Housing Problems for Four West Virginia U Fraternities

exlurker · #1 12-31-2007, 04:51 PM

Four fraternities at West Virginia are dealing with the need for extensive repairs, renovations, or possibly rebuilding. Old structures, changes in fire and building codes, and years of wear and tear have taken their toll, according to an article in a West Virginia newspaper:

http://www.dailymail.com/News/statenews/200712310088

banditone · #2 12-31-2007, 06:38 PM

Need to get their alumni involved; those are some of the saddest looking fraternity 'houses' I've ever seen.

33girl · #3 01-02-2008, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banditone

Need to get their alumni involved; those are some of the saddest looking fraternity 'houses' I've ever seen.

Umm, I know that you may think that a fraternity house without big white columns and a chandelier isn't a fraternity house, but many of the students at WVU come from blue-collar families and don't have the money to live in or build those kinds of mansions.

These do need repairs, but they're hardly as horrible as you make them out to be.

ForeverRoses · #4 01-02-2008, 04:23 PM

I've seen some of the fraternity houses at WVU in person, and I didn't think they were that bad. From those pictures, it looks like the yardwork stopped whenever the buildings were condemned. The FIJI house didn't look that bad to me, other than needing a good lawn mowing/weeding (and the boarded up windows taken care of). It sounds like most of the problems are code issues (fire alarms, sprinklers) rather than structural where the roof is about to cave in!

GeekyPenguin · #5 01-02-2008, 04:28 PM

I think the windows are boarded up because they needed to have their windows replaced to meet the fire code.

nittanyalum · #6 01-02-2008, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

Umm, I know that you may think that a fraternity house without big white columns and a chandelier isn't a fraternity house

LOL.

The weather there is also much different than down south so the houses show wear and tear more quickly. I'm sorry they had to be condemned (112 fire code violations? how long has it been since their last inspection, for goodness sake??), but it sounds like it may be what had to happen to get their nationals' and alumni's attention to the need to fix these houses. I can only imagine a Mom's reaction to driving up to where her "baby" lives and see boarded up windows... and don't the housing corps/nationals have RM concerns for the members they have living there? Anyway, hope they all get back up and running, this may end up being their best recruiting tool in a couple years, when their houses are up to code and spiffied up. (but psst... fellas, might want to take your letters down in the meantime, not the best advertising right next to the "condemned" signs...

)

ETA: just saw the post about the windows being boarded after the condemnations... makes sense.

Tom Earp · #7 01-02-2008, 05:20 PM

There was a fire! It burned up houses! Should they just go try to make a mess look good? They are depressed and down at the moment.

Why do some think that a College is going to pay our money for Greeks?

Go to the Alums? It will depend on the Chapters and the Alumni with the working realationship between them.

If you have never been there then some have no clue about what it takes.

ForeverRoses · #8 01-02-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

There was a fire! It burned up houses! Should they just go try to make a mess look good? They are depressed and down at the moment.

Why do some think that a College is going to pay our money for Greeks?

Go to the Alums? It will depend on the Chapters and the Alumni with the working realationship between them.

If you have never been there then some have no clue about what it takes.

Um, no. There was not a fire. The buildings were condemned by fire marshalls for not having working smoke detectors or fire alarms, having blocked exits, etc. Not because of any fire.