How NOT to have Greek unity?
 

At the college from which I graduated, there are only 3 sororities: Kappa, and two others I'll call ABC and XYZ. All are strong in different ways, and until now there didn't seem to be much more than the standard rivalry between groups. All the groups are unhoused and have a meeting room and storage closet in a wing of one of the residence halls. Not ideal, but at least fair.

The university owns several small houses on campus. They hold 9-13 people and you have to apply to live there. They are "theme" houses, given for example to the Outdoor Education Club, Downer Women's Council, Music Education majors, etc. Each group has to apply to the housing board to live there and promise to do community service in tune with the theme of the house. So far, so good. The system has worked ok...until now.

The ABC's applied for a small house and got one. They also cleared it with their HQ that they don't have to follow standard ABC house rules: They can have alcohol and men in the house (in more than just the common areas), they don't have to have a house mother, etc. My guess is that they applied not as ABC's but as an advocate for their philanthropy, and since they're not attaching their name to the house they don't have to follow their HQ's rules. I THINK that's the case, don't quote me on it. In any event, every resident of that house is an ABC. Kappa and XYZ do not have any living arrangement like this. ABC does not care how this might affect the other two groups going through Rush, again I'm guessing that they're making the argument that they're not technically attaching their name to the house, so it shouldn't matter.

Rush is deferred until January, plenty of time for freshmen to see that one group has a house and two don't. My feeling is they're just asking for Rush infractions, because the minute a freshman sets foot in that house it then becomes dirty Rush, even if there's no alcohol involved.

So my questions for you:

Do you think this is really a terrible example of Greek unity?

Does ABC have a right to do as it pleases if it's name isn't attached to the house on paper?

Do you think it will affect numbers for ABC as opposed to the other two groups?

If you were a Kappa or an XYZ, what would you do? The chapter's looking for advice.

If I have more questions I will post later.

Hmmm...alls fair in love and war, but this is neither. Sounds totally unfair. My school's sorority housing is the same way. The guys all have houses, but the 7 sororities all live in one dorm. It actually works out great for us simply because it puts everyone on equal ground, corridor wise at least. My school will not allow us move out of our dorm until senior year, at which point seniors usually either a) get a monopoly on an apt complex and pass on the lease b) live in a house that is also handed down to seniors c) continue to live on the corridor or d) live in Apts with other greeks or independents ( this is what I plan to do ....me, another kappa and 2 chi o's). I think this system promotes the unity on our campus very well. I would check with your Greek Affairs Advisor and see what their take on it is. And as bad as this may sound, watch as the rush infractions roll in in the spring...it is inevitable when everyone is not on fair ground. Good luck!

Oh lordy. This can cause groups to leave campus. At Mississippi State, one group got tired of dorm life and the sororities on either side of their chapter room listening in on their ceremonies and announced to heck with the university's policy on no sorority houses, they were building one. Immediately, everyone else had to decide to do it or die. Several groups dug deep in their pockets--it was the only way to compete because they knew this first group would build a lavish house. Three folded. They knew they were having a hard time and couldn't compete.

I never knew that a decision by one group could cause so much turmoil.

I don't know if it is fair or not. It seems like they took the initiative to get housing. Why don't the other two sororities try to get a house off campus? You could just rent a house, not everyone has to live there. My school is currently building greek row, so obviously we didn't have greek housing unless each group sought out their own house to rent near the school, but off campus. Some of us did it, some didn't. Having a house definitely helps during rush. I know that this is not what you want to hear, but, I think that if the bar is raised, you have to jump up to meet it...:confused:

I hope that everything works out though...I can't believe that group can have a pretend house and have alcohol though...their national and their advisor must be really laid back!

Sounds like they pulled it off quite well, covered all the bases, etc. Is there no way that you and the other sororities on campus can not do the exact same thing? The school should not give them preferential treatment in the applications process.

As far as alcohol in their house... I'd imagine that their Risk Reduction policy probably addresses that issue. Your best bet is to sell what you've got to sell. They have a house... so what?

