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Some colleges don't allow fraternities (men or women) to have house because of local zoning laws (and no, I'm not referring to the urban myth of the brothel law-- no such law exists). Many communities have enacted regulations limited size of residences, or number of occupants, etc that preclude a sorority or fraternity living there. Other campuses have rules enacted because someone endowed something years ago contingent on not having Greek housing (that's why you sometimes see men have houses while women do not-- like at Miami of Ohio)
As an advisor to Ohio Theta, we thought we'd come up with an ingenious solution to the lack of on-campus housing when the chapter was first colonized. We rented out all 8 apartments in an off-campus apartment building which was built with a common room for our use as a chapter. Well, guess what? The neighbors didn't mind (we were certainly quieter that the fraternities who were across the street) but the zoning commissioner did. One year, and many thousands of dollars to lawyers later, we lost the legal battle and had to take down the letters, could not meet or rush there (although the women could still live in there, since they'd signed their own leases).
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