Moving on Into Greek Housing

By Lauren Joffe, New York University

Thinking of making the move into sorority or frat housing? Here’s what to expect when it comes to Greek living, shacking with your brothers and sisters, and maintaining that GPA. …

Coming from freshman dorms, a Greek living option can seem like a magic genie, granting your every housing wish. After all, anything at this point seems better than that messy, cramped dorm room, right? But before you, well, rush into signing a housing agreement, hear what these Greek housing vets have to say about Greek living.

Inside Greek Housing
Dismiss any prior notions of the “typical” Greek house, because every university has different setups, arrangements and rules. While some schools have official Panhellenic-recognized houses, other schools offer special senior housing to their Greeks. Quinnipiac University senior and Sigma Phi Epsilon president Mark Oshry explains that Greek housing is not available at his school but some sororities and fraternities reside in unofficial chapter housing.

Oshry and his fellow senior brothers live in three separate houses within the same area: “We use these houses similar to how a fraternity would in any Greek system: hosting parties, ritual events, meetings, etc. Obviously, the scale of the house is much smaller than one with 15 to 20 bedrooms like that of a chapter house. Our house is not recognized by the university as ‘Sigma Phi Epsilon’ but rather as the residence where five seniors rent for the school year.

“In the sense of the physical living arrangements, it is by far an improvement. I now have my own bedroom, a full kitchen and more rooms than I know what to do with. But there is a certain level of responsibility that comes with a house (that never really existed with the dormitories), like paying bills, cleaning and hosting parties.”

Says University of Maryland junior and Phi Sigma Sigma sister Jennifer Gutman of her school’s sorority houses: “Some are bigger than others, but all of the sororities at Maryland are nice, having larger kitchens and living rooms. Fraternity houses at UMD generally have smaller kitchens in the basement, and uncarpeted living rooms. Phi Sig also has a maid and a cook every day, which makes college life a lot more like home than the dorms.”

Snagging a Spot
To avoid surprises, the rush process usually includes house tours. This allows potential new members to figure housing accommodations into their house ranking. So when you rush, check out the rooms, pay attention to the policies and keep an ear out for the options when you visit each house. Some houses offer each member his or her own room, while others only have triples or quads. And if your particular chapter does provide official housing, sometimes members are required to live in for a certain period. If you decline, you could face a hefty fine.

On the other hand, you might already have decided to live in … but there might not be space available. Sorority and fraternity rooms are often coveted spots awarded to members with the most cumulative “points.” Members can earn these points by taking on leadership positions and by participating in events such as philanthropies. When it comes to choosing rooms (who gets the single and who gets stuck in a quad?), brothers and sisters with the most points get first pick.

Muhlenberg College junior Michelle Wallace talks about her experience living in Phi Sigma Sigma: “Rooms are first assigned based on sorority involvement, so people on executive board go first, then committee heads, then members by class year. The singles are generally assigned to the president and upper-level members, and doubles are left for standard members.”

Think ahead! If you know from the get-go you want to live in your chapter house, earn points accordingly. If living options are more relaxed, look into how current upperclassmen secured their arrangements. Living with your brothers or sisters can be a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience, so do your research to make sure you aren’t left behind.

The Party Scene
Greek housing means unlimited parties with zilch supervision!?! Um, not necessarily. While most fraternity houses throw weekly parties, Panhel bans sorority houses from hosting after-hours bashes. And don’t try to get around these rules, because sororities have house moms who are responsible for making sure sisters abide by designated standards.

Says Wallace: “You actually get the best of both worlds from living in a sorority house. We don’t have to take on the pressure of throwing a party because we aren’t even given that option. At the same time, we get to go to frat parties without worrying about who comes over, cleaning up after, etc.”

At New York University, Greek housing consists of two floors within a dorm -- which means residents must adhere to that dorm’s regulations. Junior Matan Dvir, a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, says, “Nobody can throw parties, because of noise complaints and the risk of getting written up. If written up enough times, there will be negative consequences, such as being j-boarded -- that’s the judicial board, when you have to go in front of a committee to explain your actions.” So all parties are thrown off campus at local venues.

A Clean House
For those houses that do have parties, cleaning up afterward can be a hassle -- especially when floors are covered in sticky spilled drinks and the living room is basically one large pile of trash. With no one to clean up the mess, frat brothers are either forced to spend the next days cleaning … or as you may have seen, they just leave the mess to grow for the next party (ew).

Problems can arise when certain students want to live in a spic-and-span environment while others couldn’t care less about the mess. “If you are lucky, you get a cook and a maid, which we have at Phi Sig,” says Gutman. “There are other random cleaning rules, though. We’re fined if we even bring water or food into the living room.”

But when houses or apartments don’t have a maid or pledges to do the dirty work? Says Dvir: “In AEPi, there is no cleaning schedule. Depending on who lives in the house that year decides how clean the house is. Sometimes the responsibilities of cleaning get divided unequally because some people don't care and some people can't put up with a mess.”

Making “Me” Time
For students who are focused on their studies, carving out alone time can be a challenge. It isn’t often when the house is quiet enough to actually complete any work. Even if you have the best intentions, concentrating on your GPA can fall secondary to the episode of “Dexter” your friends are watching together upstairs.

“It’s very overwhelming coming home from class when you want to either sleep or be productive,” says Gutman. “All you want to do is sit and talk and go out with your friends 24/7. It takes a lot of effort and self-control to try to separate yourself and get your work done.”

In regards to living in a Kappa Kappa Gamma house, Syracuse senior Andrea Senderoff says, “You have the good with the bad. Forty girls you get extremely close with and have to deal with -- good mood, bad mood, drama, fun times, everything and anything. On the other hand, having ‘me’ time no longer exists. Living in was an experience I am so glad I was able to have, but I wouldn't want to do it again.”