LHT
Kevin

pink houses
 

hello! sorry this is so long... i just started typing and typing and typing....

our college has what sounds like the same application process for on campus housing as yours, and none of the sororities on campus have houses, we have suites. there's never been much of a problem (well that didn't get addressed and dealt with properly) between the sororities in regards to having unofficial houses because freshman and transfer women are not allowed in these houses (or apartments) where over 1/2 of the people living there are in a sorority at any time when there is a party, sorority event of any kind or alcohol being consumed for the entire first semester (we have deferred rush). these houses are labled as "pink" houses and have a sign that states as much that has to be posted in the window during parties (which does kinda suck cause it draws more attention to the house).

we also have a (i forget the name or exact proportion) proportional rule, that says that freshman women pretty much can't be involved in any activities where they are outnumbered by sorority women because that can be construed as a "dirty rush" event or a sorority event (such as one that these women you mention in your post might host for their philanthropy, for freshman to participate it would probably have to a) be held at a different location, and/or b)have either a majority of non-greek participants and different greeks and not break the proportion rule). therefore, this on campus house would be subject to these propotion rule restrictions, despite the fact that it is not actually a 'sorority house', and would therefore have limited interactions with freshmen women before recruitment. also, the sorority shouldn't be able to be mentioned during an event the house holds in the name of it's cause/program/etc., because after all it isn't a sorority house but a whatever the cause/program/etc. is house. but then this should be addressed as well by the school or residence life, b/c they wouldn't be allowed to host such events as anything other than the group that applied for the housing, does that make sense? (this is just how our school works, you may want to check about res. life's rules about advertising who/what is sponsoring such events in the name of that house)

however, i can understand that if one sorority has, say, many off campus houses, while the others do not, how it can be to your disadvantage. (while we have 2 adpi and a couple panhel houses, some have at least twice as many)
pnms who are very socially conscious will probably notice upperclassmen throwing around house names and associated sororities names while they are at it. ...on our campus we have some interesting house names that easily raise curiosity ... i'll be living at the castle, and then there's the barn, the ho-tel, the bakery, the chapel, the g-spot, the blueberry, i could go on.... ;)

i would suggest having your panhellenic delegate bring up this issue right off the bat when you start back. your greek advisor, vp recruitment administration and vp recruitment programming should be aware of your concerns and willing to address and resolve them. that is, after all, their job! good luck!

I'm glad you brought this up, I had forgotten to clarify a few things

1) This is a 4-year residential college. You are not allowed to live off campus unless you are married, student teaching, or a fifth-year senior.

2) This is a very small school. At 1100 students they have huge housing problems, some people have to change dorms every term. Chapter total is 59. The ABC's I'm guessing have 35-40 members, so do the XYZ's. Kappa has 14 (chapter almost shut down last year but made a great comeback). With chapters being that size, and student costs being what they are (private school, tuition is about 24000 a year), it's unlikely they'd be able to afford to rent a house or buy one. There's also the disadvantages of the age of the chapters: ABC and XYZ have both been around since 1915, Kappa's chapter was established in 1981. While the other two groups have prominent alums, Kappa doesn't, and therefore has fewer resources for money. Alum giving is HUGE at this school, 85 percent of the students are on financial aid.

3) The school also has the proportional rule. That said, any time a freshman set foot in that house alone or with a group of other freshman women during the first semester, it would be considered dirty rushing. Even if it's just a study session, it's still considered a Rush infraction unless there are other upperclassmen present, GLO-affiliated or not.

4) There is no way the other groups can get a house for the next year, as housing decisions have already been made. The other groups would have to wait until the 2003-2004 school year to apply.

5) As far as alcohol goes, I have no idea how they were able to bypass the rule. It IS considered a sorority house by University standards, but I think they think that's secondary to the theme of the house.

