UC Berkeley NPC Expansion

[AOII Angel]

I can't even imagine how much it would cost to build a house there. Our house is on such prime real estate with a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge, that I cannot imagine what the cost of that land would be in today's dollars. I haven't been out to see our house, but it's definitely on my list.

[dukedg]

Wow -- I had no idea that was the AGD house. I wonder where alpha Kappa Delta Phi would move if AGD came back.

The sorority houses are Berkeley are beautiful, old and large. I have no idea where a new one would go -- you'd have to buy an apartment complex or co-op or something. Or, maybe other groups still own their houses too. For example, until I googled it just now, I never knew the Tau house was called the Tau house of AEPhi. I wonder if they still own that...

[Pingyang]

I would think that AGD would have a great opportunity to come back, since they still own their house. As for aKDPhi, I didn't think they were still on campus? They're not listed as recognized by the school anymore.

Less than 5 years ago, there were still rooming houses. They might be an option for a sorority ultimately to purchase and renovate. I doubt the BSC would be willing to sell any of their houses at this point.

[U Go Glen Coco!]

Originally Posted by Pingyang

I would think that AGD would have a great opportunity to come back, since they still own their house. As for aKDPhi, I didn't think they were still on campus? They're not listed as recognized by the school anymore.

Less than 5 years ago, there were still rooming houses. They might be an option for a sorority ultimately to purchase and renovate. I doubt the BSC would be willing to sell any of their houses at this point.

Off-topic...

Sucks for aKDPhi considering Berkeley is their Alpha Chapter. Did they completely dissolve the chapter or are they just not recognized by the school?

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by excelblue

I'm currently a student at Berkeley, and being in a position where I've had to work closely with the Greek Life Office, this is something I'm aware of.

It'll be exciting to see such a significant change in the system. It's been almost a decade since the PHC community has last changed, and another sorority will introduce a lot of the much-needed diversity.

I hope I'm not saying too much, but I personally have a strong feeling that AGD may recolonize because their housing corp still owns the house, there's an alumni organization around, and last I knew, a regional chapter that was renting the house recently decided to shut down its operations.

FYI, alpha Kappa Delta Phi is a national sorority.

Originally Posted by Senusret I

University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif.

The NPC Extension Committee has received minutes evidencing the Panhellenic Council’s vote to open for extension. There are currently twelve (12) NPC groups on campus: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, and Sigma Kappa. The chapters range in size from 115 to 141. Chapter Total is 127. There are thirty-five (35) chapters in the Interfraternity Council, five (5) chapters in the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and twelve (12) chapters in the Multi-Cultural Greek Council.

All NPC chapters are housed, and chapter houses are owned by their local house corporations and employ full-time and part-time staff as house directors, cooking and cleaning staff, and/or maintenance. Other amenities include, but are not limited to, bedding, living space, study lounges, meeting and ritual rooms, and recreational areas. All chapter houses are located off campus and house capacity between 48 and 71 members.

Located in Berkeley, California, the University of California, Berkeley is a public institution which enrolls 25,540 undergraduate students, 52.9% of which are female. The University of California, Berkeley offers baccalaureate degrees in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, interdisciplinary studies, and professional schools, along with Master’s degrees in several specialized areas. For more information see the University’s website: www.berkeley.edu.

Panhellenic Council at UC Berkeley has not extended since 1948, and we are excited to announce the opportunity to welcome a new NPC organization to our CalGreeks community, a rich tradition at UC Berkeley that has been in existence for over 140 years.

Applications for the possibility of colonization will be released in January 2011. The Extension Committee will be sending detailed packets of information to the NPC member groups who are not currently on campus.

Questions can be directed to: Maria S. Iglesia, M.Ed.
Program Coordinator, Fraternity and Sorority Life

(personal contact info redacted)

Thanks Sen!

[excelblue]

Yeah, building a house in Berkeley is ridiculously expensive. My chapter is in the process of acquiring a permanent house, and it's been extremely difficult. The average 15-room house would cost ~$3mil, if there is one for sale. As for land: it certainly does not exist, but there are several (expensive) buildings that are not up to code that you can demolish: getting a permit to actually rebuild is a nightmare though.

As for aKDPhi: in the past, the Berkeley chapter was not listed as active on their national website. However, it appears that they've come back.

Berkeley's rent control laws are strict, so a housing corp can't just kick everyone out of the house and then rent it out to actives. There are ways around that (eg. remodeling), but that is a multi-year process.

It's because of things like that why I wasn't sure if I said too much. In either case, I'm excited.

[myopicsunflower]

One of my friends was a Phi Mu at Berkeley -- I'll have to send her this link. Thanks for posting it!

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by myopicsunflower

One of my friends was a Phi Mu at Berkeley -- I'll have to send her this link. Thanks for posting it!

YW

[DoubleRose]

One of the members in my alum club is listed as Omicron (U C Berkeley) 1993. So it was at least after that.

[APhi4Ever]

Does Alpha Gamma Delta still have a house?

[Always AlphaGam]

Originally Posted by APhi4Ever

Does Alpha Gamma Delta still have a house?

Yes.

[excelblue]

Just can't wait to see what will happen. This is really starting to feel somewhat like a recruitment story.

[APhi4Ever]

I'm excited, I wonder who else is presenting?

[DoubleRose]

I'm heading to Berkeley for the presentation. I can't wait to see it.

I looked on the AGD website the other day and it looks like the chapter initiated people in the 1998-1999 school year. There were no listings for the year 2000 and after. My guess is that they cleaned up the errors while contacting people about presentation.

Still no word on anyone else presenting?

DoubleRose

[Pingyang]

I'm pretty sure it closed sometime before Fall 2004 (when I went through recruitment). They definitely were not participating in formal recruitment at that time. I was at Cal from 2002-2006 and don't remember anyone ever mentioning AGD, but I wasn't paying very close attention to the Greek system my first year.