Colonization at the University of Alabama?!?

[banditone]

Talk about musical-houses.

[Zillini]

I'm glad this thread was bumped. I haven't been around for quite a while and completely missed it. I'll tell y'all what I know -- or at least to the best of my knowledge/recollection. Please forgive the length of this post, but there's a lot of info to share.

Last April I attended a Chapter Advisor meeting put on by the now former Assistant Dean of Student Life and Greek Advisor. According to him Admin plans to grow the University student population to 29,000 by the year 2009. I believe he said it was currently (2006-2007 school year) at 22,000.

Due to the student population growth and increased interest in going Greek, for the past few years the total number of pnm's has increased dramatically. As such quota's keep going up and as has already been reported, Chapter Total was increased this past year from 150 (which was just increased the year before from 140 I believe) and is now at 180.

Admin and Panhellenic realize that we've sustained this growth with no indications of changing and therefore we need to expand through colonization. Here's the problem, offering any incoming sorority a site to build on and/or comparable housing. The NPC rumors I heard from my own NPC Delegate where that every sorority not currently on campus would love to colonize, but they know it's going to cost a lot of money to build a house and on this campus to have any hope at success a sorority needs a physical house.

This summer (2007) the University is implementing some major changes to driving and parking policies. How is this relevant to sorority expansion? Just wait, I'll get to that. First off they're putting in a major mass transit bus system for all students to use. Certain streets and lanes will now only be used by these busses. A lot of the street parking will be eliminated for these bus lanes.

In addition, the parking policies and permits are being majorly revamped too. For example, all commuter students will now have to park in one of the outskirt lots then us the bus system to get to class (or walk). Some lots are being eliminated, others just changing who is allowed to park there and there is supposed to be a new parking deck going in with one of the new dorms being built. While a lot of these changes are being implemented this summer, some of the will occur over a couple of years.

Now here's how this affects sorority expansion. For those who know the layout of the University or look on the map provided in an earlier link, the University plans on taking part of the parking lot behind the Chi O house which is behind Magnolia Drive and allowing sororities to build there. It was not clear how many lots/sites would be made available. The former GA did say that these new lots would be offered first to the existing sororities on campus if anyone wishes to build a new house. He did not say how many may be interested and if there were more interested than lots available, how the selection process would work. An existing sorority could then sell their old house to one of the (anticipated) colonizing groups.

This land usage proposal is part of an overall long term major campus plan that according to the GA was to be presented for approval to the Board of Trustees at this summer's meeting. I have not heard the outcome of whether it's been approved, rejected or changed. If approved, the GA anticipated starting the colonization process in the Spring of 08. He said the UA would first look to any sororities that had been on campus previously before going to any other groups. Depending on the speed of the process (which I have no idea how long this normally takes), he would like to see at least 2 new groups come on campus by the fall of 2008, but as I recall he felt fall of 2009 was more realistic.

That's what I have been told folks. Just please keep in mind that it might not be accurate any more because as we all know major plans like this can change.

[Buttonz]

Zillini, while all of that sounds great, will there be anything done to help the two chapters that are currently under total by a large amount? I believe besides for us it's GPhiB (although I could be wrong about that). I worry that adding on new chapters will just make it more of a struggle for these two chapters.

[33girl]

As far as building the house, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

You can build the most gorgeous house in the history of the world, but if people would rather be in one of the "old row" sororities it doesn't matter.

[AnchorAlumna]

Zillini, thanks very much for the update.
33girl is right, the newest groups on campus - even if they have a history there - are going to be at a huge disadvantage...alas, that's Bama's dog-eat-dog Greek culture. It might not be so bad if the groups didn't have such big houses that they have to have a big membership to sustain. Just a thought.
I know there was a faculty member there a few years ago who was wanting the university to force all Greek groups off campus. With UA real estate getting more and more valuable (especially around the stadium), I wonder if relocating sorority row () has been discussed?

[Zillini]

I agree wholeheartedly. It's going to be tough for any new group to come on to a highly competitive campus like Bama and be successful long term. Again I'd like to reference the Chapter Advisors meeting I attended where we discussed expansion. This very point was made and lamented by all of us Advisors.

The (again I should emphazie former) Greek Advisor said that the University is growing in size and the majority of that student growth is coming from out of state students. The University is recruiting very heavily out of state. I can attest to that because each year more and more out of state pnm's are coming through Recruitment. He anticipates that these women won't be hung up on or possibly even aware of things like Old Row, etc.

Also, he/Admin wants to see 2 new sororities come on campus rather than just 1 being "low man on the totem pole", or the "new kid on the block" or whatever you want to call it. The two will hopefully band together to help each other out, along with help from the current Chapters and Panhellenic.

[AnchorAlum]

This thread is highly entertaining, but as an older alum, I do remember very well when UA had a DG chapter. That was nearly thirty years ago when they closed down.
What's likely interesting is that to non-Southerners, it must appear to some extent that the same GLO's are at the top of the heap, so to speak, at all of the schools. In fact some of the strong groups at one school are not the strong groups at another school here in the South, or even in the SEC.

[kk_bama]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlum

This thread is highly entertaining, but as an older alum, I do remember very well when UA had a DG chapter. That was nearly thirty years ago when they closed down.
What's likely interesting is that to non-Southerners, it must appear to some extent that the same GLO's are at the top of the heap, so to speak, at all of the schools. In fact some of the strong groups at one school are not the strong groups at another school here in the South, or even in the SEC.

I think you're right. ABC and XYZ aren't necessarily strong at every school in the South, or anywhere else, for that matter.

It will be interesting to see who colonizes at UA. The Lambda Chis are currently renting out the SDT house while they make improvements to their house. I wonder if one of the new sororities will be allowed to do so next year.

[LXA SE285]

The Lambda Chis are currently renting out the SDT house while they make improvements to their house.

Think it's the Betas instead of Lambda Chi ...