My sorority has a house (as do all of UF's sororities). I'm not sure what capacity is (maybe 40 or so?) but we're NOT required to live in the house. Most girls live in the house as sophomores though and a lot want to live in the house, so the house is full. I have a house here in Gainesville (and a dog), so it wouldn't be possible for me to live in the house. Although I think having a house and dinners brings chapters together, I'm really happy we aren't required to live in.

I think my chapter's only requirement was that the house be full. The Leadership Council officers had to live in the house. Our house had a capacity of 66, and the chapter had about 180 members. We also have an incredible location right on the quad, and the dorms and apartments were a pretty far walk, so we never had a problem filling the house. Many girls never lived in.

My sister's TriDelta house requires two years of live in unless you're from this city. In that case you can live at home or in the house.

I'm not sure if the two years rule is set or if it's just that seniors can live out of the house.

We have capacity for 32 in our house, and minus our 5 exec board, that leaves room for 27. Even though over the last 3 semesters we have rushed about 100 guys total, we had an issue with signing leases for next year. One of the problems was rushing a lot of older guys that already have signed leases for their junior year next year. We have a system in place to decide who has to live in first and we put it to use for the first time in a long time. Long story short, we're still down 5 leases but worked something out in order to put off filling the remaining leases until spring rush.

Our only requirements for housing are that our president, vice president, and new member educator must live in the house, and the house must be full. Since we're in NYC, all Greek housing is owned by the university and consists of high-rise penthouses and suites; if we don't fill our house, campus housing can either revoke our placement in that house and downgrade us to a smaller one, or fill the empty place with a non-Greek from the housing list....crazy, but they've definitely done it before. We usually don't have too big of a problem filling our housing, but we have several sisters who commute to campus and so they are ineligiable for any kind of university housing, including Greek housing, so sometimes it gets a little tight. Basically, the way we determine who will live in is by seniority; the oldest (by scroll order) active sister eligiable to live in decides if she would like to, then the next oldest, etc...if there is an issue, it's usually on the youngest sisters to live in to make up the required number.

At my undergrad chapter, you were required to live in unless the house was at capacity. The house held 65; total at campus at that time was 92 so all sophomores and juniors lived in with most of the seniors living in as well. Freshman could move in right away if there was space -- I moved in second semester of my freshman year and lived in until I graduated.

At the chapter I advise, members must live in two years unless the house is at capacity. Sometimes there are extinuating circumstances, but those are rare and must have a written letter from a Doctor or other specialist stating the circumstances. House capacity is 52-54 (depending on whether the President wants to live in her suite in the basement) and chapter total is 110 on campus. Almost all freshman and seniors live out. If there is availability for more women to live out, there is a points system that determines who would be extended that opportunity first. All chapter officers except two must live in.

Certain officers had to live in. Once those spots were filled, there were probably under 20 beds to fill. Priority was given to other officers, and then was based on grades and our merit points system. There were rarely problems to fill the house, b/c only 1/3 of our chapter could physically "live-in." In the event there was an open room in the fall or spring, a new member often wanted to break her residence hall lease to move in so we never really had an issue. There were a few cases where threats were made that the house was not going to fill and members would be "required" to live-in, but it really never came down to that and we always managed to fill up the house.

Where I advised in LA, the girls had a one-year live-in requirement that had to be fulfilled to keep their membership. But living in the house was heavily promoted throughout the year and an expecation that came with joining, so it wasn't a really big issue, again, to fill the house.

I don't know how it is now, but back in the day my chapter had about 150 sisters and a house that would sleep about 50. Unless you or your parents owned a house or a condo or something in town (or if your name was already on a lease for the semester), you had to move into the house once you were in line to fill a vacancy. Once you moved in, you were in for good. So all of the seniors had to live in, which was good because they stayed involved. Once they graduated, sisters from the next pledge class would have to move in - vacancies were filled in order of initiation. Pledges couldnt live in. Certain higher-level officers had to live in, but the way the system worked they would usually have been living in the house anyway.

Exec board is required to live in the house during their term and I think there may be 2 or 3 positions that aren't on Exec, but are still required to live in. Our house can hold 26 girls, so this leaves open about 18 or 19 spaces. We instituted a year live in requirement starting with this year's pledge class, so I believe next year's hose will be full of mostly younger girls within the sorority. However, older girls will get priority to live there above a younger girl if they want to live in the house (the house is almost always all sophomores and juniors with maybe one or two seniors).

