Ever play a game of Monopoly where you own two properties of the same color and you want to build hotels, but that jerk across the table won't trade you for the third property?

Penn State must be feeling a little like that right now.

In October 2007, national investigators found that Phi Delta Theta's Penn State members had violated the national dry-house policy. The General Council of the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity suspended the local chapter in December and expelled all former members in March.

Penn State offered to purchase the fraternity house, 240 North Burrowes Road, for $900,000 in July, but the house rejected it.

Now, Penn State is trying a technique Monopoly players don't have: a lawsuit.

According to the property's 1905 deed, Penn State has the right to purchase the property if it stops being uses as a fraternity house for Phi Delta Theta.

The lawsuit is trying to force the 240 North Burrowes Road Alumni Association, which controls the house, to sell it to Penn State at a fair price.

The alumni association maintains that the fraternity occupying the house doesn't have to be Phi Delta Theta.

Penn State might have a good argument here, but we'll leave it up to the court to decide.

Regardless of what the decision is though, it would be best for all parties if the property remained a fraternity house.

The house is a historic part of Penn State's campus and it would be a shame to lose it.

If the house remains in the hands of a fraternity, we can be pretty sure nothing will happen to the building itself.

Penn State, on the other hand, hasn't stated publicly what it plans to do with the property.

Also, a number of fraternities are looking for houses, and a vacant house is a golden opportunity to let an up-and-coming fraternity get established. In fact, members of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity have already moved onto the property.

While we don't have much sympathy for the Phi Delta Theta members -- after all, they were found to have knowingly violated drinking regulations -- the behavior of a few should not affect the Greek system as a whole.

We can't blame Penn State for jumping on the chance to capture a new property. But in this case, its dreams of monopoly should take a back seat to the goals of having a beautiful campus and a thriving Greek system.