Kappa Sigma fraternity members voluntarily disbanded their chapter at Penn State after being evicted from their house Jan. 8, because the fraternity was unable to cover housing costs.

The members moved out of the fraternity house, 225 Highland Ave., after five members and four students pledging the fraternity had their memberships revoked because they attended a party unsanctioned by the fraternity on Nov. 18, 2005, at the house, Mike Samick, fraternity member, said.

One of the women who attended the event was found at 5 a.m. the next day next to Tau Kappa Epilson fraternity, 346 E. Prospect Ave., with serious back and neck injuries, which police suspect resulted from a fall from at least a second-story window, according to court documents.

According to court documents, police discovered the fall victim had consumed alcohol at Kappa Sigma earlier that night, and two men pledging the fraternity, Kyle N. Knepper and Christopher P. Becht, were charged with furnishing alcohol to minors and unlawful acts related to liquor, malt and brewed beverages and licenses.

Penn State students Knepper, 22, and Becht, 22, will have their preliminary hearings tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. at Centre County Courthouse.

Penn State students Michael Gales, 18, and Justin Giles, 18, were also charged with summary offenses for their participation in the incident, State

College Police Det. Chris Weaver said.

Samick said during the weekend of the incident, all of the fraternity members, except the nine who attended the party, were in Philadelphia for a national conference. Samick said the chapter was unaware that the incident was going to occur at its house.

Samick added that without the financial contribution of their former members and with their reduced membership numbers, Penn State Kappa Sigma's alumni corporation told the members that their chapter would be $25,000 in debt.

Ed Gorkes, president of the alumni corporation, which acts as the fraternity's landlord, said the number of brothers wanting to reside in the house was not adequate to cover the costs, so the corporation could not keep it open for the spring semester.

Fraternity member Dustin Kreider said the house needed at least 35 people renting to meet their housing bills.

"The alumni kicked us out because they probably thought we couldn't make it to the hearing," Samick said.

Fraternity member Jamie Gambino said the brothers living in the house or planning to this semester had the last two weeks of fall semester to find a new place.

The house is still vacant, Gorkes said, but the alumni corporation is looking for new tenants.

In addition, the chapter also will have a case hearing with the national organization, Kappa Sigma Fraternity in Virginia, Kreider said.

Kappa Sigma Executive Director Mic Wilson said the brothers are required to appear Saturday in front of the national directors for violating the code of conduct. Wilson said the national organization still recognizes the Penn State chapter as existing.

However, Samick said the brothers called the Kappa Sigma national headquarters after they were evicted, telling the directors that the chapter was disbanded.

Samick added that the brothers are not going to show up for the hearing this weekend.

"We didn't even know the date," Samick said.

Kreider said the national organization wants the chapter to continue, but it's hard in the highly competitive atmosphere at Penn State.

"We have the largest greek system in the world [at Penn State]," Kreider said.

Gambino said the chapter has been around for 110 years, so hopefully it will restart in a few years.

Gorkes said the alumni corporation's plan is to restart the chapter after three years, when all the current brothers should have graduated.