If you have a 100+ member house, you more than likely have pledge classes in the 20-30s (if not more). Also, with such a number of brothers, no one wants to live in?

Working out something with the owners of the place is a short term answer, unless other changes are made in regard to requiring new members to live in (and telling them this before they join) and making the house more attractive to live in. If all you use the house to is party in, and less of an actual home...it will be less attractive to live in. Start by making small house improvements and work from there. People will see the house improving and want to live in (i swear we had the same problem and now people are trying to get our of their leases).

Create a list of things that people want/need that goes w/ house improvments. Divide them into drinking related things (IE nicer party area, new stripper poll, bar, etc) and non drinking related things (common room, new fridges, study room, etc)

After that list them into the cost that they would take to get done, this summer talk to your alumni board and have a professional looking proposal with what you'd like to get done (one major, 2 minor things).

Send out a massive email to alumni w/ all your accomplishments and things the chapter is doing. Than explain how the house is substandard compared to other things your achieving. Possibly have alumni day earlier next year so that they donate funds earlier.

We had the exact same problems, and this is a long term solution and is so far working amazing for us. We started doing a major project once a year. We now have a brand new chapter room, and new common room (w/ flat screen), a study room (5 desks, table, and computer), and will have a kitchen w/ cook this summer.

I'm also part of and an ISU chapter and am familiar w/ your guy's situation....I think it's exactly the problem we were having about 4 years ago. We were broke as fuck, and got all of this accomplished...it just takes some time and organization. It will help w/ not only that, but will help w/ retention and getting people to live in.

I believe our old house had around 25 spots to fill. Some of the officers (president, rest of exec board, property manager, and some of the other ones that I don't remember) were required to live-in.

We had a live in requirement of 1 year, but there were some exceptions (owned house, lived with parents close by, RA, can't remember the other ones.)

The live-in requirement was only really enforced when there were spots to fill. Many times girls had already lived their 1-year requirement but chose to stay 2 or even 3 years just because they wanted to... so as long as the house was full, we didn't bust out our list of people who had not fulfilled their requirement. I remember only one time that we had to do that, but luckily we had some sisters step up to the plate and live in the house that prevented what could have become a crazy situation.

I think it is so much easier to get the newer girls to live in the house when they are younger and just joined the sorority because the older people have already done the sorority thing for a few years and want a place of their own. And as much fun as it can be live in the sorority house, its hard to move from having your own room & own apartment to moving in with 24 other girls.

Unless a house is a shack much like our old house, members should live in the house but with the above exceptions. We even had Brothers who were townies who lived in the house as it was the life blood of any organization.

If as some schools have no houses, they are used to say dorm floors set aside as at FT in Melborne, Fl. it was accepted practice.

But a house needs to be full to pay for it, keep it up, and be comfortable for the members.

A one year requirement is not so bad is it?:)

Walking across campus, you run into a Brother/Sister, hey what are you doing and where are you going?

The House!:)

Most people wanted to live in the chapter house, so we usually had the opposite problem where some juniors were forced to live out simply because we didn't have the room.

Our executive officers are all required to live in the house during their term, but it's rare for anyone to move ever move out at semester, and so they get another year in. That's the only way seniors get to live in their fourth year unless there are some really weird circumstances.

All members were required to live in house unless they lived with parents. I could be wrong but my impression during rush was that most sororities at Purdue had the same rule. This was in the mid 90's.

From what I remember, heres how we filled the house (34 spots)

Brothers - got first choice on their room, and then it went by badge number if 2 wanted the same room, and didn't want to room with each other.
Candidates- that wanted to live in the house were just tossed in where needed. I lived with an active my first semester.
Still Not full - After the above, if the house was still not full, it would be by highest badge number. If you had a valid reason you couldn't live in, then it went to next highest badge number.

I don't recall us having much of a problem filling the house, mostly due to the guys that just DID NOT want to live in-house never had to worry due to candidates usually wanting to get in.

I lived in house all 4 yours and loved it. It wasn't the best thing for my grades, but ohh well, I'm out and have a good job so that's all that matters.