6) Another factor I forgot to mention is the housing lottery. Everyone gets a number based on class standing. After your theme house is approved, you get your pick at houses based on your lottery numbers. If there are 5 approved groups and only 4 houses, the one with the lowest overall housing lottery number average loses out. A group that applies with all seniors is going to get a house, chapters with larger classes of sophomores and juniors wouldn't get a chance, couldn't even argue in the name of equality.

I don't know if they'd be allowed to build an ABC-specific house or not. This a campus that is VERY short on space and it regulates buildings pretty tightly. And everything else :)

Yikes, that's a lot of typing. Hope I cleared some things up!

My other thought is that it isn't even in ABC's best interest to have a house: If other chapters go under, they have to leave. If I remember correctly they must be on campus with at least two other national groups.

As Dzsaigirl siad, there is nothing stopping Kappa and the other sorority from applying for the other houses.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but from the way it was explained, it seems as though this is like a yearly lease. Just because ABC has the house this year, does not mean it will keep it next year...please correct me if this is wrong. If this is correct, perhaps you can work something out with the university so that every year a different sorority can have the house...ABC this year, XYZ next year, then Kappa, and begin again.

Yes, Leslie, you're absolutely right. It is only a yearly lease. It's possible that next year they'll have a house if they have high lottery numbers, or they might not and XYZ and Kappa could get a house. Or all three. Or none. It depends on how their numbers are compared to everyone else's who applies.

However, the university does not see it as a sorority house that should be rotated for fairness. They see it as a group of girls living in a small or "theme" house all working for the same philanthropy. Sorority affiliation does not show up on the application for the house. The way the university would see it, rotating the house between the sororities would unfairly take away from other groups that wanted to have a theme house, they'd be down to 3 open theme houses instead of 4.

The university is also tearing down the fraternity houses next year. One of the reasons they gave was that it was an unfair housing situation for men... I know I have the paper around here somewhere explaining it, but I can't find it. In any event, the university is doing away with Greek housing. The last thing I think they would do is instate a sorority house the same year they're taking housing away from the fraternities.

guys are going to see the issue extreemly differently form the ladies, remember we view greek life differently. As has been tossed around here before, women see greek life (interactions, recruitment) as being very egalitarian (sp), dependent on cooperation, and men see it as a compitition, survival of the fittest.

Male Perspective:
As a guy I say pox on you for not knowing about this before it happened(you need to get your spies out there), then standing around after bitching, acting like the victim of some crime. Figure out how to beat them at their own game.

Female Perspective:
As a sorority girl friend of mine reccomened(I placed a phone call...), see what you can do within the rules to call them on the carpet for this, and watch them like a hawk, you see one infraction, pounce. The girls in the theme house probably know you all will be watching, so they should be on their best behavior. maybe work with the other unhoused sorority to come up with a solution.

Another idea, see it as a good thing. It only servs to raise the awarness and visibility of greeks on campus, when people see more of a presence on campus, they think they have to be greek to be anything. its that way at SWT in San Marcos, Tx and I'd kill to have that critical mass reached on our campus.

Good luck tho. I can see how ya'll feel like ya got shafted.

some thoughts...
 

1. I think it is BOGUS that they were able to get a house under the pretense of being "ABC Philanthropy Theme House." But then again, if that's the game the university is going to play they can also jolly well have a "XYZ Philanthropy Theme House" and a "Kappa Philanthropy Theme House."

2. I really, really doubt that ABC's nationals are letting them slide on the alcohol issue. Unless they are going to have an equal amount of non-ABC women who are also "philanthropy advocates" living there. HQ's don't care if you have letters on the house or if you pay the rent or if the school recognizes it...if Joe Blow walks by and calls it the ABC house, it is...with all the rules applying.

3. Kappa and XYZ need to pool the sisters with the highest lottery numbers and get houses next year.

4. If it does effect the other sororities negatively, and ABC run the possibility of getting their asses in an infraction sling, they will be out of there ASAP. If they are hamstrung by this "2 other national groups on campus" rule (and I must say, that's a brand new one on me), it is in their best interest to keep Kappa and XYZ around.

Re: some thoughts...
 

