KA-UGa: Next to a landfill, it's hard to think of a less desirable neighbor

[GA-Beta]

UGA plan is key for Kappa Alpha

Published on: 09/06/06
Next to a landfill or a munitions factory, it's hard to think of a less desirable neighbor than a frat house.
So if residents of Athens' Reese Street historic district are reluctant to welcome a proposed Kappa Alpha Order fraternity house in their midst, it's understandable. The fraternity has purchased a 30-year-old apartment complex in the neighborhood that it intends to replace with a brick, plantation-style white-columned fraternity house large enough to sleep 30 members. Kappa Alpha alums fronted the $2.7 million to buy the 2.5-acre site, and a fund-raising campaign is under way to pay for the construction.
However, the discomfort of the predominantly black Reese Street community is compounded by Kappa Alpha's trademark veneration of the Old South, which it manifests by the display of Confederate battle flags and a penchant to dress up in Confederate grays and squire dates in hoop skirts.
To ease concerns of a culture clash, fraternity members and leaders have pledged to avoid behavior that might offend their prospective neighbors, but it's hard to take that seriously. Shortly after making that promise this spring, a dozen Kappa Alpha members at the group's 2006 Old South weekend posed for a photo in full Confederate regalia, except for their running shoes and penny loafers. Two brothers turned away from the camera to display Confederate battle flags on the back of their Old South T-shirts.
That photo, which frat members posted on the Internet, suggests they possess neither the maturity nor sensitivity to make good on their pledge or be good neighbors.
To defuse the situation, University of Georgia officials have offered to create a Greek village along River Road for Kappa Alpha and four other Lumpkin Street fraternity houses that will be displaced next year by campus expansion.
The university would build the houses and grant fraternities a 30-year lease. While that's less desirable than outright ownership to the fraternity, UGA would also handle general maintenance and repair, custodial services for common areas and landscaping. Those services would assure that the university could keep gentle tabs on fraternity life and retain some measure of control over what goes on inside, while allowing Kappa Alpha safe haven to continue its apparently cherished habit of reliving the Confederacy.
— Maureen Downey, for the editorial board, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[Elephant Walk]

I wish we had KA here these days. What a great fraternity.

It's too bad the nearby neighborhood is so ignorant.

[LaneSig]

How nice of the author to compare living next to a fraternity house as living next to a munitions dump or landfill. Not biased is she?

Elephant Walk - I thought you had a KA chapter at LSU.

[RU OX Alum]

that writer was mean

[Kevin]

I fail to understand how living next to a fraternity house is worse than living next to a 30-year old apartment complex.

Does not compute.

[brobuzzz]

Everyone loves living next to section 8 housing. I thought this was common knowledge.

[EE-BO]

Originally Posted by ktsnake

I fail to understand how living next to a fraternity house is worse than living next to a 30-year old apartment complex.

Does not compute.

If you were to visit Athens, you would understand.

Coming from a very large city in Texas, I was surprised- and I will confess a bit worried- to arrive in Athens to attend UGA and see that there were large blocks of Section 8 housing all over the city.

With time- walking to class, meeting and chatting with residents etc.- I came to see that I had nothing to worry about. Much of this was ignorance on my part since I had never grown up in a place where I could see for myself that most residents of any neighborhood are good people.

But all the same, I do not think the scattering of Section 8 housing throughout Athens would work as well in Houston- or in many cities where decades of physical isolation has kept various populations suspicious of each other.

In any event, while one could argue that since Section 8 housing is a benefit that residents should be grateful to have- the fact remains that even in Athens there is a very clear pyschological barrier around those projects. People who live there are trapped there in many cases since they did not have options that many of us did growing up- and now are pretty much isolated in their own areas which are, by their appearance, conspicuously separate from the rest of the area (a prison of sorts if you think about it.)

As for KA at UGA- when I was there they flew the Confederate Flag, and the Old South party was celebrated with a degree of grandeur I have never seen on any other campus.

That is their right, and I have no beef with it. What they are celebrating there is not the issue- their right to fly a certain flag and celebrate historical events is absolute in this free country without them having to explain the reason behind their beliefs.

But in the real world, a white fraternity house full of very wealthy young men- whether they celebrate certain aspects of the Old South or not- is just not destined to a happy existence in a traditionally black neighborhood.

On paper, this situation is perfectly acceptable. But in reality, I expect there will be difficulties and both sides are going to be unhappy.

KA will certainly face a lot of public pressure to change how they operate- which is not fair to them.

And a group of people who have been gathered together and stuck in a small space which is in many ways a sort of "prison" in a frequently hostile world now have to share that small space with a fraternity house that represents much of what they personally find offensive. This is unfair to them.

Frankly, I hope another solution is found. I really don't like where this is headed and it is a disserve to both KA and the residents of that neighborhood that the city is forcing this to happen with their zoning requirements.

