The Panhellenic Council has begun to gauge the feasibility of establishing on-campus housing for sororities, instigating unprecedented discussion in recent weeks.
Such a move would change one of the hallmarks of female greek life, which historically has functioned as an extracurricular activity without a residential component at the University.
Although no formal proposal has yet been drafted, sororities have discussed the matter seriously and the possibility has come up in conversations between Panhel President Devon MacWilliam and administrators.
Eddie Hull, director of Residence Life and Housing Services, said sorority housing is a distinct possibility and noted that there was a growing interest from greek women. "We're not saying yes, but we're not saying no for the future necessarily either," he said.
Any decision to offer sororities housing would have a profound effect on both greek life at the University and residential affairs in general. "However the form, the whole notion of sorority housing is an important concept we have to address," said Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs. "The absence of sorority housing has been so long, it's a dramatic cultural change, and one I would welcome broad discourse about."
To determine support for group housing, sorority presidents have raised the issue within their respective chapters at recent meetings. They told members that no specific model had been chosen but described a number of the possibilities, including extended blocks that could be designated for specific sororities or a setup similar to fraternity sections.
Discussions have not yet yielded a consensus, and the degree of interest has varied from one sorority to another.
MacWilliam, a senior, declined to comment on the specifics of the debate within Panhel, but she stressed the importance of community involvement in determining the effect of sorority housing if Panhel does request it.
"We would not make any request for housing without talking to the students who would be impacted by any request we might make," she said. "If we decide to pursue anything, we will go through the appropriate channels and be as consultative as we can."
If administrators receive a proposal from Panhel, they will first need to decide what portion of residential space they want to designate for selective living groups, then decide how sororities would relate to other living groups already on campus or petitioning for space, Moneta said.
He added that whether adding sororities as selective living groups would alter the number and size of already existing groups would depend on the maximum number of beds RLHS decides to designate for "private membership."
However, he said any request would have "a high priority for consideration."
The earliest sorority housing could become reality would be Fall 2005, Moneta said. "I don't anticipate any new selective groups for next year... which gives us until October of the following year to have this campus discussion," he added. Such a timetable would allow the administration and the larger campus community to evaluate the options and their impact.
The implementation of sorority housing would likely have an effect on the independent corridor RLHS has worked to establish on Main West Campus and on the developing quadrangle communities.
Sororities currently do not have on-campus residence because in the past there has been little desire for it. "Many alumnae [speak] positively about the absence of sorority housing because there wasn't the pressure to live together," Moneta said.
Any move to offer housing for sororities would have to include consideration of the benefits and liabilities of such an arrangement.
"My initial reaction," Moneta said, "was this is a good discussion for the campus to have."
Andrew Collins contributed to this story.
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