Greek housing would be a complete waste
I want to start off by saying that this is not an attack on Greek life, which would be too easy. However, if you are a member of Greek life I would advise you to stop reading now, because chances are you are not going to like what I have to say. The idea of having University-funded Greek housing on campus is starting to be explored by the Student Government Association. I’m here to tell you that this is a complete waste of time, energy, money and just about everything else you can think of.
On Monday, my comment was featured in “The Word on the Street” section of The Towerlight. My comment was in opposition to Greek housing and for that, I received quite a bit of flack. My comment was a mere two sentences, so this will serve as my full argument against it.
I’m sure I don’t need bring to light the stereotypes that are perpetuated among Greek life. I’m sure everyone knows the generalizations about frats and sororities. My point is that while these may not be always true, it doesn’t take away from the fact that they are true for a majority of members. Therefore, we should not, as a University, sponsor this behavior. Sure, they could have rules like those they already have for dorms, and many Greek chapters have national rules on housing. But do you really think that these rules would be observed? They are barely observed in the regular dorms.
There was an interesting stat brought up in the article about the possibility of Greek housing in the Monday edition of The Towerlight. It said that Greek life only accounts for seven percent of the population at Towson. My question is why should we cater brand new housing to such a small minority of the students at TU? There is nothing wrong with the current dorms (except for maybe Residence Tower). Members of Greek life don’t need a special place to meet and live. There are plenty of places on campus for them to meet. The whole “it’ll foster a sense of community for Greek life” argument is bogus. It will more likely cause an increased rift between Greek and non-Greek students that is already somewhat visible. As a school, we have the motto “One Towson.” What kind of message does it send when you are essentially “segregating” seven percent of the student body from everyone else with new facilities? You may be a member of fraternity or sorority so-and-so, but you can’t forget that first and foremost you are a Towson University student.
I have no problem if fraternities or sororities funded their own housing. My problem is that the University would fund Greek housing. The University would be contradicting itself if it were to go ahead with these plans. And quite frankly, I am disappointed in the SGA for supporting something that only helps, again, seven percent of the population at Towson. Towson has a big decision to make soon. Let’s hope they make the right one, whatever it may be.
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I wasnt involved in Greek Life in my time at Towson but the 7% of students in Greek life are extremely involved and connected to campus. They host events, join clubs, run said clubs and inspire a sense of belonging for many students. By claiming that the majority of them fit in a stereotype is based off ignorance. While some in Greek life might party some more than others, there are other non Greek students that party more than the average student as well.
As for university funding for Greek housing, its not as if these students wouldn’t have to pay for the Greek housing. They would pay rent just as other students do for regular housing. If anything it would further build one Towson and create more students that identify with the University, detracting from the belief that Towson is a commuter school. More on campus housing only benefits the university. It allows for more students to walk or bike to classes(cutting down on congestion), puts more money into the University Resident Government’s hands to hold more programs etc, increases identification with the University(more likely to be a donor down the road) and it could act as potential plus for prospective students along with countless other benefits to both the community and University.
John,
Tiger Arena costs $68,000,000 to build. There are 13 members on the men’s basketball team.
13/17,517 undergrads = 0.00074213621%
Sincerely,
Go back to living under a rock.
Sam, lots of students attend games, and thus the percentage of those that use the stadium is quite high. In addition, the community at large attends games.
So you’re comment is stupid.
Only 7% of students will use the housing, period.
Towsonalum, I’m not sure how housing limited to a certain group encourages unity on campus. Any benefits you suggest could be given by having more housing period, without segregating a certain part of the population.
Why don’t the Fraternities and Sororities raise their own funds and buy houses themselves?
@Sam, I agree with Grad Student and was going to comment the same – Tiger Arean benefits the community on a broader scale. Beyond serving the athletes directly, it also serves as a location for large campus events which directly or indirectly generates revenue for the University. Revenue is also generated through the use of the arena by outside groups. It will also serve as a recruiting tool for building a stronger athletics program, and boosts pride for university community members and alum (which in turn can raise the value of the Towson degree and the overall university reputation).
Greek housing funded by the University doesn’t serve almost all of those purposes. The housing would be limited to the small Greek population (although I will grant that the Greek community would possibly grow due to the availability of housing) but they will not generate revenue for the University (housing fees paid by those students would most likely go to the housing auxiliary and not the general fund) and would only ever be accessible by Greek members (not the rest of the university community or outside groups). Its impact on alumni donations would be minimal.
@Grad Student, while I agree with your response, I feel like the power of your reply was lost when you added “you’re [sic] comment is stupid” – You made a good argument but then turned it juvenile with the added “stupid” remark. This isnt meant to be a burn, just a constructive comment.
yeah, i agree entirely. housing built for the 7% isnt fair to the rest of the 93%. If the school wants to fix housing, knock down Res Tower and build a new one. Might as well do it with all this construction going on now instead of later.
thanks to the people who agreed with my points on this. @Sam i strongly advise you think before you speak next time. clearly an arena has more benefit than any type of housing period. @towsonalum i agree with the point that it could possibly bring in more students but those numbers would be miniscule at best. “one towson” means that everyone is united. seperating part of the school from everyone else fundamentally contradicts that motto. if towson does one thing right, it is that it doesnt promote nor devalue the impact a greek life can have on a campus. it simply lets them be. thats what good institutions do; just simply allow them to exist and not cater to them
While I will agree that Towson University should perhaps concentrate on finishing the West Village housing development, I think there are a few benefits to the addition of Greek housing.
For one thing it would most likely increase the size of Greek life at the University and in turn make the school more appealing to prospective applicants.
