Greek Housing

jessXIca · #1 06-13-2006, 06:51 PM

Membership in a GLO with/without a house...what are some advantages/disadvantages to each?

ekDZ1535 · #2 06-13-2006, 07:42 PM

Well, my sorority has been established on campus for fifty years, and have always had a house in one area or another -the current one we have had for about 35 years...

That being said, having your house can be wonderful because it gives the chapter a sense of ownership and a place for your members to call home. I lived in my sorority house for two years and although at time it was frustrating I wouldn't trade it for a second. The bonds you form with the people you live with and being accountable for your chapter's home (and pride) it truly priceless and I will always feel invested in that house.

On the flip side, having an official chapter house also can alienate those who do not live in the house - you will find that the people who live in the house will form its own subculture and almost act as it's own small version of the fraternity/sorority. It also becomes difficult for chapter programming to get members to think outside of doing everything at the house.

Not to mention liability. As I'm sure you already know, a chapter house is a massive financial undertaking and not only that, you will need a lot of alumni support and volunteers. Unless of course you're renting, but at that point unless you know you will have a lot of freedom with your landlord I wouldn't go that route. If the University owns Greek housing that's a great path to go - you do give up a lot of freedom, but most in that situation who complain about it don't realize the amount of time and frustration put into owning your own chapter house.

My boyfriend's chapter just bought their house about three years ago. Their alumni formed a non-profit corporation and the process has been interesting to watch. If you have more questions about the process let me know.

KSUViolet06 · #3 06-13-2006, 09:30 PM

Advantages:

*A centralized meeting place for the members, that is exclusive to them (i.e. not just a room in the student center).
*A private place for ceremonies.
*Creating memories by living with sisters.
*A place for alumnae to return to for reunions and such.

Some disadvantages:

*Housed sororities have significantly higher dues.
*Fees and things to maintain it.
*In order to maintain the house, a certain number of members must live there. This means that most sororities have some sort of live-in requirement. Ours is 2 full semesters.
*It's an interesting living situation if you've never lived with a large group of women.

adpiucf · #4 06-14-2006, 10:50 AM

Pros and Cons

HOUSE
* A constant central location for members to congregate for sisterhood events, ritual and activities
* Gives you more diverse housing options aside from the residence halls and off-campus apartments.
* Cute guys always know where they can leave a note for you/friends can drop off homework
- Sometimes you may be forced to live-in when you don't want to (the alternative is membership cancellation) if you're an officer or they're having trouble filling the house. Or it may be a straight-up requirement
- Dues are higher to accomodate house maintenance even if you don't live in
- Lots of rules regarding house property (no alcohol, no boys in the rooms, etc. There is a house mom and a house corporation to enforce the rules, fines, etc.)

NO-HOUSE
* All else being equal--Cheaper Dues!!!!
* More flexibility (no rules about leaving your feet off the furniture, you can live wherever you want, less conflict because you don't have 2 dozen women living on top of each other)
* More opportunities for PR on-campus because you're NOT sequestered in one central location so you may end up with greater visibility on campus and be more of a "household name" among nonGreeks and PNMs.
- But the non-Greek campus may not know about you because your letters aren't on a house
- During recruitment, girls may cut you because they perceive the chapters with a house to be a must-have amenity
- May pay more money out of existing dues to provide venues for activities, storage and ritual-- with possibly that money coming out of your social budget for these

Either way, it's splitting hairs at UCF. Less than half of the sororities have houses, and those that do are built to accomodate less than 1/3 of their members living-in. Don't let one or the other be a deal breaker. Look for a chapter you click with who has dues that you can afford. And remember, that the most expensive dues may be deceptive--- they could include a meal plan that breaks down to your paying about $5 a day for 3 square meals-- you can't beat that! Look at all the factors involved.

Pessimist Null · #5 06-14-2006, 11:29 AM

on campuses (campi?) like my alma mater, most orgs get at least two houses. This is because they are not big houses like SEC and Big-10 schools have, they are like normal neighborhood houses.

One offical.
One party.

adpiucf · #6 06-14-2006, 11:35 AM

I have never heard of a "sorority party" house.

ekDZ1535 · #7 06-14-2006, 01:33 PM

I agree with adpiucf - I've never heard of sorority party houses (I cannot imagine that is at all okay with risk management rules for most (if not all) national sororities), nor have I ever heard of a university or city giving a fraternity or sorority a party house. I know some houses becomes that chapter's "party house" because of the number of members that live there during a given academic year, but I would think in terms of risk and liability that it would be a huge no.

and most housing ordinances in cities do not allow just any house to become a fraternity or sorority house - they need to meet certain zoning requirements and from there, due to the number of new laws passed by state and federal government (regarding sprinkler systems, elevators, etc.), having a house that has just recently become your house is more difficult then ever to make it an official house. If it's not an official house then you cannot have your letters or insignia placed on it.

Drolefille · #8 06-14-2006, 02:48 PM

This exists here to an extent
The "party" house isn't official. It's usually rented by a group of seniors and whoever owns it passes the lease down to the next group each year. They have a nickname for the house but its the place they go to party that is "theirs" since partying at "The House" would be a no-no.

/edited because I can't spell

SmartBlondeGPhB · #9 06-14-2006, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drolefille

This exists here to an extent
The "party" house isn't official. It's usually rented by a group of seniors and whoever owns it passes the lease down to the next group each year. They have a nickname for the house but its the place they go to party that is "theirs" since parting at "The House" would be a no-no.

Exactly.