Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies
NEWS

Panhel announces amendment to sophomore housing

First-year women who join a sorority will now be required to live in Central quad during their second year at Miami.
First-year women who join a sorority will now be required to live in Central quad during their second year at Miami.

Megan Weiland, Senior Staff Writer

First-year women who join a sorority will now be required to live in Central quad during their second year at Miami. (Jordan Kessler)

With recruitment numbers as high as ever, the Miami University Panhellenic Association can breathe easy about their Sept. 11 decision to require the new recruits to live in Central quad their sophomore years.

"I think it's great that we stepped forward and are doing this," said junior Erika Wirtz, Alpha Delta Pi Panhellenic delegate, who headed up the committee to propose the new housing situation. "With the new alcohol task force, it looks like in the future all Miami sophomores, males and females, will be required to live on campus. We're just thinking ahead."

Wirtz said the change resulted from years of discomfort with the sorority corridors being divided between the different dorms and floors without a sense of unity.

"Already our recruitment numbers are above normal and this change hasn't deterred pledges at all," Wirtz said. "This is really our only chance for a housing experience and the way it worked, each sorority will have the same corridor every year so they can really make it their own with decorations in the halls and a lounge."

After many months of researching sorority housing at other schools, the Panhellenic Association voted twice on this bill, which passed unanimously both times.

"I feel like there is a stronger sense of brotherhood among the fraternities because of the houses," Wirtz said. "That is one of our five pillars in Greek life and we want to improve that for the girls."

The Panhellenic Association worked closely with Miami University's Department of Housing, Dining and Guest Services on this arrangement.

"We changed some of our other policies to make it easier to accommodate that group of women," said Lucinda Coveney, director of housing contracts and meal plans. "Before, we would allow the sorority women to bring girls from other sororities to live in their corridor. We're ending that, hoping to create an exact science in organizing the corridors."

Wirtz agreed, but added that they plan to let nonaffiliated girls in the corridors if there is still extra space.

"We want to give preference to the girls who are paying a good amount of money to be in a sorority," Wirtz said. "They should definitely be able to live in their own corridors and only a handful of girls have complained about this arrangement."

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

By requiring all the sophomores to live in Central quad, housing and dining services will be able to estimate how many rooms to reserve.

"We had to rush them into housing because we wanted that to be settled so we could open up the rest of the beds to other students," Coveney said. "The women are given notice early on and this way we can allow them more time to get to know each other and decide who they want to live with."

This policy will officially begin with this January's recruitment class and the women have already been told they will need to sign a housing contract.

"There are already 810 beds, 100 percent reserved for the girls," Wirtz said. "And instead of one week to choose a roommate from the pledge class they just met, they will have one month."

Wirtz also hopes that requiring the girls to live on campus will cut back on the high rates of alcohol abuse and sexual assault.

Jennifer Cahill, vice president of public relations for Miami's Panhellenic Association, commented that there could be an issue with girls who have already leased off-campus housing for next year.

"Because this is the first year we realize some girls may have already signed housing contracts and we'll deal with this on a case to case basis," Cahill said.

Central quad is comprised of Minnich, MacCracken, Hamilton, and Richard halls and housing and dining services has left additional space in Porter Hall for sororities, if needed.

"Since recruitment is so late, it was hard to approximate how many spots to save," Cahill said.

From the beginning of the semester, there have been information sessions for women interested in sororities that include housing news.

"Housing and dining services have really helped us to ensure there is a spot for each girl to live in her corridor," Cahill said. "For most girls, this is their only opportunity to have a 'sorority house' and experience true sisterhood."


Read More

Trending