I see in the master plan there is Greek housing on Lucinda. How is this going to become a reality? Does anyone have insight into this? More specifically...

What would happen to the current Greek houses on Greenbrier, Hillcrest and Blackhawk? Who would buy them? Who would live in them?

The current Greek houses are either owned by alumni groups or private investors. The value of those houses would plummet because there isn't really an audience to lease those houses? Perhaps they could be converted to apartments? But no one (apart from a student organization) wants to rent rooms in a boarding house.

How must the City feel about this? Think about it. If 20 Greek organizations moved out of the Greek row neighborhood and got new housing along Lucinda, the current Greek row neighborhood would be a ghost town and kind of scary.

Would the University simply buy out each of these houses and then tear them down to make way for new development of apartment housing? I suppose that kind of makes sense because these Greek houses are of the same vintage as Douglas Hall (early to mid 1960's) and have outlived their useful life. Today's student has different expectations than to live in traditional dormitory-style housing.

Perhaps move the sororities on campus into new housing and leave all the fraternities out on the current Greek row to live in the nicer sorority houses?

I just don't get it. How will this work. Anyone with insight, please explain. Thanks.

More importantly, what would happen to Burritoville?

The only way I see this happening is with the threat of eminent domain thru the state.

I think the concept is a good layout idea but with all the other changes needed I don't see this as a reality.

I think, from the slides I saw (Slide 31) http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews....6.pdf.pdf, that they want to have the students plant gardens or do something with the land. It is a great idea to move the frats close to the campus. Its not like people aren't going to go to the frats, so why not make it safe and keep them closer to the dorms. PLUS, putting them closer will only get more involvement throughout the school and hopefully more school pride.
Baker was a great hire, I am confident that he will turn us around.

(03-29-2014 04:17 PM)Michael James Wrote:  I think, from the slides I saw (Slide 31) http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews....6.pdf.pdf, that they want to have the students plant gardens or do something with the land. It is a great idea to move the frats close to the campus. Its not like people aren't going to go to the frats, so why not make it safe and keep them closer to the dorms. PLUS, putting them closer will only get more involvement throughout the school and hopefully more school pride.
Baker was a great hire, I am confident that he will turn us around.

Agreed. The placement is great and makes them more a part of the university.

Disinterested, I've been depressed ever since 1976 when the Dekalb Fire Dept closed my frat (animal) house and posted a sign that said "Condemned - Unfit for Human Habitation" (I kept the sign for a few months).

Won't end well... Greeks living in University owned housing that will have University rules/policies = bad situation. You also don't want all the greeks on top of each other like that. If anything I think they're making that housing for the United Greek Council and Divine 9 Greeks, Greek Row will remain the same.

I doubt it would be university owned.

(03-30-2014 11:22 AM)4PhaseDelta Wrote:  Won't end well... Greeks living in University owned housing that will have University rules/policies = bad situation. You also don't want all the greeks on top of each other like that. If anything I think they're making that housing for the United Greek Council and Divine 9 Greeks, Greek Row will remain the same.

There are plenty of universities in which Greek organizations live on campus in university-owned housing (see Eastern Illinois). Yes, there are more rules. But there are advantages, also.

As for the Divine 9 (traditionally black Greek organizations), they are not housed currently and have never been housed at NIU. These are typically very small organizations. Building them housing that they would be challenged to fill could be a financial liability, unless you build houses that only sleep 6-8 people.

This is why I believe a working strategy may be to build sorority houses on campus. That would only be about 7-8 houses. Then the fraternities can transition into the current sororities houses, perhaps. I know the university is concerned about safety of their students. This gets 300+ sorority women out of a questionable neighborhood and on campus in a safer, more controlled environment.

My two cents.

(03-30-2014 03:49 PM)3OrangeWhips Wrote:  

(03-30-2014 11:22 AM)4PhaseDelta Wrote:  Won't end well... Greeks living in University owned housing that will have University rules/policies = bad situation. You also don't want all the greeks on top of each other like that. If anything I think they're making that housing for the United Greek Council and Divine 9 Greeks, Greek Row will remain the same.

There are plenty of universities in which Greek organizations live on campus in university-owned housing (see Eastern Illinois). Yes, there are more rules. But there are advantages, also.

As for the Divine 9 (traditionally black Greek organizations), they are not housed currently and have never been housed at NIU. These are typically very small organizations. Building them housing that they would be challenged to fill could be a financial liability, unless you build houses that only sleep 6-8 people.

This is why I believe a working strategy may be to build sorority houses on campus. That would only be about 7-8 houses. Then the fraternities can transition into the current sororities houses, perhaps. I know the university is concerned about safety of their students. This gets 300+ sorority women out of a questionable neighborhood and on campus in a safer, more controlled environment.

My two cents.

Arkansas State owns the frat and sorority housing, ASU issued bonds to finance renovations and construction of frat and sorority housing.