No sorry but I plan on doing a whole photo tour of our house on my LJ.

The Pike advisor told me that the houses are really impressive and that the Pikes had a water leak in their house and so people were squishing around. He also commented positively on the fact that Pi Kappa Phi was looking good this year! He is very fair when it comes to other fraternities, so that is a compliment!

He also said that the ceremony took f-o-r-e-v-e-r.....and that it was possibly too long. Who cares though...there is Greek Row now and I am SOOOOO jealous that I have graduated :( ;)

Question-So, did SX and LX (are they still there?) keep their original houses? (and Pikes are where they have ALWAYS been?)

I'm kind of confused as to exactly where this is. Maybe I should "fess up" in the Geography thread...

LXA has not been there from the time I got there in '98 until now. So I don't know where they went!

I heard (keep in mind, I moved away from Houston a year ago) that the neighborhood wants all greeks out and on campus instead. I heard that Sigma Chi still has their house but that they also got a greek row spot. I also heard that they are having trouble filling up their housing. I could be wrong, but this is what I have heard.

Thanks! Wow, that's kind of a shock to think they might not be able to fill housing! I know...I won't quote ya!

So many of the Sigs were from the Houston and surrounding area when I was there. Not to mention, their alums ahead of Hubby and now HIS age are pretty strong members of the Houston community. Everyone talks about how sad it is when a house closes on any campus. When I read of all the changes at U of H through the years it does hurt. Some great fraternities...gone. Glad to know the sororities are still doing their thing though!:)

What dzsagirl has said is pretty much all true! The Bayou Oaks community wanted all the official Greek housing removed. One of my sisters is married to an active ex-president of Sigma Chi, and he has told me that they are working on selling their old house...which probably will be tough, because they didn't take very good care of it! Beautiful home though!

I got to UH in '96 and there was no LXA chapter either...I wonder how long ago they were gone! This should really help the Houston Greek community! It seems that in your day, JAM, UH was having a Greek Hay Day! I SO wish that it could still be like that! the surrounding areas are slowly improving!

aj

ajuhdg-It seems that in your day, JAM, UH was having a Greek Hay Day! I SO wish that it could still be like that! the surrounding areas are slowly improving!

Nobody REALLY knew how it was or could be. No concept of BIG Greek systems. We thought what we had was the norm...boy were we wrong. Maybe that was good because you can't miss what you've never had. It was pretty laid back, but those TGIFs were some kind of fun!:D

What was REALLY strong was the Quad. It was like a community of it's own. Hubby plays golf every year with the old OB crowd.
(Oberholtzer Hall)

That is so amazing! I was an RA, but I lived in the Towers the whole time! I'm really excited (as I've said several times!) about what Greek Park is going to do for Greek life at UH! I hope y'all can make it down to see the new AXO and SX houses!

aj

Things are looking good...
 

Oct. 2, 2003, 6:34AM

NEW CAMPUS DIGS
UH hoping housing units will foster spirit
By THOM MARSHALL
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

Step inside the new Phi Mu sorority townhouse at the University of Houston and sink into a comfortable cushion of carpet. The living room furnishings are tasteful, color-coordinated and rich-looking. Exquisite.

Step inside the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity townhouse just a few doors away in the campus's new Greek Park and notice the contrast. The first thing to catch the eye is the huge TV. The second is the huge garbage can sitting beside it. Utilitarian.

In an ongoing effort to foster a more vibrant campus life, UH recently opened new housing units with 471 beds, including some special townhouse accommodations for 14 participating fraternities and sororities. Students began moving in at the start of the semester.

Elwyn Lee, UH's vice president of student affairs, said that having a "critical mass of all Greeks in one location" is likely to generate school spirit that will spread across the campus. Members of fraternities and sororities, he said, "participate more in spirit-type activities," such as homecoming events and cheering on the school's sports teams.

Junior Scott Zamir, Delta Upsilon's vice president of public relations, agreed.

"It definitely forces us to get even more involved with the university," Zamir said.

Delta Upsilon has extra space at its 20-man townhouse to accommodate three more guests should a frat brother choose to stay the night rather than drive home after late-night studying, Zamir said.

The new digs provide sorority Delta Gamma the space it hasn't had in almost a decade, said President Cathy Clancy, 21.

"It keeps you on campus a lot longer," said Clancy, a senior, adding that perhaps UH's image as a commuter school will change.

