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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1997)
Remodel: Sigma Phi Epsilon sets precedent for rest of the Greek svstem ■ Continued from Page 1 its the support of family and friends with helping him to recov er. “It was their support that made things easier.” Markt said. “It just made things so much easier hav ing someone to talk to and help me deal with things rather than trying to go through it on my own.” Markt soon learned that his fra ternity brothers were working on a plan to remodel the house so he could live there when he returned to school. “I was blown away that they would do this,” Markt said. “To go through this much trouble and allow the house to be torn up just so one guy can come back. It meant an incredible amount.” "In my opinion, it destroyed all negative stereotypes of fraternity guys being shallow. This has been incredible,” he said. ine project, wmcn will cost about $30,000 when completed, involves installing a wheelchair ramp at the front and back en trances, a wheelchair lift that will give Markt access to three floors of the house and a bathroom com plete with a wheel-in shower. Donations of money, supplies and equipment have been pour ing in, but Chapter President Tim Broderick said, “We’re still going to owe a lot of money on this, but the Alum Board felt that this was a good thing to do. They said we’d find the money somehow.” Oregon Remodelers Associa tion has donated $5,000, and Copeland Lumber has donated lumber for framing. Divers Win dow and Door donated skylights and doors. Ivy Hi-1,iff donated the use of rental equipment. Some funds have also come from a housing corporation loan from the fraternity’s corporate headquar ters in Virginia. Many of these donations have been possible because of Markt’s family. His family has also played a part in making this plan become reality. Bill Markt, Jess’ father and a remodeling contractor, has tak en off about a month of work to come and help with the project. “There’s passion surrounding this project,” Bill Markt said. “The reason this is happening is MICHAEL CRISP/Emsrald Construction on the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house is being done to accommodate Jess Markt. because of his brothers’ [fraterni ty] ties and feelings toward him and wanting him to come back.” Bill Markt said being able to do this project has meant a lot. “This is one of the best parts, I guess, of this whole experience encompassing Jess’ accident-re habilitation and being able to come back to school. “The guys in this house, they’ve definitely made [the pro ject] happen. And from a very per sonal standpoint [working with them] was one of the best parts of getting to know them, to be here with them.” Broderick said the remodeling and fund raising for this project has brought the house together. “Just the fact that one of our brothers is facing something like this, and is going to have to con tinue to face it, is enough to bring the rest of us together to try to help out as best as possible,” he said. Broderick said Markt’s accident has made him realize how quick ly a person’s life can change. “For me, I joined the house the same time as Jess,” Broderick said. “I knew him before the acci dent, and he was a tall, very ath letic jock. He was a red shirt on the track team. “And in the space of a few sec onds, something life-changing happened. But to me, Jess is still Jess. He’s the same person he was before; he’s just sitting in a chair now." Markt said he has faced chal lenges in adjusting after the acci dent, but his goals in life haven’t changed. “I’m still looking at being suc cessful after college,” Markt said. “I want to get a job, maybe inter nationally, using my Japanese. “As far as life goals, they haven’t really changed at all be cause they’re still within reach. Obviously physical goals are dif ferent, but as far as what’s really important, that hasn’t changed.” Markt said he has tried to con centrate on adjusting to his life rather than his disability. “This is how this situation is going to be, and I really can’t do anything but deal with it,” Markt said. “There’s really no point in having a bad attitude or letting de pression get to me. I really put all my energy into learning how to deal with it rather than feeling Daa aDout it. With the remodeling of their house, Sigma Phi Epsilon will be the only Greek house at the Uni versity that is wheelchair accessi ble on residential floors. Sigma Kappa sorority, the only other house with wheelchair access, is accessible on the main floor. Broderick said the remodeling of their house will help with more than just Markt’s situation. “Now if someone wants to join a house but is in a wheelchair, they can look at our house,” Brod erick said. “We hope this will make it easier for someone who wants to be in a fraternity, but be cause he’s in a wheelchair, prob ably won’t be able to.” Greek houses are not required under the Americans with Dis abilities Act to be wheelchair ac cessible because they are private ly owned and do not receive enough money from the Universi ty to be under the government guidelines, University planning associate Fred Tepfer said. Lack of accessibility is a major question surrounding the avail ability of the Greek system to those with disabilities. Broderick said accessibility, to his knowl edge, has never been an issue in his house until Markt’s accident. Patti Gallagher, Chi Omega sorority president, also said it has never been an issue in her house. However, Gallagher said, “In the future, because of heightened awareness of accessibility to wheelchairs, I think it will be come more of an issue.” Both Markt and Broderick hope the remodeling of their fraternity will be a model for other Greek houses. “I would hope [other Greek houses] would look at this, and hopefully it will open up a new avenue,” Markt said, “that they could actually do this and try to allow people with physical hand icaps to enter their house. “There’s a lot of quality indi viduals out there that, as a result of being physically impaired, can’t even think about joining a Greek house because they can’t even get in to see what it’s like.” The revamping of Sigma Phi Epsilon not only opens the door to those with disabilities, but it has proved to be a changing point tor those already within its doors. "1 think things are more united in terms of the fact that we have Jess back, and that’s great,” Brod erick said. “We have to realize that Jess is not going to be able to do this or that like he used to. And that alone brings us together, the fact that we need to help him.” Markt doesn’t pretend that any of this has been easy. “It’s been challenging mental ly and emotionally,” he said. "But I definitely have a better grasp on it now than I did. ” However, Markt said being able to come back to school so soon has been a “bonus, rather than be ing hard.” He also said the remod eling and the willingness of his brothers to do it is “incredible.” PE LAN GL r~* Cakrawala EMU BALLROOM April 13,1997 6:00 p.m. Tickets sold at ^9.00 each available at the EMU FrontPesk For more information call: Lisa at 683-5411 Shinta at 302-6982 > Check out Rhythm & Reviews in the Emerald every Friday for the latest in local entertainment! NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS — TO — The University of Oregon College of Education’s EXPANDED MIDDLE/SECONDARY TEACHER EDUCATION LICENSURE GRADUATE PROGRAM ‘Are you interested in teaching: Language Arts Social Sciences Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Integrated Science) Math Foreign Languages Are you interested in getting a middle/secondary teaching license? A Graduate Degree Experiencing excellence Staying at the University of Oregon Contact: Linda Kelm, ($v) 3^6-5171 for an information packet and application form