I disagree with this simply because my chapter has an unofficial house and IHQ cannot and/or does not impose rules on the house.

KappaStarGirl, I can totally understand why you feel this is unfair, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't feel that ABC sorority did anything wrong. I can understand why the university will not allow you to rotate a house, but perhaps you can bring this up with your Panhel board and maybe make an agreement that if ABC has a house this year, they will not apply next year so another chapter can attempt to have the house. If this is not possible, I suggest Kappa (and XYZ) simply apply next year. If you feel that this might effect your recruitment/if PNMs say something about ABC having a house, just remind them that it is only a year long lease and you will be applying next year.

Re: Re: some thoughts...
 

Then you are very, very lucky...in case anyone thought I agreed with that line of reasoning in my original post, I definitely don't...but I'm not gonna go there.

At the university that I went to we were the only sorority to have a house (we have been leasing ours for years). We didn't get more girls because of a house...we got more girls because we made more of an effort than the other sororities. During formal rush we do not use our house, we hold all of our events up at school with the other sororites so most of the potential new member don't even know we have a house unless they ask. As for rush infractions, we have NEVER gotten an infraction because of a PNM coming to our house during formal rush.

From what I was told, which could be wrong, if your national does not own your house and you are "renting/leasing" from someone else you can pretty much do whatever you want alcohol and men wise. If it is such a big deal to have a house why don't you look for an off-campus house. My school had no dorms or any kind of housing so everyone lived off-campus.

To Answer Your Questions:
Do you think this is really a terrible example of Greek unity?
No, at the school I went to we had 3 sororities and 2 fraternities...only one of each has a house and we all get along fine.

Does ABC have a right to do as it pleases if it's name isn't attached to the house on paper?
Pretty much, but they do have to follow guidelines when it comes to Formal Recruitment.

Do you think it will affect numbers for ABC as opposed to the other two groups?
Not really, the other groups might have to promote themselves more. I'm sorry but you don't join a sorority based on a house...you join because you fit in with the sisters.

If you were a Kappa or an XYZ, what would you do? The chapter's looking for advice.
If a house is that important look into off-campus housing.

Re: How NOT to have Greek unity?
 

To answer your questions:

1. I don't think it's a terrible example of Greek Unity. I think that they realized that they could get a house just like any other "theme" oriented group, and they went out and did it. Kappa and XYZ can do the same.

2. If the house is not an official house of the sorority, the rules don't really apply. We rented a house in our town that our HQs did not recognize as an official house, and we had alcohol there and boys!

3. With ABC only having a yearly lease, it would be difficult for them to preach the continuity of having this house if they aren't guaranteed it in the future. At one school I advise, our chapter is the only unhoused chapter, and that's simply because they are newer and there isn't any open space in the Greek Housing for them yet. They do just as well as the other sororities. It would depend on the women you're recruiting.

4. If I was a Kappa or XYZ, I'd get my ass in gear and fill out paperwork to get my group a house. I'd make sure that during recruitment planning, the ABC chapter realizes that they may not hold any recruitment events at their house during formal recruitment. At informal, it's a free for all basically, so you can't stop them from holding an event there.

Re: Re: some thoughts...
 

You can bet your sweet ass that it will if it's a risk mgmt issue. Girls have stricter rules than us guys do, and if all us old FIPG'ers have Risk Mgmt rules regarding risk management and Un-Official houses, you can bet you do too.

A few points on this subject from Lambda Chi Alpha's insurance Company, James R Favour and Co.:

An event could be attributed to the chapter in the eyes of a jury if any of the following conditions occur:

- Any amount of money affiliated with the chapter is used for the event (chapter funds, donations, or pooling of funds)
- Event was announced using a chapter phone tree, or at a chapter function.
- The event is publicized with reference to the chapter.

Off Campus and "unofficial" Chapter events:

Some chapters have intentionally participated in gatherings, functions, parties or events that were held away from the chapter's house or off campus in an attempt to circumvent the spirit and intent of the fraternity's policies. Most of these events occur at private residences (apartments, rental houses) of members or even at the residence of non-members and are classified as "unofficial" because they are not chapter sponsored. The risks posed by such events are often more substantial then "official" chapter events. A discussion of the myths associated with off-campus and "unofficial" events follows:

Myth #1
We are not liable for events at a members apartment.

