U AL Faculty Senate considers "Greek Privatization"

[BSUPhiSig'92]

Bama_Alumna is right.

The whole key to this thing is that it is a Faculty Senate thing. At most schools, the Faculty Senate seems to be made up of the most disgruntled, radical, academic elitists on any campus, and ideally they just want to get rid of Greeks because they don't fit into their 60s era view of the world. However at public institutions, most faculty senates have really limited power and can only make recommendations to the Board of Trustees or Governors or whomever. At many private institutions though, this is not the case and the faculty senate may have real power to enforce such decisions. My main point is, to read deeper into terms like "Privatization" and see the potentially deeper intended meanings and motivations behind them. "Privatization" won't happen at Bama, and probably can't happen at 99% of public schools, but don't allow the use of fuzzy terminology to influence your thinking into supporting something that may sound more innocent than it really is.

In the long run this will just be another thing for the Bama Faculty Senate to bicker over for another 20 years.

[IvySpice]

The only thing the University owns is the land that the houses sit on. The University isn't going to risk losing money and angering alums by tearing down their houses.

They don't have to tear down the houses or sell the land in order to privatize. What they'd have to do is start charging market rent for the land. It's extremely valuable, and the GLO's only pay $100 per year apiece for it -- basically, they get prime property for free. Besides being a big subsidy, it's a lightning rod for criticism of the Greek system. The chapters could still have advisors, use campus space to meet, etc., but it seems like it would be best for everyone if the taxpayer-funded university and the GLOs were as separate as possible financially.

Ivy

[Bama_Alumna]

I suppose you're right, Ivy, but it all goes back to my number 1 reason which is that the University can't afford to piss off its alums. And that if they start charging astronomical prices for renting the land, the chapters will have to up their dues and will have fewer members (most NPC sorority members pay upwards of 2000 per semester as it is...). The smaller chapters will close or will move off campus where they can't be regulated. Alums won't be happy and will stop giving money to the University.

Nope, never going to happen. And what BSUPhiSig said is right, the "faculty senate" is made up of a very small percentage of the faculty, most of which are quite dedicated to the notion that the greek system is evil. Fortunately for us, their opinion doesn't hold a lot of weight.

[madmax]

Originally posted by IvySpice
They don't have to tear down the houses or sell the land in order to privatize. What they'd have to do is start charging market rent for the land. It's extremely valuable, and the GLO's only pay $100 per year apiece for it -- basically, they get prime property for free. Besides being a big subsidy, it's a lightning rod for criticism of the Greek system. The chapters could still have advisors, use campus space to meet, etc., but it seems like it would be best for everyone if the taxpayer-funded university and the GLOs were as separate as possible financially.

Ivy

What happens if a school owns the land and the GLO owns the house but the school no longer wants to rent the land to the GLO? Its not like a chapter can just pick up their house and move? Why would a GLO or any group build a house on land they don't own?