Two or two stacked is a better way to go. It gives them a chance to build up a sisterhood (and a house) without having to be the new kid on the block all the time. Honestly - Ole Miss or Arkansas can handle a 10-15% reduction in expected quota. Any new house that comes on needs a commitment for fair and competitive comparable housing. Its in the NPC groups and the university's best interest. If they try to say "let's bring on all four unhoused!" - I would bail.

Kinda like the job market - if you just hire one person and you might not be able to hire again for ten years, who wants to be low guy on the totem pole forever?

Four at a time would be crazy. Plus I believe there is a rule/policy with NPC that only 1 group can colonize at a time. (Arkansas had special permission to do what they are doing from what I heard.)

I think the reasoning they want to announce before recruitment is so the selected group(s) can come and view recruitment in September. That way they can start their planning and their PR/Marketing. Our administration/Greek Life at Ole Miss is doing a wonderful job for making this process as wonderful as possible.

even though they had expanded the houses, they still don't hold everyone. Many are land locked with no room to build what they need. the idea when they do an expansion is to hopefully lower quota/total enough that current bricks and mortar can accomodate the chapters. Not everyone can build an Alabama McMansion.

Well said. And we for sure are land locked!

IMHO: one chosen to recruit NOW (views Fall '12 and begins Spring '13) and one chosen to recruit in three years (views Fall '15 and begins Spring '16).

Land/housing situation reminds me of a few recently-expanded western campuses.

And which campus recently chose THREE colonies over an 8-or-9 year period? That sounds like a good plan, but at Mississippi choosing three would mean one left-out (and who wants that?) :(

I also don't know that it makes sense for an org to commit to a colonization six years from now. I realize they could back out, but a lot can change in that timeframe.

I also don't know that it makes sense for an org to commit to a colonization six years from now. I realize they could back out, but a lot can change in that timeframe.

As are we!

Landlocked is a relative term at Ole Miss. The Administrators have a habit of destroying parking or closing off roads to make walking malls on campus. Many places I parked while I as in school are now faculty parking, gone, malls, or a building. Of course now Newsweek named Ole MIss the #1 Beautiful Campus, so there ya go!

awwwwww... I love everybody! Have spent the day sitting in a criminal jury trial and came home to all these awesome comments. Not a single flame (disappointed) although OMG got my hopes up when she started with the "four at a time would be crazy". Having met her personally, I was really hoping for a smack down, Southern Style. Alas, not to be.

Seriously, I want to say thanks for all the responses; it's given me a fresh look at what Ole Miss is facing, and a lot to think about. Back to the main topic (because I don't want to get excommunicated for being off-topic, even if I have ADA protection because of my ADHD)! Oh and in case anyone is curious, I have to go back tomorrow for day three. Have pity on me.

I'm assuming that the houses/land conditions are such that they can only build out, not build up? (i.e. put more stories on top)

Planning for the future...
 

Okay, Debbie Downer in the house here.

I know that these greek communities are bursting at the seems. It has been going on for a few years if not more. However, I cannot stress the importance of letting these two organizations succeed first prior to bringing on more organizations. I think that one or two at time is enough. Then wait 4 or 5 years. I know of one campus that had 5 orgs come on in 4 years. It might have been 4 in 4 years. They had the numbers to back it, until the numbers took a drop and downward they went. It was brutal. Stupid. Absolutely reckless beyond belief with little forethought.
Of those that came on, only one or two remain. The rest went off campus as well as two other organizations previously on campus. Trust me, you DON'T want to go there/that route. It SUCKS REALLY BAD.

What happens when numbers go down?
What is the plan for the worst case scenario? Have everyone live in like they do at Indiana?
Might work, might not.

Everyone thinks that it won't happen until it does.
And no, we are not talking the 70's.

You can only add stories if the original structure was designed to support it from an engineering point of view - or you have enough money to shore it up - if that's possible with the design.

As for adding groups, what happens more often when they want to add more than one is that they stack them - what happened to us at Alabama as we were offered the slot after Alpha Phi but it was put off an additional year as the land situation was not approved by the BOT. At UAB when we went on, we were offered the first slot and Alpha Xi Delta the second one, supposed to be two years after. It ended up being 3 years (or maybe 4) as campus conditions didn't warrant it after the second year.

So, all this is to say that the group or the campus can decide to move it out a year - or more - if need be.

North Carolina State University was the campus that has the 3 planned expansions. Kappa Alpha Theta will join in 2013, Kappa Kappa Gamma in 2016, and Alpha Xi Delta in 2019. This is actually the second time that NCSU has had three groups present and then stacked the expansion.

At Ole Miss, the DG house sleeps 54 - last time I checked.

As for NCSU, KD colonized last year (I think it was). With the stalled Greek Village project, am not sure that the other colonizations will proceed on time. Only one house has been built and of the remaining 3 in Phase 1, none are ready to start. Without that phase completed or at least pretty fully underway, they can't even demolish the old houses that were due to go this year. Things are way behind there.