[Creampuff]

The problem isn't just the racial aspects of KA, the main thing is that they're trying to build a 3 million dollar house in a neighborhood where the median income is less than 30000 a year. Alot people are going to lose their houses because some spoiled frat boys want to live close to downtown, so that when they get drunk they won't have to drive too far. The fact that the KAs here are notoriosly racist just the icing on the cake.

[shinerbock]

Thats a pretty stupid statement. KA is proud of their southern heritage, so what. Its a free country, they own the land, get over it. I'm sorry the presence of a antebellum style mansion won't be welcome in the ghetto, buts thats just how it is. Man, I sure hate it when people put build nice things, and ruin the whole poverty ridden culture we had going...

[sarahanne]

wouldn't a $2.7million house improve the neighborhood's real estate value? I would think that's a good thing for an area such as that. The KA chapter here is pretty racist, but then again, I live in Louisiana and just about everybody is racist here, that's nothing new.

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by Creampuff

The problem isn't just the racial aspects of KA, the main thing is that they're trying to build a 3 million dollar house in a neighborhood where the median income is less than 30000 a year. Alot people are going to lose their houses because some spoiled frat boys want to live close to downtown, so that when they get drunk they won't have to drive too far. The fact that the KAs here are notoriosly racist just the icing on the cake.

Tough shit. People lose their homes due to building and zoning all of the time. I don't see how a beautiful Southern style mansion is going to be a negative in a poor, run down area. If anything, it will probobly improve it. Oh, and nice of you to throw out the racist accusation.....real intelligent of you.

.......but i'm sure they really are racist since they have portraits of Robert E. Lee in their house. I mean, they MUST be. I guess my fraternity (SAE) is racist too because our founders fought for the Confederates in the Civil War. It all makes sense now.

[Creampuff]

Here's a quick economics lesson for the slow. When property values increase, so do property taxes. Alot of the people who own property in that neighborhood are elderly and on a fixed income. When the property taxes increase alot of these people are not going to be able to afford it and they will lose the houses that alot of them have lived in for 30 plus years. Some people weren't born with a silver spoon shoved up their butt, they can't run home to daddy when they need a few thousand bucks.

And about the so-called southern heritage. I'm quite positive that my family has been in the south as long, if not longer than alot of the people going around waving the confederacy in people's faces. Is the confederacy suppose to be my heritage too? I don't find treason against the United States, losing a war, and the glorification of oppression to be something to be proud of.

[shinerbock]

Property values rarely rise without increased demand. Thus, it is unlikely these people will simply get kicked out on their rear, they'd generally have a chance to sell for a higher amount than the current value. You failed to mention this in your "economics" lesson. However, this is likely a moot issue, considering one KA house is not likely to increase property values.

Cream, for someone claiming a Southern pedigree, you have a very limited opinion (and knowledge of, I assume) the Civil War. If you really believe the majority of people fighting for the Confederacy were fighting to the death because of slavery, you're sorely mistaken. Perhaps you should have spent a bit more time on your education at UGA, and less time whining about rich people and slandering fraternities.

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by Creampuff

Here's a quick economics lesson for the slow. When property values increase, so do property taxes. Alot of the people who own property in that neighborhood are elderly and on a fixed income. When the property taxes increase alot of these people are not going to be able to afford it and they will lose the houses that alot of them have lived in for 30 plus years. Some people weren't born with a silver spoon shoved up their butt, they can't run home to daddy when they need a few thousand bucks.

And about the so-called southern heritage. I'm quite positive that my family has been in the south as long, if not longer than alot of the people going around waving the confederacy in people's faces. Is the confederacy suppose to be my heritage too? I don't find treason against the United States, losing a war, and the glorification of oppression to be something to be proud of.

Your ignorance about both economics and history astounds me. I'm quite positive that I too have lived in the South for just as long as anybody. I'm also quite positive that I have a major in US History, particularly focusing on frontier expansion through the South and West and The Civil War. If you think that war was fought over slaves and the "glorification of oppression"......I suggest you go stick your nose in a history book in order to un-misinform yourself. I don't know what you mean by people "waving the Confederacy in people's faces".......but I would assume you are referring to the KA's....which is rather idiotic.

As for your economic lesson........One fraternity house isn't going to raise the property value enough to tax poor old Granny right on out into the streets. I would imagine this was all taken into account when choosing a locale. Perhaps, like history, you should retreat back into an ECON1113 classroom. They can help you.

.....but hey, what do I know....i'm just a white boy born with a silver spoon up my butt. I'm also a racist because my founding fathers fought in the Civil War...................for the South.

[Tex1899]

As for the elderly, at least in Texas I believe their property taxes are frozen when they reach age 65. My guess is other states have a similar law. If Georgia does, then the elderly need not worry about their property taxes increasing.