Furman University Closes Fraternity Houses
 

Furman University has decided not to allow fraternities to have chapter houses. None of the fraternities are accused of doing anything wrong, but the University thinks that they MIGHT. Students are protesting. The fraternity houses are off campus and are not owned by the University.

All other Furman students are required to live on campus for 4 years. Fraternity members have had a waiver to allow them to live in the chapter house. This is being revoked, as well.

Furman Plans to Eliminate Fraternity Housing

This sucks, but on the other hand, non-Greeks should be allowed to live off campus as well.

I don't even necessarily see an issue with the school requiring the students to live on campus, and in turn, not live in the fraternity houses. If all other students are required to live on campus, then it makes sense that fraternity members should too.

However...

What the heck is this ish?!

So instead of simply requiring fraternity members to live on campus like all other students, the school took it another step further and is putting additional requirements on all fraternity and sorority members, limiting their ability to freely associate, and shortening new member periods over which it has no control?

This could backfire on them. If they start having all sorts of career development stuff and it’s for Greeks only, recruitment numbers might increase. So ha ha stupid heads!

We can’t really say their ability is limited if, say, the football boosters or the knitting club also have a rule that they can’t have events or meetings off campus.

I couldn't attend a school that told me where I had to live. This is just weird.

Not only what you said, but they are now placing themselves in the crosshairs of any lawsuit which would have gone against a House Corporation in the past.

From your legal perspective, Kevin, are they also opening themselves up to lawsuits if the chapter house owners/renters are losing their operating revenue but are still obligated to pay long-term leases, mortgages, maintain an owned home, etc.?

Many sororities have career development speakers come in as part of the chapter’s enrichment: resume writing, financial planning, speakers from different employment fields, etc. I would assume fraternities would also do that. So what exactly does Furman plan to require the Greek orgs to do? How often?

I'm 100% sure there will be lawsuits.

No idea who wins.

A school of Furman's size budgets money for legal or even has their own in-house counsel which is capable of taking on litigation, so it might not be a budget-busting situation.

This is an interesting development. We used to provide an indispensable service to our schools by providing affordable housing for students. Now that schools are able to tap an endless supply of student loan money, they want to glom every penny they can from every student--and I guess housing is a vehicle for that.

Like everything these days, all is Topsy turvy and a quagmire if stinking muck!:mad:

Schools want to show power over students no matter what. In the long run, there will come a shake up when schools realize that their enrollment is not going to put up with being brow beaten and not go to said school! The social, media grows so fast, word gets out, and I don't care how self import any school is, it hurts them! Who while on campus does over all the best such as donations as Alumni, and like Scrooge, it can come back and haunt them!:mad:

After all, it is the season, Bah Hum bug!:D

YEP. A few years ago, San Diego State University mandated that all freshmen are required to live in on-campus housing. This semester, they have instituted the "Sophomore Success Program" and are now requiring sophomores to live on-campus. Due to the high influx of forced on-campus residents, SDSU mandated that freshmen are no longer allowed to have cars on-campus. The various Greek councils were against the freshman program and doubly against the sophomore program. We objected to the proposals and lost both times. I'm on the house corporation board and these policies are affecting our ability to fill our house.

The students are not fans either. One student said, "To us, this looks like a one-sided cash grab meant to put more money in their pockets at our expense and our parents’ expense..."

https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/san-diego-state-university-program-requires-sophomores-to-live-on-campus/509-d3a4b103-3c64-4862-9ff5-2f845c8189bd


There was an online petition to repeal the sophomore success policy where many students made harsh comments stating that they felt the policy was a financial rip-off:

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/430/260/603/end-sophomore-success-program-at-sdsu/


The freshmen aren't fans either, "Many of this year’s freshmen, such as marketing freshman Kylie Brown who organized a March 18 protest in opposition to the initiative, say the academic benefits do not outweigh the significant costs of living on campus. She said, including her meal plan, she is currently paying about $1,770 a month for a single bed space in a room with three people."

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/SDSU-Students-Organize-Against-Sophomore-Housing-Requirement-508787891.html


And hey, since you can now force students to live on-campus, jack up the price and give them "abysmal conditions":

https://www.10news.com/news/students...n-sdsu-housing

This is crazy. Are they aware people need cars to get to and from work? Family members who are ill? Emergencies?

These colleges built all these expensive dorms and now the students are figuring out it's cheaper to just live on their own. It's not fair to force the students to live there now...

Clarion students now have to live on campus freshman and sophomore years. I’m sure this is to build a community and has nothing to do with the overpriced suite style housing that was built when enrollment was in the toilet. :rolleyes: The thought was if you build it they will come - “they” being rich students of course. There was a really good article on this, I’ll see if I can find it.

https://www.insidehighered.com/views...ent-facilities

I don’t know what the car situation is, but there are lots of colleges that don’t permit freshmen or even students in general to have cars on campus because the space simply does not exist. That’s not a new concept.

I told my family there was no way I was going to Slippery Rock without a car lol. But, seriously- I did wind up needing the money I made at my off campus job...so I'm not sure I would have been able to stay if I couldn't work. But I understand not all schools have space.

Idk if you have to live on campus for two years there...I will ask my friend, whose daughter goes there.

The old dorms were the best. I spent one semester living in a (relatively nontraditional) singles dorm, and I HATED it. When you're at that stage of life, you want a zillion people around 24/7. It really is the best way to meet people.

Back in the Ice Age when I attended SDSU, we had rush before school started and the houses were heavily encouraged to have Freshman move in to the house as soon as they pledged because there were not enough beds available in the dorms. I spent all 4 years living in the house

DaffyKD