To avoid accumulating points from the borough and possible eviction, some Penn State fraternities say they have regular maintenance consultants inspect their houses.

Last fall, Tau Kappa Epsilon, 346 E. Prospect Ave., and Phi Kappa Tau, 408 E. Fairmount Ave., were named "nuisance properties" by the State College borough after receiving property violation points.

Points are received for violations such as furnishing alcohol to minors or not shoveling snow from the sidewalk.

A property faces suspension after receiving 10 points.

Phi Kappa Tau fraternity was evicted Thursday after failing to reach an agreement with the borough.

Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity consented to several borough regulations and will remain in its house, according to a borough press release.

Fratfix Inc. is located in Bellefonte and has developed a preventative maintenance program that works with the fraternities to keep properties from receiving borough violations, owner Greg Butts said.

The fraternities are "out to change the way they operate, [because] they don't want to receive negative energy," he said.

Fratfix is currently working with the fraternities Sigma Tau Gamma, 500 S. Allen St., Theta Chi 523 S. Allen St., Zeta Psi 225 E. Foster Ave., Sigma Chi, 400 E. Prospect Ave., and Kappa Sigma, 425 Highland St., Butts said.

William Nickerson, Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity adviser, said the fraternity employs Charles Ulsh Home Improvements, 243 Whitehall Road, to maintain its property.

David Lapinski, Phi Kappa Tau fraternity adviser, could not be reached by press time yesterday.

Sigma Chi fraternity adviser David Kline said a well-maintained fraternity house evokes a positive reaction from the community.

"A house fixed up with no major problems structurally makes a statement to the kind of people we want to receive," Kline said.

Fratfix maintains fraternities' grounds, as well as interior systems such as the furnace and exhaust system, Butts said. The fraternities are maintained constantly, and a Fratfix employee stops by the property four or five days a week to make the necessary updates, Sigma Tau Gamma adviser Robert Meinen said.

Meinen said constant maintenance helps to keep the good community image required by the borough point system.

He added that it has helped to keep the fraternity in good condition, especially when the brothers are on break or canning.

Meinen said Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity uses the maintenance program for such things as snow removal and grass care so that it doesn't receive violations.

"It's an insurance on our part that the work is getting done in a responsible, timely manner," he said.

"The students have a lot to deal with, because they manage the inside of the house and the utilities, which is part of being in a fraternity -- to learn to manage and work together."

Butts said he has seen a lot of change within the Penn State fraternity community over the last few years.

"I have six houses that are trying their best, and I don't want them to be associated with other fraternities," Butts said.

"Their numbers show that what they are doing works -- their pledge numbers are higher."