Wrong. Courts have held that if a 'reasonable' person testifies that the event is in fact a 'chapter event' then it is a chapter event. In most cases, the chapter is held liable…even at a member's apartment. Think of your Greek advisor, or girlfriend walking into an event. If he or she would say it is a 'chapter' event, it is.

Myth #2
An individual member cannot be held liable for events he sponsors at his private residence.

Wrong. Most states have laws that incriminate a social host for serving alcohol to minors. If not, civil remedies are available to a person alleging injury after attending an event hosted by a chapter member. In addition, the member's parents may also be held liable for the actions of the member if he hosts a party and someone gets hurt.

Myth #3
We will just have the event at a non-members residence.

Think again. If a 'reasonable' person says that the event is a 'chapter' event, then it is. Again, think of your Greek advisor, or girlfriend walking into an event. If he or she would say it is a 'chapter' event, it is.

Myth #4
The General Fraternity cannot discipline a chapter for something that happens at an 'unofficial' event.

The General Fraternity will not hesitate to discipline a chapter if there is an incident of any kind at a social event where the event participants are violating the Fraternity's risk management policies.

The bottom line: If Lambda Chi Alpha could avoid liability by moving all chapter events off campus or making events 'unofficial', it would have instructed all chapters to do so.

I would be willing to assume that all of our HQ's have simular rules because this is in essence what our ins. companies have required of us to be insured. Remember tho, this covers risk mgmt issues only, not moral or rush policies. I would assume that would vary between orgs.

Whether or not what ABC did was dodgy, you're on the losing end of a situation here. Next year XYZ will do the same (and with more girls than you, they're more likely to have the higher lottery number to do it with). That will leave Kappa as the chapter without a house, and while housing was never a standard rushees measured your chapters by in the past, they will now. And since you're the smallest and unhoused, the girls will think (probably with no fair foundation), "Oh, Kappa isn't as good - I'm not going there." You're locked into a losing proposition.

You could try for a theme house yourself, but maybe you won't get one - or your nationals won't allow it.

So you have two choices:

1) Play dirty and unpanhellenically, and try to get them in trouble. That might make them lose their house, but it will ruin any sense of Greek unity.

2) Rush three times as hard as anyone else on campus to get numbers up NOW before you're the chapter that's left out. If you've got the numbers but no house, no biggie - esp. if the theme houses change from year to year.

Re: Re: Re: some thoughts...
 

Well, every chapter that I know of that has an unofficial house (and I'm not talking AGD...all chapters in general) do not follow official house rules. It's just a house where a bunch of brothers or sisters live. Now, if chapters are acting crazy or using the guise of an "unofficial house" to throw parties and say "well our rules don't apply," then you have a point. But if it's just a living arrangement then there shouldn't be an issue.

Re: Re: Re: Re: some thoughts...
 

Agreed. We have one and dont follow the rules so dont think I am being holier than thou. My point was that unfortunately, if something happened and little Tequila Shiela had too many and had to go to the ER and get her stomach pumped, mamma and daddy might try to pin it on the chapter even if it was at the unofficial house. Then the HQ gets involved, and if (for us) 25% of the active chapter was there, then it can constitutes an event. Yada yada yada.

I agree that it shouldnt apply, and it wont, except in an ex post facto kinda way - Should someone get hurt. Just something to think about.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: some thoughts...
 

First, no one accused you of being "holier than thou." I don't mean to sound gender biast, but your post explains exactly why it is easier for sororities to have unofficial houses as opposed to fraternities. The fraternities tend to have party houses, which could potentially become a risk management issue...sororities usually don't. I'm not staying that "rule-breaking" doesn't happen at sorority houses, but you're less likely to see a sorority throwing a kegger at their unofficial house.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: some thoughts...
 

