Alabama Recruitment

[KSUViolet06]

^^^^I will say that I've thought about the growth that some schools are seeing and whether what they're doing to keep up with it is sustainable.

Total at a couple schools is at or very close to 300 or 400.

Orgs have done renovations, built brand new, etc. to keep up with the numbers (because a chapter room or dining room originally built for 150 can't comfortably fit 300.)

I think about how long the growth trend will last and if the bubble will burst and leave chapters with facilities they can't fill.

There are schools like Bama/Auburn/etc. at which there will probably always be above 1000 PNMs, but I'm speaking more of schools experiencing growth they have never seen.

[Titchou]

The bubble will bust a some point....just hope the house is paid for by then!

[irishpipes]

I can't think of too many places where huge facilities are being constructed. There have been high profile building projects at South Carolina and Tennessee, but those chapters didn't have any housing previously, and the new houses aren't gargantuan. The really big chapter houses seem to be Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss. Are there other schools undergoing panhellenic-wide building booms? Just off the top of my head, it seems like most new construction on the sorority side of things is due to new chapters that have no existing housing or don't have competitive housing.

[AnchorSouth]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

I can't think of too many places where huge facilities are being constructed. There have been high profile building projects at South Carolina and Tennessee, but those chapters didn't have any housing previously, and the new houses aren't gargantuan. The really big chapter houses seem to be Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss. Are there other schools undergoing panhellenic-wide building booms? Just off the top of my head, it seems like most new construction on the sorority side of things is due to new chapters that have no existing housing or don't have competitive housing.

Titchou.....can you comment on this?

[Loyally Kappa]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I think about how long the growth trend will last and if the bubble will burst and leave chapters with facilities they can't fill.

It's happened before. When I started at UF, the Phi Mu house was vacant.

[Titchou]

OMG! Where isn't there housing construction going on? NC State is building anew Greek village - have a web cam on their web site if oyu are interested, MS State is getting a new house or two, Greek Villages at Bowling Green now, ASU is looking to build, I'm working with Louisiana - Monroe, Central Arkansas is moving into houses this weekend. GA Tech has a lot of construction going on . I'd have to check my NPC housing committee list but we are very busy working with all size campuses.

[33girl]

We just had 2 chapters move into new houses - UCA as Titchou mentioned and Grand Valley State in Michigan, where it seems they've been adding a new chapter every year. I'm more nervous about that sort of growth trend than I am about chapters in the SEC not being able to fill houses.

I'm hoping that everyone learned from the 1970s & 1990s Greek busts and have constructed the houses/additions/villages so that they can be reconfigured or repurposed if need be.

[Griffins&Quills]

Yeah but at Ga Tech, AGD is the only sorority that has built a new and very large facility in the last 10 years. And that's partially because of their lot, that they were forced to build up instead of sideways. Fraternities have, but Phi Mu is the only other house that was built large enough to accommodate the current exponential growth. Everyone else has outgrown their facilities. Total has gone from 94 in 2005 to over 173 in 2015.

[Titchou]

Alpha Phi is building at GA Tech and several fraternities are building new houses or just built - Delta Sig is one.

[Loyally Kappa]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

It's happened before. When I started at UF, the Phi Mu house was vacant.

I know I'm quoting myself, but it was an eerie experience to be involved in your one and only rush (it was rush back then) and walk past a deserted sorority house.

[Titchou]

Also, North FLorida, Jacksonville University, Maine, UL-Lafayette, West Texas A & M, are among campuses looking to build...just to name a few

[Griffins&Quills]

I hadn't heard about Delta Sig at GA Tech building a new house. That's good for them though. FIJI, Kappa Sig, and TKE's houses are all new and awesome.

Alpha Phi's building is delayed. They've moved into Phi Tau's house for the next 2 years.

[Titchou]

Delta Sig has hired Laurus to help with their fundraising and outreach for the new house. Have a good friend who is an alum of that chapter and an architect. He hates the design they are using for the campaign (they haven't actually hired an architect yet so it's not a "real world" design) and has told them he won't give them any money unless they change it!

[Griffins&Quills]

Well that's certainly one way to get things done! They are desperately in need of a new house so hopefully the new one will be awesome

[violetsnlions]

I imagine there will be some leveling off at some point, because not every freshman wants to be greek, no matter how popular it becomes. However, I think the game changer for greek life, particularly sororities, is social media in the last 5 years. The self-promotion, instagraming, professional videos, really has so much appeal, and it just looks fun! When high school students see their older friends head off to college and then get to follow them on social media, that is so much marketing that never used to happen -- and I don't see that going away. And then, it becomes more and more popular, and the growth just branches and becomes exponential. I imagine there are students considering Alabama today because of the glamour associated with their greek life -- and 10-15 years ago, Alabama probably wouldn't have even crossed their mind.