Greek organizations have had a presence at UH for almost half a century, Lee said. But the university has lacked an active campus life because the vast majority of students live and work in the city and venture onto campus only to take their classes.

Lee said that a more vibrant and enriching campus life could pay off in a big way down the line.

"When students hang around campus and interact more," he said, "they develop strong bonds. This makes for alumni who are emotionally attached to the school and who give back to the school."

Currently, out of an enrollment of 35,500, only about 4,000 live on campus, said Diane Murphy, UH assistant vice president of student affairs. She said former UH President Arthur Smith set a goal three years ago of eventually having 10,000 campus dwellers.

Lee said a committee has been formed to determine the next step to be taken to increase on-campus living quarters.

Providing housing on many campuses has grown increasingly complicated in recent years, Murphy said. More students insist on amenities that the old-fashioned dormitories cannot provide. If they can't find the accommodations they want on campus, they prefer to live off-campus, or they may choose to go to another school.

In order to offer on-campus housing that can compete, some universities are forming partnerships with private developers such as Austin-based American Campus Communities, which built the new UH housing development Bayou Oaks.

However, the contractual arrangements for a state-chartered public institution to enter into a partnership with a private company to construct and run student housing on public land can be complicated. When the housing also involves arrangements and agreements with seven fraternities and seven sororities, the complications are compounded.

In this case, UH paid American Campus a development fee for the $20 million project and a management fee of 5 percent of the revenue produced. The university gets whatever is left after paying debt service, utilities and other overhead. That profit could eventually reach $600,000 a year, Murphy said.

She said some 16 lawyers required six months to come up with the 29 legal documents that made the deal possible.

"It was difficult," she said, "but it was worth it."

One of the first things that strikes visitors about the new complex is all the security. It is a gated community, and the only people allowed in are residents with a card to key the gate or visitors who must clear security.

There are video cameras around the perimeter and in several areas inside the buildings. Each four-bedroom suite in the residence hall has a metal front door (opening off the hall) with a dead-bolt lock and peep hole, and each bedroom door also has a lock. On each floor in each of the fraternity and sorority townhouses are panic buttons that summon campus police when pushed.

The non-Greek residence hall has a fitness center, a recreation room with billiards, a community kitchen and 64-inch plasma screen TV set in a roomy area designated as the social lounge. It also has study rooms, a computer lab, and high-speed computer connections and cable TV hookups for each resident.

She said it costs each resident $454 per month to stay in the townhouses, based on two to a bedroom. Monthly rent in the residence hall is $460, based on one to a bedroom. She said the cheapest on-campus housing offered at UH is $350 a month at Moody Towers, based upon two to a bedroom.

Chronicle reporter Rosanna Ruiz contributed to this story.

Sigh...
 

Residents: Partying rampant at Bayou Oaks

By Portia-Elaine Gant
The Daily Cougar

Nearly a semester after Bayou Oaks opened its doors to Greek and non-Greek students, some non-Greeks are complaining because they say life in the complex that houses 255 students now revolves around drinking and partying -- a problem made worse because they say Greeks are given preferential treatment.

"I understand there are fraternities and sororities, and they want to have parties, but sometimes they are just inconsiderate to other residents, and it's wrong," said hotel and restaurant management junior Traci Smith, a Bayou Oaks resident.

"They'll be out there blasting music and making noise, and there are 20 million drunk people roaming around outside. There is a time for those things, but there is a cutoff point," she said.

Some apartment residents said housing authorities were ignoring their grievances in favor of the Greeks.

"It happens everywhere, not just with the Greeks. It's just that it's harder to deal with it knowing that the Greeks get away with it," Smith said. "Elsewhere, it would be handled and the noise would cease. I feel that if those were black student organizations, authorities would be less lenient."

The management staff at Bayou Oaks, which is owned by American Campus Communities, did not comment on student complaints, but UH Police Department Lt. Roger Byars said there has been no need for police intervention thus far.

"As far as noise complaints, if management received non-compliance (complaints) and the noise was disturbing the neighborhood, we would be contacted to intervene, but we have not had to do so," Byars said. "We just haven't had any trouble different from anywhere else on campus."

Some residents said they feel management and UHPD are playing a large role in the problems between Greek and non-Greek residents.

"I don't feel like UHPD or housing staff is on our side. We're not getting the same service," communication sophomore Camryn Barganier said. "I feel like (UHPD) is paid off to keep their mouths shut and not interfere.

