrated the opening of a new Greek Park with facilities housing Phi Delta Theta, Tau Epsilon Phi, and Pi Kappa Alpha. Featured speakers at the event included University President Michael Adams and vice president for Student Affairs Rodney Bennett. The other three fraternities celebrating the groundbreaking were grossly outnumbered by the Sigma Nus.
Following the ceremony, Verner Chaffin, who was initiated into Mu Chapter in 1936 and was present at the 1940 groundbreaking of the original River Road house, spoke to the actives and alumni. He was followed by current Mu Commander Austin Hackney, who thanked all the alumni for their support and patience.
Also in attendance were two members of Sigma Nu High Council, Regent Joe Gilman and Regent-Elect Robert Durham. As a Mu alumni, Durham once lived in the original River Road house.
The event was a major talking point on campus and in the community. Several members of Sigma Nu were featured in a front-page photograph of the following day’s issue of The Red & Black, the University’s student-run newspaper.
Sigma Nu was forced out of the original house, nicknamed "The Chateau", in 1996 after the house was damaged in a fire and failed subsequent fire-code inspections. Years of intense negotiations between the University and the city of Athens followed as the chapter searched for a suitable replacement house.
In August 2006, the University presented Sigma Nu with plans for a new house on River Road. After two more years of intense negotiations, plans were finalized and the groundbreaking date was set. Sigma Nu and the other three fraternities will be presented with a 30-year lease with an option to renew for 30 more years.
The new facility will house 20 men and be approximately 11,000 square feet. The house will be in the style of a French chateau, similar to the original house.
During it’s 12 years without a house, Mu Chapter continued to be a presence on the University of Georgia campus. Currently the chapter has over 60 actives and 24 candidates.
