Building plan expected to decrease size of sorority and fraternity chapters
USC and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life are looking to expand Greek Village on multiple planes, largest of which is the future expansion of Greek Village by up to 35 percent.
"There is discussion with the administration to expand the Greek Village as part of the plan to increase the number of on-campus beds," said Keith Ellis, associate director of fraternity and sorority life. "It depends on the surveying of the land and the placement of the expansion, but we hope to build between six and seven houses."
Twenty Greek Revival mansions on Lincoln, Wheat and Gadsden streets that sit on the south side of Blossom Street currently make up Greek Village. The expansion would potentially build new houses on the opposite side of the street — the corner of Blossom and Assembly streets — where the main parking lot for the Carolina Coliseum currently sits. That site has not been formally chosen, but is one of many potential sites.
"We've discussed many areas over the years, but that's the one that we've discussed the most," said Jerry Brewer, associate vice president for student affairs. "We've got a long way to go. Some of the land is owned by the university, while some is in a long-term lease, so we have to have some discussions for a long-term plan."
Because there has been no place or start date officially set, Brewer could not provide a cost estimate for the project, though some of the cost will fall on individual organizations.
"Houses are paid for by individual organizations, not the university," said Katie Spell, assistant director of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
If the area at the corner of Blossom and Assembly streets is used for Greek Village's expansion, this would further deplete the number of available parking spaces near the Coliseum, which houses the Colleges of Hospitality, Sport and Retail Management as well as Mass Communications and Information Studies. A significant dent in parking availability was first made earlier in the year when construction began on the new Darla Moore School of Business.
"There are a lot of plans for parking, and it's a complex situation, but that's one thing I haven't been involved with. There are several garages in that area that students can use," Brewer said.
While plans include between four and seven new fraternity and sorority houses, only one organization has filed paperwork to build a new house.
"To my knowledge, Beta Theta Pi has submitted a packet to build," Spell said.
Packets to build must include a lease request, an undergraduate chapter status report, four letters of recommendation, conceptual construction plans, a business plan for the house and a deposit.
Beta Theta Pi will be moving into the house formerly occupied by Lambda Chi Alpha last fall. Of the three vacant houses in Greek Village — the other two vacated by Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Tau Omega — the former Lambda Chi Alpha house is the only one with definite occupants next semester.
"There is currently no definite plan for vacant houses," Spell said. "Alpha Gamma Delta is currently exploring their options, but they have no commitment to a house as of now."
Alpha Gamma Delta, USC's newest sorority, will be colonizing on campus this fall. This will bring the total number of social fraternities and sororities to 25, all of which will be able to occupy a house in Greek Village while possibly leaving room for two more organizations, if the maximum estimate of seven new houses are built. With three interest groups set to petition Fraternity Council in the near future, the two empty potential houses could fill up before they are even built.
"I am aware of a couple of interest groups on campus: Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Pi and Sigma Lambda Beta," Ellis said. "The [Tau Kappa Epsilon] interest group is up for vote on Monday at Fraternity Council."
Greek Village currently houses 743 students, an average of more than 37 students per house. Precinct observations by USC and Innovista set potential Greek Village expansion at four to five houses that could house up to 175 students, or between 35 and 43 students per house.
"We need to get more room on campus and more Greek housing, particularly for sororities," Brewer said. "They're the ones that are driving the numbers way high, so this will give us the opportunity to bring in more organizations and lower the size of chapters. We've been discussing with many different organizations, and we're looking at bringing more groups as soon as possible."
Besides Alpha Gamma Delta, whose colonization was decided in 2008 at the same as Phi Mu's, no other sororities have made plans to install chapters at USC. Brewer hopes to bring additional organizations soon, however, in order to shrink chapter and pledge class sizes and improve the university's Greek life as a whole.
"On the sorority side, they have grown in chapter sizes, and that's the big driver here," Brewer said. "It's important to get other sororities in — and other fraternities if they choose to be there — in order to give the opportunity for students to become affiliated with organizations in Greek Life."