does this occur on your campus?

[Erik P Conard]

as space and land get dearer and dearer and as some of the
campuses have been playing musical chairs the past decade,
some universities have been quick to snap up the houses, e.g.,
Colorado, leaving darned little to come back to or anyplace to
build. Many now in veritable but expensive shacks...
Kansas and Kansas State have really done us a favor in that when one builds, a once-smaller house buys the vacated one.
Good example...Chi O built new, LXA moved up into their still
gorgeous digs...DX and others did the same. At KU some of the
real nice houses have been "move ups" and everybody wins.
Housing is a real dilemma at some places; they are not making
any more land and construction costs skyrocketing. Houses we
used to build for $400 K are now 4 million...
But, perhaps, though, undergrads do not want to live in the
house...what was once for 85 men now cut down to 45 as the
boys move in TVs, toys, reject sleeping dorms, etc. Change,
we have seen a lot. If we work together, we will endure.
Do you remember when IFCs were new and worked together
to be able to buy mattresses at bulk rate?...changes...LOL

[SigPhiSunshine]

we dont really have a housing problem here at EMU, pretty much everyone has a house, granted most of them are old historic homes around ypsi, but i think all IFC and NPC have houses. there really isnt anywhere around here for a new "greek row" to be built. the most we can do around here is to get an older house that has been recently remodeled. a few of the fraternities and sororities did this over the summer this year.

[SigmaNuPhi4Life]

Yeah obviously I am going to agree with her. They are trying to "recreate" the Greek Row around here, but there are just not enough houses on that street for everyone to have a house there. Right now there are three fraternity's and two sorority's on that street and there is maybe room for two more chapters to get houses on that street. So it doesn't work. But no matter what, we are all within the same vicinity. We are all within a mile of every house. Its nice.

[Buff]

Michigan State has alot of house moving going on. Most of the older frats/sor have established housing. Some of the new and smaller chapters however do the move up whenever possible. Houses are scattered all over the place, so there isn't really a greek row, but there definitely isn't room for one either because there are soooo many chapters. I've heard the university is planning to buy up an entire block of old student housing, which also encompasses a couple of frats. So far I haven't heard of any plans to help these frats rebuild.

My sorority, Sigma Alpha, did the move up. Our landlord at our very first house loved our chapter. When he had a MUCH bigger house come available we were offered first. He worked with the chapter to create a budget for the lease, and he did a bunch of remodelling. This house is really awesome, it topped all of our expectations.

[mcellpe]

Erik,

As a Denver resident, you may know that the Colorado School of Mines recently expanded its greek row and supplied state funded housing for the GLO's that were missing out- a fraternity and 3 sororities. The houses are absolutely beautiful, especially the offerings for the sororities.

Without the college's help, it would be absolutely impossible to fund and build a fit-for-purpose house in Golden. Real Estate prices are soaring, most of the land adjacent to the campus is reserved for future college expansion, and the the original greek housing on campus is long gone, never to be recreated.

The college provides maintenance for the houses and handles the the money and the administration (almost as if moving into one of the dorms). In my opinion, its a great arrangement- as long as the GLO's maintain good relations with the administration.

[Erik P Conard]

I live near Colo School of Mines and have seen what they have done in support of their small system. It is excellent, and who
would not give their left arm to have a chapter at Mines?
Do you suppose that we may be moving toward the 'lodge'
type of fraternity meeting place and abandoning the housing we
had for a hundred years? As a Realtor-mortgage guy for many
years, I have seen lots go for as much as a million dollars and
housing upwards to ten million. I have noted not only the risk
management costs but meeting codes...in cases, prohibitive.
I have seen the unwillingness of some members to live in the old
cramped quarters we did in days gone by. It is getting to become
a cost-prohibitive luxury in some places. And, some of the campi
we have placed charters have existed fifty years and still living in
rented quarters, not having planned or saved for a future time or
building a designed-for-greek living facility.
The major universities or well-funded private schools may choose
to support the greeks and their housing, but it certainly is hard to
get $ from alumni for building. Sororities are often more likely to
have the $ for housing, but on many campus they have no more
than a room or meeting place and no house as we know it...at all. What do the present greeks think about this? Have you a fund for future housing? Often times an active Board and prudent use
of proceeds go hand-in-hand, but without that, the future is dim
for privately-funded greek housing. Costs are skyrocketing and
a concern is often expressed about a much-different future.

[Tom Earp]

mcellpe, Hey, May My Gorillas kick some Orediggers Butts this Weekend at The Pitt!

As a Gentleman Will Rogers from Oklahoma once said, buy land, they dont make it anymore. Property is becoming a precious commodity in may Major College areas.

Musical chairs of House moving is becoming a vouge in many areas because of prices.

Example, LXA had Charter Taken at U. Missouri, The House was sold. SX was kicked off of campus and LXA is renting the House now.

LXA House at U. Kansas along with about 8 others had the land purchased for apartments and uprooted with no help from the U.

One thing that We have done, thank goodness is to keep our Property thanks to some of the Alums are going to build a New House starting very soon in Pittsburg, Ks. The property that The TKE House Was on is now owned by the College, and The Sig Ep House is on the same block and they want it badly.

One of the Prime examples as Erik said is U. Co. They buy the Houses as soon as They are available.

I admire some of the Colleges who are trying to work with Greeks and build New Greek Areas, but dont really know what the agenda is for them. They tried that at The Pitt, and I went nuts along with others because of Location of most of the Chapters. Across from Campus and on the Main Drag (Street) though the area. They wanted us to sell our land and move in the boonies in Their Greek Court.!

[33girl]

Originally posted by Tom Earp
I admire some of the Colleges who are trying to work with Greeks and build New Greek Areas, but dont really know what the agenda is for them. They tried that at The Pitt, and I went nuts along with others because of Location of most of the Chapters. Across from Campus and on the Main Drag (Street) though the area. They wanted us to sell our land and move in the boonies in Their Greek Court.!

I think they tried to do the same thing at IUP. This is definitely a case of knowing it's a snake when you pick it up, or something...Greek rows can be great but not if they're because the school wants you out of sight (and out of mind).

Clarion (the town) is already upset because Clarion (the school) has been buying up things for general usage and taking it off the tax rolls. I don't even want to know how much they would freak out if the school proposed a Greek row.

[Tom Earp]

Ah 33Girl I see better relationships between money grubbing Towns and Colleges are not in accord!

Amazing, simply Friggen Amazing isnt it?