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The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Failing safety check, Panarchy closes until July

Panarchy closed on 8 p.m. Thursday.
Panarchy closed on 8 p.m. Thursday.

Panarchy undergraduate society has been closed for the summer, effective 8 p.m. Thursday. Current residents were given until that time to vacate the building.

The Hanover Fire Department and the Office of Residential Life staff conducted a routine fire inspection of the house earlier this week and were “very concerned” by the “significant number” of violations that they found, Hanover town manager Julia Griffin said.

Dan Olson ’04, president of Panarchy Corporation, the body that oversees Panarchy’s management, said that an emergency meeting was called Thursday morning with the fire department, Panarchy Corporation members and the Office of Residential Life.

Olson said Hanover Fire Chief Martin McMillan did not clearly explain the violations found at Panarchy. There were a handful of minor issues cited, including a slightly clogged chimney, but no concrete or major violations were mentioned in the meeting, he said. Olson has not yet seen any documented evidence of specific issues, except the chimney.

McMillan and his assistant did not respond to multiple requests for comment by press time.

In the meeting, residents agreed to move out of the house until a third-party inspection has been completed and any problems discovered during that inspection have been addressed.

Griffin said Panarchy must bring in an outside architect and a construction firm for cost estimates to bring the house up to compliance with fire and life safety codes.

While the cost of bringing the house up to code can only be estimated, Griffin said she thinks that “we’re talking about much more than tens of thousands of dollars” and that the house needs “a very, very substantial readjustment” to meet the codes.

Panarchy will remain closed until all cited violations have been repaired, Griffin said. Hanover’s building inspection staff and fire department would need to agree that the house was in compliance before it could reopen, which might mean Panarchy will remain uninhabitable for the fall, she said.

Dylgjeri and Olson said that the house may reopen this summer. The organization is hoping that the repairs will be completed and that residents can move back in by the end of July, Dylgjeri said.

In an email sent to the Panarchy Listserv, Olson said that reopening the house would require hiring a third-party inspector. The house would also have to start construction quickly, provided that it can afford the quote, and must reach out to alumni to raise money if it has insufficient funds, he wrote.

In the email, he wrote that if those options do not succeed, Panarchy will close permanently and Panarchy corporation will be dissolved.

“We think this is very unlikely, but it’s definitely a possibility,” he said in the interview. ​

Dylgjeri said she could not comment on future plans for the organization at this time.

Panarchy’s future will depend on the upcoming third-party evaluation.

“Everybody’s taking it hard, both the students and members of the corporation, but we’re sticking together and trying to make the best of it,” Olson said.

All Greek Letter Organizations and Societies houses are required to have inspections for fire, safety and health code, in addition to inspections of smoke detectors and private rooms. The inspections are conducted by residential operations and the town of Hanover.

While various sources reported different numbers of residents living in the house, director of media relations Diana Lawrence wrote in an email to The Dartmouth that 10 students were immediately offered on-campus housing following the meeting. The majority of students decided to live in residence halls, she wrote.

Other residents will reside in the Sustainable Living Center and Greek houses, Panarchy president Angie Dylgjeri ’14 said.

While the house is closed, Panarchy will continue to hold meetings every week, along with house dinners and house events, at an off-campus location, Dylgjeri said.

“Panarchy is still alive,” she said.

Two Panarchy members said the society is not commenting to the press at this time.

The College first recognized Panarchy, formerly a Greek house, as an undergraduate society in September 1993. Located at 9 School Street, Panarchy’s physical plant is privately owned.

Panarchy has a required minimum occupancy of 14 residents, according to the GLOS handbook.