Quota Additions at Super Competitive Schools

[irishpipes]

Funny thing at Arkansas, when AOII colonized, the new members and parents (oh mylanta, the parents) were OBSESSED with the plans for the house. There was intense pressure for the house to be completed and to be a certain style, etc. Then when it came time to get girls to live in it, we really struggled to fill it. We had plenty of members, and those members insisted that the house exist, but they were simply accustomed to their own bedrooms, walk-in closets, bathrooms, etc. They would not consider communal living. The risks at Arkansas are staggering. I don't blame other NPCs for steering clear.

[Low C Sharp]

they were simply accustomed to their own bedrooms, walk-in closets, bathrooms, etc.

Do you think this is because they didn't all move in sophomore year like members of the other sororities, and they got used to living out of the dorms and in their own apartments? Or do all the sororities have trouble getting members to live in?
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[angels&angles]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

Do you think this is because they didn't all move in sophomore year like members of the other sororities, and they got used to living out of the dorms and in their own apartments? Or do all the sororities have trouble getting members to live in?

Probably the former. I think it's harder to go from your own apartment (with no restrictions on boys and booze) to the srat house than to go from the dorms, which is a much more similar experience. In my chapter, we never had any problem filling the house, there were always girls dying to live in.

[irishpipes]

We are talking of freshman primarily, who would be transitioning straight from the dorms. And we built our house suite style so there is a lot less "sharing" than other houses on campus.

Other sororities on campus may not have had as many beds to fill as AOII does because they don't need as many to pay their mortagages.

[gee_ess]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

We are talking of freshman primarily, who would be transitioning straight from the dorms. And we built our house suite style so there is a lot less "sharing" than other houses on campus.

Other sororities on campus may not have had as many beds to fill as AOII does because they don't need as many to pay their mortagages.

It is surprising, Irish, that you are struggling to get girls to live in. Has this improved over the years that the house has been finished? I really hope so! I cannot speak for all of the houses but ours has a waiting list to get in and when the move in list is posted in the spring, it always causes major angst and heartache. We sleep 94.

[KSUViolet06]

^^^Random, but it is fascinating to hear about chapters where girls are DYING to live-in and there is a waiting list.

At my alma mater, women ARE interested in living in chapter houses, but they definitely only want to do their required year or 2 years.

[irishpipes]

The house is full now, but it was a real struggle at first. We actually had several parents who had bought regular family homes for their kids to live in during college. The kid gets a couple of roommates to help with the mortgage payment, the parents get a tax break, and daughter gets to have a pet (this was actually a huge problem - students with pets), a walk-in closet, her own bathroom, etc. Considering the cost of dorms on campus (the good dorms) it is a financial no-brainer for parents. Not the college or sorority experience I would want, but it's hard to convince parents otherwise.

[OleMissGlitter]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

The house is full now, but it was a real struggle at first. We actually had several parents who had bought regular family homes for their kids to live in during college. The kid gets a couple of roommates to help with the mortgage payment, the parents get a tax break, and daughter gets to have a pet (this was actually a huge problem - students with pets), a walk-in closet, her own bathroom, etc. Considering the cost of dorms on campus (the good dorms) it is a financial no-brainer for parents. Not the college or sorority experience I would want, but it's hard to convince parents otherwise.

This is the same issue at Ole Miss. The sorority houses always end up being full but it can be like pulling teeth to get full. So many kids have their own condo or house so it can be hard to get the house full. Most of the parents purchase the condo/house before their child even comes to college. So it is not like they knew their daughter would have requirements to live in her sorority house! We have had some parents who will pay both their condo mortgages and for their daughter to live in the house. I think all 9 sororities at Ole Miss require at least their officers and cabinet to live in the house. Then after that they have different requirements to make their house full. I know when AOII at Ole Miss was developing the plans to add on to their house in 2005 we talked about adding new "suites" for the officers. However, we felt it wouldn't be in the best long term interest to add more bed spaces. Granted the chapter has double, if not tripled, in size. It would make it harder to keep it full all year round. There are many more housing options now in small college towns like Oxford, MS. So believe it or not everyone is competing to have their bed spaces occupied/leased!

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

The house is full now, but it was a real struggle at first. We actually had several parents who had bought regular family homes for their kids to live in during college. The kid gets a couple of roommates to help with the mortgage payment, the parents get a tax break, and daughter gets to have a pet (this was actually a huge problem - students with pets), a walk-in closet, her own bathroom, etc. Considering the cost of dorms on campus (the good dorms) it is a financial no-brainer for parents. Not the college or sorority experience I would want, but it's hard to convince parents otherwise.