"If I thought something could be done, I would say something because I'm a resident there, but I feel like the Greek housing gets more benefits than we do because they're in these organizations," Barganier said.

Greek residents say the noise, which non-Greek residents claim is the biggest problem, produces few complaints. They also said they do not perpetuate the stereotypes of fraternities or sororities.

"We do have parties. Sometimes they can be loud, and sometimes they can last a long time, but we don't get a lot of complaints," freshman Pi Kappa Alpha pledge William Gross said. "The stereotype is that we party seven days a week and drink a lot, but we don't have many parties here during the week. We usually go out to other places."

Chi Omega junior Iiesha Muckelroy said she was sympathetic to the non-Greek residents.

"I live by a (Greek) house. It's loud sometimes, and I see how people could be annoyed, especially in the apartments facing the windows," Muckelroy said. "Living here is still better than some of the other on campus places, and I've lived in the Towers, the Quad and Cougar Place."

Smith, who lived in the Quadrangle's Settegast Hall for two years before moving to Bayou Oaks, agreed and said her experience at the Quad prepared her for resident-hall living.

"The good outweighs the bad by far. Noise complaints are everywhere," Smith said. "The sole difference here is that it's acceptable for the Greeks, whereas we're heavily censured for our mistakes. Living on campus in the dorms was good for me, though, because it helps you learn patience. You learn how to compromise without getting taken advantage of."

Non-Greek residents also claim there is rampant alcohol consumption during Greek social events, but Byars said the rules concerning alcohol are no different than state laws, which are upheld throughout the University.

"The state law says that those under 21 can't drink. We have a security officer that patrols from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.," Byars said. "We don't have any more problems from any of the students at Bayou Oaks than we do anywhere else on campus."

Byars said the "students do a pretty good job" of complying with the housing rules and state laws, but other residents said Greek students most often defy a Harris County law that forbids drinking in public places after 2:15 a.m.

"I'm pretty certain that all the laws are not abided by, though, because they have alcohol at those parties, and they go on long past 2:15 a.m.," Barganier said.

Although residents like Smith said they believe the benefits of Bayou Oaks overshadow the behavior of the Greeks, others are adamant about making a change.

"I'm not staying there next fall, and my roommates won't either. We're not getting our money's worth. The service isn't good at all," Barganier said. "For what we're paying, that's definitely not acceptable."

I JUST saw this, and I'm really confused! Anyone who's gone to UH knows that the the Greek Park isn't anywhere near any of the dorm housing areas! It's actually pretty secluded! As loud as it may get, it sure isn't any worse than living in the dorms! I know that from personal experience! Additionally, as a former RA, I know that the majority of the noise complaints I dealt with were within the housing area. People who live in the Towers (the closest to the Greek Park site) don't really hear much of the outside world. The Quad is further down the street, and very little can be heard from their distance! Cougar Place and the new apartment complex are SEVERAL blocks down the road!

This just seems like people talking crap for the hell of it. The Greek system at UH is small in comparison to other schools, and I'd be more concerned about the noise from the drunks, a drive-by, or cars loud music passing by! (UH is located in the Third Ward of Houston...not exactly a nice neighborhood!) This whole thing sounds like crap to me!

aj

I just saw the photos in the Lyre-AXO mag. Looks great!

ajuhdg-I have to agree with you! Not just noisy dorms, but I lived in MANY apt complexes with guns going off-loud drunks-alarms ambulances-family fueds... Geesh-noise was the least of my worries. MOST dorms get rowdy, unless you're in the scholars dorm.
Even with a specified "quiet time", the walls were kind of thin and
you could hear all sorts of things!:eek:

The whole article reads like a conspiracy theory! Discrimination, payoffs... I'm so sure the Greeks have the UHPD in their
pockets. :rolleyes:

AXO has a lot of pics of Greek Park and their house in particular!

Greek Park

I can't wait to get back to the states and see it for myself!

aj

WOW
 

I dont' think that filling the house is even really an issue. If I remember correctly, I believe the MOST that these houses can sleep is 10. (I believe that the DG house only sleeps 6.) With most of our numbers in the 50's, this isn't that big of a deal. Sigmu Nu had problems filling their house when it first opened. They slept 36.

By putting all GLO's together (and I'm pretty sure other than NPC and IFC, there is at least one Hispanic GLO living there too) better relationships may be developed. I think that the GLO's at UH realize they are in the minority, and fight to maintain their reputations and increase involvement.

aj