I know no one accused me of being holier than thou... I said "so dont think I am being holier than thou." not "I dont think I am being holier than thou." My point was that since I was pontificating on rules and such, I didnt want peopel to think I was being preachy, trying to lecture everyone on risk management. My chapter definately doesnt follow 100% of the rules 100% of the time. I didnt want soemone to say, "Right, like your house has never broken a rule." Thats all.

I also agree with you that fraternities definately would have more of an issue with this. I am just saying that god forbid, an incident were to happen, the palntifs would do anything they could to link to the org - the deepest pocket theory if you will. Thats why they have the rules they do about unofficial events and such...To insulate themselves from a chapter should anything happen. Better to loose or close on chapter then the whole org declare bankruptcy and go under.

As you know, people will sure for anything these days. My org setteled a lawsuit a few years ago (we werent found liable, but dropped serious cash on atty fees) because a student was walking across campus somewhere and had a Lambda Chi flyer in his hand for a party. He walked by the jock dorm and got his ass kicked, damaged his brain, and is disabled now. His parents, in an attempt to place the blame in as many places as possible, sued my org on the grounds thaty the flier in his hands was the reason he got his ass kicked. Yeah, we didnt have to pay damages, and werent found liable, we still had to drop $50K to defend ourselves...money that could have been used for scholarships...badge rescueing...leadership training, etc.

My point was that they'll try and find a way to link it to the org, thats all.

I think that ABC is on pretty thin ice with the alcohol in the house issue. I can't imagine their National HQ approving that. If that house is percieved as an ABC house and somebody drinks there and gets hurt or hurts someone else, guess whose pockets the attorneys are going to be looking in?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: some thoughts...
 

Point taken. ;)

Okay. I've been watching this board for the past few days, ever since KappaStarGirl alerted me to the discussion taking place. As a current active on the campus in question, I feel that I should clear some things up.

1) As of the 2002-2003 school year, all groups wishing to have a small house must apply under the terms of Formal Group Housing. This applies to everyone, from Fraterities & Sororities to the Outdoor Recreation Club and the Ultimate Frisbee Team. If granted, an FGH contract is good for three years, after which the group will be given the opportunity to re-apply. In order to stagger the re-application dates for years to come, in this first year of FGH's implementation, each group granted an FGH contract drew out of a hat whether its contract would go for one, two, or three years.

The Fraternities are no longer guaranteed housing in perpetuity, as KappaStarGirl said. Neither are they guaranteed that an FGH contract would place them in "their" house. The university is most likely going to raze two of the houses on the Quad to build a new student center.

2) The original plan was that all three sororities would get together and apply for a Panhellenic house. This would be a good way to ensure equity and promote Greek unity, and everybody was excited about it. Another benefit to having a Panhel house would be that, because we'd be living under the supervision of the university, we'd be just a bunch of Greeks occupying the same house. Panhel has no housing rules, and as it would not be a Kappa house or an ABC house or an XYZ hosue, none of the national housing visitation/alcohol rules would apply. ABC pulled out at the last minute and applied for their own house, offending a lot of people in the process.

3) FGH selection took place this year in May. Each of the five fraternities, as well as "ABC," the sorority in question, received FGH contracts. Other groups granted FGH include Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (a men's music fraternity), a music performance group, and the Outdoor Recreation Club. Furthermore, each fraternity was placed in the building that it has called its own since the 1950's. Interestingly enough, the two fraternities whose houses are scheduled for demolition drew one-year contracts, the other fraternities drew two-year contracts, and everyone else drew three-year contracts.

