Emory's sorority row awash in red tape

[hoosier]

Greek Life: As sorority village takes shape, questions persist


By Christina Dill
Staff Writer
and Chris Megarian
Asst. News Editor
September 09, 2005


Although ground has been broken on the new sorority village, there are still unresolved issues centered around the sororities’ new housing agreement.

Administrators met with sorority officals Wednesday night to go over details of the agreement. Officials said they hope to have the agreement signed and to iron out a few legal issues within a month.

However, a sorority member with knowledge of the agreement said Alpha Delta Pi, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta have hesitated to sign the agreement because of the extra dues that would be required of members, and the sororities’ inability to own their houses.

Of the nine sorority lodges currently being used, only three are owned by University Housing — Sigma Delta Tau’s, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s and Kappa Alpha Theta’s. Sorority alumni own the other six sorority lodges.

With the move to the new sorority village, University Housing will own all of the sorority houses and collect all rent.

Assistant Dean for Campus Life and Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life Victor Felts said sorority members who don’t live in the houses will have to pay a “parlor fee.” That fee would be put toward furnishing the house and other miscellaneous maintenance expenses, he said.

Felts said the extra dues for sorority members would be $150 per year per member. Currently, dues are between $300 and $500.

Assistant Vice President for Campus Life Bridget Guernsey Riordan said the extra dues and regular housing rent will go to the university in order to pay back debts due to construction costs. Regular rent will be equivalent to the cost of a double room in a residence hall, she said.

The entire 92,000-square-foot sorority village project will cost $20 million, and sororities will pay back $11 million over the next 30 years, she said.

“It may be on university property, but it will definitely be a partnership,” she said. “We’re committed to the sorority and committed to making it work.”

Before signing any agreement, each sorority chapter needs to review the matter with its national headquarters and attorneys, InterSorority Council President Nicole Vasilaros said.

“Its not a matter of ‘We don’t want to move in,’” Vasilaros said. “It can be a long process. These organizations have huge corporate headquarters.”

The leasing agreement was first presented to the sororities at the end of last semester.

“Hopefully we will have the agreements signed within the next couple of weeks,” Felts said. “None of the groups have signed the agreements yet, as the documents are in the final stages of being prepared.”

However, sorority members said having a presence on campus is still important to all the sororities involved.

“We wouldn’t still be in this deadlock if we didn’t want [the houses],” one member said.

Sororities that are members of National Panhellenic Conference will have lodges that can hold 24 women — an increase from the current lodges’ maximum occupancy of four.

AKA and DST sororities, the two non-NPC groups, will have lodges that can hold six women. Ten houses will be built — one for each sorority on campus and one for a new sorority chapter, Gamma Phi Beta, which will open this fall.

The campaign for the new sorority village began in 2002 when Campus Life was approached by InterSorority Council about several infestation and structural problems with the current sorority lodges, which were built during the 1970s. Campus Life administrators said they hope the new sorority housing will generate more excitement and interest about Greek life on campus.

The goal of the new sorority village is to promote a “stronger sense of community and to strengthen the Greek community,” Senior Vice President and Dean for Campus Life John Ford said.