ka is new row
by: FACT
What is the deal with KA and people saying they're Old Row? It would be understandable if they used to be on Old Row but KA has never owned property or a house on Old Row. Their previous house was near the president's mansion down the road from Fiji and is now a parking lot.
I understand that they were one of the first fraternities in Auburn and for that reason, they call themselves an old row fraternity. The fact remains that they are currently a New Row fraternity and have never been on Old Row. Case closed
#1by: Truth
Yes, KA is currently on New Row, but they are still "Old Row." They're considered "Old Row" because the term comes from the original fraternity houses that were on Auburn's oldest and first fraternity row. The term is still flawed because there are fraternities in Auburn that were not on that row that still call themselves "Old Row." In fact, the Old Row shirt that you see guys wearing is very incorrect. On it are, SAE, SN, SX, KA, Sig Ep, and Pike when KA and SN are the only one's that rightfully deserve a place on it. Auburn's first fraternity row, "Old Row," consisted of 7 houses up to 1940... The houses built on it after 1940 are not considered "Old Row" because by then, half of the Original Houses had relocated to a newer row. The 7 Original fraternity houses on the "Old Row" were: KA, Phi Delt, Delta Sig, Theta Chi, Sigma Nu, Pi Kapp, and AGR. Those are the ONLY fraternities that have the right to call themselves "Old Row." Ironic because 6 of the 7 are currently on New Row.
Keep in mind that many will call BS because these aren't all the 7 OLDEST fraternities. Many of the oldest fraternities didn't have houses until decades after their founding, or had houses after these 7 and were not on the original "Old Row." All of this information can be found in black and white in a published book called "Lost Auburn: A Village Remembered in Period" and Auburn's Fraternity (History) Database.
Comment#3by: AU Fact Check
The above is completely true. The current "old row" shirt is very wrong and not true at all. It's cute that the other 4 fraternities consider themselves old row, but that doesn't mean that they actually are. I think a new shirt should be made with the 7 ACTUAl, ORIGIONAL, old row fraternities. This would shed some light on the legitimate fraternities at Auburn who were actually founded on the tradition which others claim to be.
by: What a mess
by: Answer
by: Heisman
True. "Old Row" and "New Row" is a UA term and I am surprised to read that Auburn apparently uses it now. KA, SAE, Phi, ATO, and Sigma Nu were the oldest and most established in traditions - especially KA, SAE, Sigma Nu, and Phi. But the great thing about Auburn is that none of that crap mattered. There were tons of good fraternities, and they all got along well for the most part. Fiji, Lambda Chi, Sig Ep, Sigma Chi, Kappa Sig, Pike, and others were all very strong in their own right regardless of age. I hope Auburn is still that way.
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by: ^
It's not new. There was some secret history of Auburn Greek life that made reference to "old row" long before all this Greek rank stuff. That said, the old row in the book and the current one are almost entirely different.
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#8by: Heisman
It 's real simple ... KA is the oldest continuous fraternity on Auburn's campus. They also were the first to own and later build their own chapter house (407 South College Street) across from the President's Mansion. SAE was the first chapter founded at AU, but later disbanded for many years, then reorganized. Phi Delta Theta was second founded, but placed on probation numerous times in their great AU history. KA was the third founded, and the oldest continuous fraternity at AU. ATO, Sigma NU, then Pike followed. DKE was in the mix also back then, but their charter was revoked - permanently. So the true "Old Row" fraternities at AU are KA, SAE, Phi, Sigma Nu, ATO, and Pike. And that is it.
by: KA??
So KA was never banned from campus in the mid 90s for massive hazing violations or are we just remembering history differently??
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by: Red Dragon
by: Plainsman
#9by: KA
KA never owned the house on college street. It was leased land and the university eventually needed it for parking. Plus, this was around the time that KA got into all the hazing trouble and was basically unable to rush for several years. They eventually built the new cool house on "New Row". They are one of the oldest with great tradition. The actual "Old Row" (who should be on the shirt) are KA, Phi Delt, Theta Chi,
Sigma Nu, AGR, Pi Kapp, and Delta Sig.
by: Heisman
KA did own their house, referred to as "the KA Mansion" on campus. It was completed in 1941. It was the first fraternity house BUILT in Auburn. Chi Omega actually was the first to live in the KA House for two years while the KA Nu Chapter brothers were off fighting WWII. The University owned the LAND (and only the land) on a lease that ran until 2025. The stipulation to that was that if the fraternity was ever suspended from campus then the University could claim the land. KA was also the first fraternity to OWN their own house. It was located near the railroad tracks where Cary-Pick Realty is located. KA resided there until 1941. The old SAE house was the second owned at Auburn. It was located on North College where the Chi Phi House is today. In fact, if you look closely at the engraving on the front walk where it reads "Chi Phi" in Greek letters when you look at it from the reverse side you can still see where it once was engraved "Phi Alpha" in Greek letters which is SAE's true name. Pretty cool stuff whether you are a SAE or not. KA, SAE, Phi, Sigma Nu, and ATO are the true Old Row Fraternities at AU. You can add Pike and Kappa Sig if you like because they were established next. Then you have a major gap in years before any others came along. And that is it. KA, SAE, and Phi have an extremely rich history at Auburn. The KA Nu Chapter at Auburn was established by the UGA Gamma Chapter in 1883. Oldest KA Chapter in the State of Alabama.
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by: @Heisman
The whole "Old Row" term comes from the fraternities that made up the first fraternity row in Auburn. How old they are has nothing to do with it. SAE is the oldest fraternity but isn't considered "Old Row" because they weren't on it. KA's house in 1941 was definitely NOT the first built in Auburn. KA and others had built houses decades before that. Look at the first reply by Truth. It's all spelled out in black in white right there. Hell there's a book about it.
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by: Red Dragon
Just throwing this out here for information: The old SAE house was the Beta house before the Chi Phi's were in there.
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by: Heisman
To @Heisman from Heisman: I'm not sure what book you keep referring to, but it is inaccurate. If you don't believe me, simply go to the archives at Draughan Library and see for yourself. KA Nu Chapter was the FIRST to build a fraternity house at Auburn. All of the other fraternity houses to that point (including KA's first house where Cary-Pick Realty is located were existing houses either bought or rented by fraternities. That is a fact. It is also a fact that SAE Alpha Mu Chapter disbanded for a number of years then reorganized. And yes, KA was kicked off campus in the mid 1990s, but Phi (many times)and ATO (in the 70s) were kicked off for longer terms; thus making KA the oldest in terms of years in existence. SAE Alpha Mu was the first founded at AU. There was no literal "Old Row" or "New Row".
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#10by: too bad
by: Those
fraternities would.old row sure is a pretty meaningless term if a whole different group can start calling themselves old row out of the blue (seeing as how most of old row is not part of the original old row).
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by: Truth
Oh, and I just wanted to point out how it's funny that Sigma Chi is on the shirt when they weren't on the Old Row and aren't even one of Auburn's top 5, top 10, or even top 15 oldest fraternities. They the 19th oldest out of currently 28 IFC fraternities. Just goes to show that the only reason they're on it is because they make the shirt. No idea why SAE, Sig Ep, and Pike are on there. Anyway, hope this answers any questions about who the REAL "Old Row" fraternities are.
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