Each group applying had to meet the following criteria:
A) student-governed
B) minimum membership of 11 and 90% occupancy of the house
C) history of active membership and responsible leadership; at least two generations of leadership within a governance structure consisting of more than one student
D) clearly articulated mission statement consistant with that of the university; explanation of how communal living will enhance fulfillment of that mission
E) an organizational and governance structure through which the responsibilities of maintaining the residence, coordinating outreach/service activities, educating the members about appropriate behavior, and organizing and managing group activities can be fulfilled; a clear plan for the recruitment of new members and leadership selection
F) planned campus/community outreach
G) faculty or staff advisor and (if possible) strong alumni support

The GLO's all applied under the auspices of their national organizations. They cited their philanthropies and social events as campus/community outreach. Their mission statements were the national ones, as were their provided codes of conduct and leadership selection. Their recruitment plans were detailed descriptions of Rush/Formal Recruitment. Each group certainly cited its strong alumni support in its application. In no way did ABC chapter hide the fact that it is a GLO in this process, nor was it overlooked by the FGH committee. This house is now known as the "ABC House."

4) Current Panhellenic bylaws provide that if each group is elligible to apply for FGH, any or all may do so. The original idea was to place an all-or-none clause in the bylaws, but that was scrapped for fear of all three groups' being turned down on the basis that the university did not want to grant housing to all of them. Since FGH has been granted to ABC chapter, the following changes are going to be added:
A) Letters may not be displayed on the house or in common areas until after FR.
B) No freshman women are allowed in the house until after FR.
C) All recruitment activites and chapter activities must take place in the chapter room of the Panhellenic Wing or in another appropriate place (i.e. a building lounge, where FR parties and COB events take place).

5) As far as I know, ABC's HQ allows for them to write their own visitation rules. What this chapter is looking at is something rather lax, along the lines of males' signing in and signing out. In terms of alcohol, I do not know. Knowing their HQ, my guess is that they will not be allowed to have alcohol in the house. As for their not having a house mother, because the house is university owned, the chapter is housed under the supervision of the university's Residence Life Department, so their HQ has waived the requirement for a house mother. The university will train a member of the house to be the Residence Life Manager and take care of those sorts of administrative and disciplinary things.

6) As it stands right now, XYZ is planning to apply for a house for 2003-2004. Kappa is debating. Right now our numbers are still low. We'd like to live in a house, but we feel that perhaps our chances in a deferred recruitment situation are better if we can place women in dorms containing freshmen. We all would like to live with our sisters, but I know that there is no way that Kappa HQ will lighten up on the visitation policies, and there will doubtless be a long debate on whether we would like to sacrifice our freedom.

7) You'd better believe that we'll all be camped out on ABC's door, just waiting for the rush infractions to pile up. *Evil Laugh*

Was this the right thing for ABC to do? I'm not sure. I don't think so. Will it hurt or help them in the long run? I'm also not sure about that. This coming year is going to be a whole lot of wait-and-see. I do think that sorority housing in general will beef up the image of the sororities on campus and hopefully encourage a bigger turnout at FR. Any freshman going through FR would not be able to live in the house until the following year anyway, so if Kappa and XYZ plan to apply for housing for 2003-2004, it shouldn't make much of a difference. There's really nothing we can do about the situation now, so the best way to handle things is to look at it is as a test-run for sorority housing on this campus. We'll re-evaluate next year.

I hope that this has cleared some things up. I am still definitely looking for advice as to rushing tactics, etc. Thanks in advance for your input.

now That's a horse of a different color! so it's actually recognized as abc's sorority house now, as in the same way the fraternity houses on your campus are? i definitely understand where you are coming from and why you are apprehensive and upset. very shady. i had thought that this group originally applied as something completely different (i.e. a service oriented group) than as a sorority. and now they have three years to be in that house? hmm sounds like you have your work cut out for you.... i think that the main thing is to emphasize recruitment so that you may be able to apply for one of the smaller houses and also have women in those freshmen dorms (very important) after this first year. i'll pm you later :) it's about my bedtime ;)

A Panhellenic House?
 

Man, if we had a Panhellenic House, the fur would've been flying 24/7!!

ah, the things you miss being so far from the chapter! Thanks for clearing that up!

I still think it's shady.

Thanks for that very informative post!

Seems like the university's system is designed to create dissent, though. Obviously the demand for houses (Greek or not) is greater than supply, and they're tearing DOWN two more houses?