[SoCalGirl]

Originally posted by adpiucf
> San Diego Union-Tribune
> September 7, 2003
>
> Harmony on Fraternity Row
> SDSU marks first year of apartments
>
> By Jonathan Heller
> STAFF WRITER
>
About a year ago, San Diego State University opened Fraternity Row, a large apartment complex on campus for half of the school's fraternities.
>
The idea was to get them out of the neighborhoods surrounding the school to minimize long-running frictions with residents stemming from parties,
>trash and noise.
>
There were questions as to how the groups would coexist in relatively close quarters, but most everyone seems to be happy with the redevelopment project, which has more than 230 students from eight fraternities living in relative harmony.
>
"I thought there would be fights, but I haven't seen any," said Josh San Julian, (yea Josh!) Interfraternity Council rush director and Phi Kappa Psi member.
"Even though we're rivals, we still have to live together."
>
The $16 million Fraternity Row is a four-story building that houses eight fraternities next to Cox Arena. It is owned and run by the SDSU Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that manages university properties.
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The foundation celebrated the one-year anniversary of the project yesterday with a breakfast, speeches and tours of the building.
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Neighborhood residents said they also are happy with the results. The neighborhood used to record an average of 50 noise complaints a year.
Last year, that number was 10.
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"The word is out that it's not quite the party place it used to be," said Paul Englert, who lives east of College Avenue.
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Besides cleaning up the surrounding neighborhoods, one of the foundation's goals was to upgrade Greek housing. Many of the fraternities were living in old, run-down, single-family homes that had been converted into fraternity houses, said Steve Bloom, the foundation's chief operating officer.
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Fraternity Row features 62 two-and three-bedroom units. They all have fully equipped kitchens and are pre-wired for telephone, cable and high-speed data lines.
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The foundation hopes to build more apartments and ultimately move all of the university's fraternities and sororities onto or closer to
campus, Bloom said.
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For those accustomed to fraternity house living, the rules outlined in the 12-page lease for Fraternity Row are formidable: no kegs, no barbecues, no bicycles on the balconies and no more than two guests for each resident(really, really lame rules!).
Beer and wine are allowed at permitted events for people 21 and older.
>
>Copyright 2003 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.