Quote:
Originally Posted by tinydancer
I heard that Phi Mu is coming on in the fall. Will they be unhoused for the time being? I'd hate for them to have to postpone.
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I am not enough in-the-know about extension at TCU to have any answers or inside information. I have heard the same rumor about Phi Mu from a few freshmen but have not seen/heard that from any official source.
Should any groups come on board between now and the completed new village there is no doubt that they would be accounted for with the new housing. In fact, the current drawings/renderings of the village include houses for future groups. The only thing not set in stone is when ground breaking will occur, thus there is no move-in date at the current time. We have been hearing "in the next 3-5 years" as a move in date for several years now, so that clearly has been a moving timeline.
The administration is VERY greek friendly. I would expect that they would work with any new group in the interim to give them the closest possible experience to housing. For example, there are 2 brand new dorms (one opened fall 2013, one to open fall 2014) that are located in the Greek area. My guess- and it is just a guess- that they could designate a floor of one of those dorms to the new group.
AOII took the last current housing spot, which is a portion of a 3 story dorm that was converted into 4 town-home style chapter houses. (This is the same style as all the fraternities and sororities). Unfortunately they got a wonky cut, and their layout isn't compatible for using it for recruitment. Therefore they did recruitment out of a fraternity house, which could be an option for a group that comes on before the village is finished.
So, there ARE ways to make it work. I just haven't heard anything concrete that the Greek Life office and the administration are choosing to go that route right away. Also, the lack of a formal announcement by this point in the school year leads me to believe that perhaps Fall 2014 isn't happening. I could see Fall 2015- that's one year closer to the new village, and would allow the new group plenty of time to market itself. In addition, it gives AOII an extra year of recruitment under their belt before another group comes on since Fall 2013 was their first formal recruitment. But again, I am not an in-the-know type person so take everything that I say with a grain of salt.
But the need is definitely there. The demand could actually support multiple new groups. It would take 4 new groups to get quota sub-50. That is key, as this is a school that students choose because of its small size, so the current 220ish chapter size/high 60s quota is in such contrast to everything else about the school (small enrollment, small classes, small dorms, etc).
Phi Mu would be an excellent addition to the campus. I would also love to see any/all of our 3 closed groups come back. There has definitely been enough time lapse, as the most recent closing was in 1992.