Wow. Foreign concept. I've heard of parents here RENTING condos/houses for kids to live in with a couple of friends, but not buying.

The big housing issue here (in terms of sorority women being reluctant to live-in) = having a house/condo/apt with all my friends where we can DRINK > sorority house.

[aggieAXO]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

The house is full now, but it was a real struggle at first. We actually had several parents who had bought regular family homes for their kids to live in during college. The kid gets a couple of roommates to help with the mortgage payment, the parents get a tax break, and daughter gets to have a pet (this was actually a huge problem - students with pets), a walk-in closet, her own bathroom, etc. Considering the cost of dorms on campus (the good dorms) it is a financial no-brainer for parents. Not the college or sorority experience I would want, but it's hard to convince parents otherwise.

That is what my mom did-she purchased a townhome and my roommate paid the mortgage. I sold it for a profit once I graduated and mom got a tax break. Property was cheap in College Station-if it had been Austin this would not have happened as property is very expensive in this town.

[AnchorAlumna]

This is why I wonder why the lodge concept has never been big. You have a smaller number of women living in to help pay the mortgage/rent, but still have the meeting and storage rooms. It can be a privilege to live there, rather a requirement. Students can have more of a choice.

I thought huge houses to have to fill, heat and cool would die out, but that has not been the case.

One of these days, enrollments will drop...and/or going Greek will NOT be a big deal, and we may regret building the mansions. Things always go in cycles. You have to be prepared for the bad times, too.

[OleMissGlitter]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

This is why I wonder why the lodge concept has never been big. You have a smaller number of women living in to help pay the mortgage/rent, but still have the meeting and storage rooms. It can be a privilege to live there, rather a requirement. Students can have more of a choice.

I thought huge houses to have to fill, heat and cool would die out, but that has not been the case.

One of these days, enrollments will drop...and/or going Greek will NOT be a big deal, and we may regret building the mansions. Things always go in cycles. You have to be prepared for the bad times, too.

Totally agree with you. I know that was the main reason why AOII at Ole Miss did not add more rooms when they added on a chapter room and extension to their dining room. Plus, even strong chapters can struggle keeping their house full. Why put that added stress on your members?

Of course I wouldn't trade my 3 years of living in the AOII house at Ole Miss for any apartment, condo, etc!

[dnall]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

This is why I wonder why the lodge concept has never been big. You have a smaller number of women living in to help pay the mortgage/rent, but still have the meeting and storage rooms. It can be a privilege to live there, rather a requirement. Students can have more of a choice.

I thought huge houses to have to fill, heat and cool would die out, but that has not been the case.

One of these days, enrollments will drop...and/or going Greek will NOT be a big deal, and we may regret building the mansions. Things always go in cycles. You have to be prepared for the bad times, too.

Lodges are problematic. You really need to cover the mortgage 100% from rent. Otherwise you're even more prone to problems when that business cycle circulates to the lower side.

You need A size chapter room, dining room, common areas, etc to support B range of chapter size. That determines everything.

You have to pay for it with X rooms at Y per month. You can warehouse people in there to keep rates low, but then you have trouble filling it when times are tough. Or, what's going on a lot more lately is, you can put in fewer rooms in a suite or even apartment style setup at a higher rate. That makes for a lot less to fill & easier to get people in there, which better weathers the tough times.

There's kind of a formula to it. There's no reason you can't have a big house that you can keep full without all those problems. It's just a matter of designing what's going to work best economically for the situation, location, and chapter. There's a couple really good companies out there that are good at figuring out that calculus. I don't think a lodge model is great answer in most cases, but I guess it could work under certain circumstances.

[LadyLonghorn]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

That is what my mom did-she purchased a townhome and my roommate paid the mortgage. I sold it for a profit once I graduated and mom got a tax break. Property was cheap in College Station-if it had been Austin this would not have happened as property is very expensive in this town.

My folks bought my place and it worked out nicely for all of us. You probably have to plunk down more money up front in Austin than most places, but the price of real estate around campus continues to increase, so it's a good bet you'll still make money off the deal.

[aggieAXO]

Originally Posted by LadyLonghorn

My folks bought my place and it worked out nicely for all of us. You probably have to plunk down more money up front in Austin than most places, but the price of real estate around campus continues to increase, so it's a good bet you'll still make money off the deal.

When I moved to Austin in 97 I was in sticker shock, I could not believe how much more real estate cost. Yes, there was money to be made if you had enough for a down payment. I bought a condo 10 minutes from downtown and within 5 years it almost doubled in price.