Schools that need to open for NPC expansion

[Low D Flat]

What's going on with the old DPhiE house at UGA? Is it still there?

[Xidelt]

When DPhiE left, they sold the house to the University. It is now the Office of International Education (study-abroad).

[clemsongirl]

Originally Posted by pinksequins

Clemsongirl, what is the timeline for the proposed Greek Village?

I was told when I first came to Clemson in 2012 that it would be done by 2016, but it's 2014 and the University and chapters still can't come to an agreement about who would own the houses, who would pay for the houses, how big they would be, and other stuff I probably don't know about. The plans that were posted online have also been taken down, so I'm unsure of the status of our Greek Village at this point.

[tinydancer]

Originally Posted by ComradesTrue

12 NPCs, quota in high 60s past few years. With addition of AOII there was only a small drop in quota this past year- 69 to 65.

There is talk of rebuilding the Greek village (TCU owns the Greek chapter houses) in the next 3-5 years, so my guess is they are waiting for that to open so that any new chapters start off on even footing. There is no where left to put any new chapters in the current housing.

I heard that Phi Mu is coming on in the fall. Will they be unhoused for the time being? I'd hate for them to have to postpone.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by clemsongirl

I was told when I first came to Clemson in 2012 that it would be done by 2016, but it's 2014 and the University and chapters still can't come to an agreement about who would own the houses, who would pay for the houses, how big they would be, and other stuff I probably don't know about. The plans that were posted online have also been taken down, so I'm unsure of the status of our Greek Village at this point.

Sounds like what happened at Tennessee. They talked about the Sorority Village for at least a decade before houses actually got there. Good luck!

[Low D Flat]

So UGA people, realistically, is UGA the kind of school that might move departments around to accommodate NPC needs, or not?

[Xidelt]

Originally Posted by Low D Flat

So UGA people, realistically, is UGA the kind of school that might move departments around to accommodate NPC needs, or not?

No. It's the other way around...move Greek housing to accommodate the University. I think that some of the houses might be in the position where the University owns the land, the GLO owns the house. At least, that's how it was for some of the fraternity houses. The university is expanding. That's why some of the fraternities are having to get creative with housing.

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by tinydancer

I heard that Phi Mu is coming on in the fall. Will they be unhoused for the time being? I'd hate for them to have to postpone.

I am not enough in-the-know about extension at TCU to have any answers or inside information. I have heard the same rumor about Phi Mu from a few freshmen but have not seen/heard that from any official source.

Should any groups come on board between now and the completed new village there is no doubt that they would be accounted for with the new housing. In fact, the current drawings/renderings of the village include houses for future groups. The only thing not set in stone is when ground breaking will occur, thus there is no move-in date at the current time. We have been hearing "in the next 3-5 years" as a move in date for several years now, so that clearly has been a moving timeline.

The administration is VERY greek friendly. I would expect that they would work with any new group in the interim to give them the closest possible experience to housing. For example, there are 2 brand new dorms (one opened fall 2013, one to open fall 2014) that are located in the Greek area. My guess- and it is just a guess- that they could designate a floor of one of those dorms to the new group.

AOII took the last current housing spot, which is a portion of a 3 story dorm that was converted into 4 town-home style chapter houses. (This is the same style as all the fraternities and sororities). Unfortunately they got a wonky cut, and their layout isn't compatible for using it for recruitment. Therefore they did recruitment out of a fraternity house, which could be an option for a group that comes on before the village is finished.

So, there ARE ways to make it work. I just haven't heard anything concrete that the Greek Life office and the administration are choosing to go that route right away. Also, the lack of a formal announcement by this point in the school year leads me to believe that perhaps Fall 2014 isn't happening. I could see Fall 2015- that's one year closer to the new village, and would allow the new group plenty of time to market itself. In addition, it gives AOII an extra year of recruitment under their belt before another group comes on since Fall 2013 was their first formal recruitment. But again, I am not an in-the-know type person so take everything that I say with a grain of salt.

But the need is definitely there. The demand could actually support multiple new groups. It would take 4 new groups to get quota sub-50. That is key, as this is a school that students choose because of its small size, so the current 220ish chapter size/high 60s quota is in such contrast to everything else about the school (small enrollment, small classes, small dorms, etc).

Phi Mu would be an excellent addition to the campus. I would also love to see any/all of our 3 closed groups come back. There has definitely been enough time lapse, as the most recent closing was in 1992.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Xidelt

No. It's the other way around...move Greek housing to accommodate the University. I think that some of the houses might be in the position where the University owns the land, the GLO owns the house. At least, that's how it was for some of the fraternity houses. The university is expanding. That's why some of the fraternities are having to get creative with housing.

Some of those houses are historic and I doubt seriously that moving those groups is an option! And some do own their own land and some the land is owned by UGA - and some of those are right next door to each other! Sort of makes for odd zoning!

[Low D Flat]

I was just asking to see if it might be possible for a new group to buy/rent the DPhiE house, but it sounds like that's not in the cards. I know it's on Lumpkin, but that doesn't seem to be hurting AXO (or SDT, though that's a little bit apples and oranges).

[ComradesTrue]

News story on TCU Greek Village with renderings. It's from 2012, but I don't think much has changed.

http://www.tcu360.com/campus/2012/03...ousing-demands

[Xidelt]

Originally Posted by Low D Flat

I was just asking to see if it might be possible for a new group to buy/rent the DPhiE house, but it sounds like that's not in the cards. I know it's on Lumpkin, but that doesn't seem to be hurting AXO (or SDT, though that's a little bit apples and oranges).

I think just being in the proximity of Milledge or campus is helpful. There are a couple of apartment complexes down in the Five Points area. Perhaps purchasing one of those and re-purposing it as a Greek house might be an option.

[tinydancer]

That looks nice! I know AOPi is next to Gamma Phi in the last existing space. Funny how I'm right here in FW, but I don't hear much "official." I think Phi Mu would do well at TCU.

[pinksequins]

For those in the know about TCU, what is the percentage of female undergrads who are in a sorority (NPC, NPHC, multi-cultural)? Is it near what may be thought of as a saturation point? Or is the approach more of reducing total/quota without necessarily affecting the percentage of undergrads who are members? I think that is what you are suggesting ComradesTrue. TCU is not a large school. The same thing strikes me about Sacred Heart. It too is not a large school. It is not as if 80 percent of the undergrad classes are unaffiliated from which to populate a colony.

Clemsongirl, thank you for the update. I too noticed that the village plans were no longer on the website.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by tinydancer

I heard that Phi Mu is coming on in the fall. Will they be unhoused for the time being? I'd hate for them to have to postpone.

Phi Mu is on my list for Fall 2015, but things may have changed in two years since that official announcement.

ETA: LaneSig's 2011-12 GC Colony list says Fall 2014 for Phi Mu, but again it's two year old info.