Denison University v. Board of Tax Appeals

173 Ohio St. (N.S.) 429
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedJune 27, 1962
DocketNo. 37307
StatusPublished

This text of 173 Ohio St. (N.S.) 429 (Denison University v. Board of Tax Appeals) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Denison University v. Board of Tax Appeals, 173 Ohio St. (N.S.) 429 (Ohio 1962).

Opinion

Bryant, J.

The sole question for determination here is whether Denison University is entitled to exemption from real estate taxes for the 1961 tax year and to remission of taxes paid for the 1960 tax year, with respect to nine buildings located near the center of the university campus on land owned by the university, which buildings were erected and are maintained and operated by various college fraternities, subject to university supervision, under lease agreements with the university.

The leases of the American Commons Club, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, Kappa Sigma, Phi Gamma Delta, Beta Theta Pi, Lambda Chi Alpha and Sigma Alpha Epsilon are for terms of 99 years, renewable forever, whereas the Delta Upsilon lease is for a term of one year, renewable. Eight of the nine fraternity houses are occupied by the local or active chapters of national collegiate fraternities, the only exception being in the case of the American Commons Club which has no national affiliation.'

Because of the fact that title to the land has remained in the university, the financing of the cost of the fraternity houses has been participated in by the university under a variety of plans, with the cost of construction and all or a substantial part of the interest on loans being paid by the fraternities. The three witnesses for the university testified at considerable length as to the benefits to the university in exercising control over the student body by having the fraternity houses located on the campus.

Emphasis also was placed upon the facts that the leases require each fraternity to observe rules of conduct laid down by the xmiversity; that under the terms of the leases violations of the rules could result in a cancellation of the leases; that the university reserved the right to ban all fraternities from the campus, which would result in a cancellation of all fraternity leases; and that the nine fraternity houses provide dormitory facilities for a substantial number of male students and also provide them, both fraternity members and, to a smaller degree, [433]*433nonfraternity members, with dining-room facilities.

On behalf of the university, it was testified that, if the facilities for feeding and housing students provided by these fraternities were not available, the university would be obligated to expend a large sum of money to provide the equivalent in dormitory and dining-room service. We do not consider this an issue in the case for the reason, among others, that no one has suggested that the fraternities are planning to make any change in their operations, or that the Board of Tax Appeals could take this into account in determining the issues before it. It is noted, also, that in all or nearly all of the leases there is a provision that any taxes assessed against the fraternity houses shall be paid by the lessee-fraternities.

The entry of the Board of Tax Appeals rejecting the applications for tax exemption provides in part as follows:

“All of these [fraternity] buildings, with the exception of the Delta Upsilon house, were constructed and paid for by the lessee fraternity, and the ground leases provide that all taxes on any buildings located on the leased ground shall be paid by the fraternities.
“The pertinent portion of Revised Code Section 5709.12 is as follows:
“ * *. Real * * * property belonging to institutions that is used exclusively for charitable purposes shall be exempt from taxation.’
“This board has, in the past, granted tax exemption for buildings used as student dormitories, which buildings were owned and operated by privately owned universities and colleges, and which buildings were actually located on the university or college campus grounds. However, the matter now before this board does not concern dormitories, nor are the buildings used, owned or operated by the university, except the Delta Upsilon building, which is owned by the university but which is used and operated by the fraternity to the same extent as prevails in the other buildings.
“As noted above, these buildings are used as fraternity houses by the fraternities under leases from the university.”

After citing the case of National Headquarters Disabled American Veterans v. Bowers, Tax Commr. (1960), 171 Ohio St., 312, the board’s entry continues as follows:

[434]*434“The facts in this matter are clear. These buildings are operated under lease by fraternities for fraternity purposes, and but one of the many uses, for which the fraternities use these buildings, is that of providing lodging for fraternity members only. It may be true that Denison University exercises a closer control over the individual fraternity member because of the proximity of the school to the fraternity building; however, the evidence clearly shows that these fraternities have the same rights of use and control over their fraternity buildings as do their brother fraternities at other Ohio universities and colleges.
i ( * # #
“The evidence in the matter now before this board shows unquestionably that these fraternity houses were no more used exclusively for charitable purposes than was the structure involved in the Licking Aerie No. 387, F. O. E., case, supra [Wilson, Aud., v. Licking Aerie No. 387, F. O. E. (1922), 104 Ohio St., 137], or in the Disabled American Veterans case, supra, or in the many American Legion cases previously decided by this board and the courts. Any use of a building by a fraternal organization for its fraternal purposes would appear to preclude a u.se exclusively for charitable purposes.
“It is the finding of the Board of Tax Appeals that these buildings were not used exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of those words as used in the Ohio Constitution and in Revised Code Section 5709.12, and the applications for tax exemption for the year 1961, and for remission of taxes for the year 1960, are hereby denied.”

Section 5717.04, Revised Code, which authorizes appeals from decisions of the Board of Tax Appeals, requires that the notice of appeal “shall set forth the decision of the board appealed from and the errors therein complained of,” and, pursuant thereto, the university in its notice of appeal enumerated seven alleged errors in the decision by the board, the substance of which is that the decision of the board is erroneous in determining (1) that use of fraternity houses for fraternity purposes precludes use exclusively for charitable purposes, (2) that the buildings were leased for fraternal purposes, and lodging was only one of many uses by the paternities, (3) that [435]*435rights to use fraternity buildings by fraternities at Denison University were similar to those of fraternities at certain other colleges, (4) that eight of the fraternities used buildings located on university land which was leased to the fraternities under 99-year leases, renewable forever, (5) that the question of the exemption of school dormitories was not involved, (6) that the fraternity houses were not used, owned or operated by Denison University, and (7) that the nine fraternity buildings were not used exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of the Constitution of Ohio and Section 5709.12 of the Eevised Code.

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Bluebook (online)
173 Ohio St. (N.S.) 429, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/denison-university-v-board-of-tax-appeals-ohio-1962.