Also, it would probably help Towson with its fundraising and capital campaign initiatives. The majority of executives at Fortune 500 companies and politicians were members of fraternities or sororities. Given the fact that Towson University does not have a law school or a medical school I am sure they are just looking for ways to appeal to potential donors in the future.
One could easily make the argument that the housing and academic precincts of Towson University should have been built and/or renovated before tens of millions of dollars was spent on renovations to Johnny Unitas Stadium and a new Towson Center Arena. Great athletics raise the profile of a University though.
Also, I don’t think it’s fair to label or generalize that the “majority” of Greek life members engage in certain activities or behavior when PLENTY of other college students who are not members of fraternities/sororities also engage in that same behavior.
Having housing would make Greek life bigger, the reason it is only 7 percent is because many potential members are turned off by the fact that there is no housing.
Also before you go bashing the funding, get your facts straight. Most chapters on this campus pay housing and residence fees in their dues.
And….not every member of each sorority or fraternity would live there. It would also free up a lot of space ib the union, because Greek Life events could take place in the houses.
John,
Although I respect your opinion, I think you’re extremely narrow minded.
Yes, I am a part of Greek life and yes, I continued reading your article after the warning you gave because I like hearing everyone’s opinions. Building these houses would, like TU Alum said, attract more students to Greek life. Sure, our percentage now is small, but it could grow more if we had these sorority and fraternity houses- like schools such as Michigan, Syracuse, and Indiana to name a few.
To say that you think there are enough opportunities for us to meet on campus, well newsflash, there’s not. My sorority gets to have a meeting in West Village once per week and if we go over our allotted time, we are fined. So check your facts. Having these houses would give us our own space to hold meetings whenever we wanted without worrying about this, and sure, some would say this could separate us from the rest of Towson, but when our purposes and goals are to give back to the Towson community by holding events and create the sense of belonging like Towson Alum said, how are we separating ourselves? We are holding these events in order to get more students involved and attracted to Greek life and to the Towson community in general – to make us all more connected as ONE.
Second, how dare you stereotype Greek life and say the generalizations are true for “a majority of members”. Matt Lenno has been working his ASS off to make sure that we all continually represent ourselves in the best way possible and make sure the community knows we are aspiring leaders/motivators, not keg hounds. This is someone who changed the Greek life program around tremendously at UDelaware by suspending fraternities and sororities that acted up and changed them to become better leaders and better people on the campus. This is exactly what he’s trying to do here. If he wasn’t trying to make us better leaders, he wouldn’t think the houses were a good idea.
Additionally, it’s funny how you think that the University is funding so much of this housing, when they’re not, they’re providing the land for it, which would free up more space for students in on campus housing.
One last thing about Greek life. It has made me such a better, more community-oriented, more grateful person than I was before I joined. In addition, I drink/party rarely now compared to before I joined. So if you think I’m just another “generalized” Greek life member, go right ahead.
John, are you referencing the black fraternities/sororities as well with your statement above?
In case you forgot:
“I’m sure I don’t need bring to light the stereotypes that are perpetuated among Greek life. I’m sure everyone knows the generalizations about frats and sororities. My point is that while these may not be always true, it doesn’t take away from the fact that they are true for a majority of members”
What stereotypes and generalizations are you referencing for those fraternities and sororities?
first off I am only going to respond to comments that are relevant. when you say you are creating a sense of community i believe you are referencing the fact you bring multiple frats and sororites together with events. because in my experience i have never seen a greek life sponsored event bring together non-greek students. secondly i think most of you are missing the point that having seperate housing for, essentially members of a “club” does not foster a sense of community among the ENTIRE student body. sure it may bring frats and sororites closer together but it wont do anything for the VAST majority of the student body. furthermore, where do we stop? will we also build houses for the athletic teams? do we build houses for the SGA. frats and sororities are nothing more than bonafied clubs. they serve the same purpose to the campus. i am not against greek life in any way and i said that in the opening paragraph. i feel as those most people have taken it that way. i am simply saying that we should be focusing on bettering more of the student body and not just the seven percent who are in greek life. i feel like i am repeating myself here. please read this before commenting…jeez. lastly, death threats…really? way to prove my point about greek life man. oooohhh…but isnt ignorance bliss?
it doesn’t surprise me that most of the comments on here are from members of the greek community, completely bashing every logical point john had.
@john, i agree with you 100%. towson university needs to work on housing for the majority of its students. housing is barely guaranteed past sophomore year, and if you come in as a transfer students, the odds of getting on campus housing are incredibly low. greek housing is not beneficial to towson as a whole, it is only beneficial to a small percentage of people. and while the existence of greek housing may increase membership in greek life, i ask “why is that a positive?” whu should towson only be a good prospect based on its greek life?
Before anyone gets mad, yes I am a University of Maryland student but am a friend of the writer and thought it might be useful to have an outside opinion (since one comment did address other other university’s greek life).
First, I agree with the original post and no it is not because I am his friend. I am not a fan of segregating Greek life from the rest of the students on campus and giving them a BRAND NEW dorm that is only available to a student who joins a fraternity or sorority, especially if the percentage is much lower than non-Greek students. Why not, like the post and other comments stated, build a dorm that serves the purpose of the entire community at Towson and not a meager 7%.
To the person who said that fraternities and sororities sponsor events that benefit the entire university. I’m sure it works the same way at Towson that it does here. But I have never benefited from a fraternity or sorority sponsored event here at Maryland. They are private events which you cannot participate in unless you are in the particular frat/sorority or personally invited by someone you know who is in it.
As to the “death threat” that someone thought was an intelligent thing to post. You do realize that you just fueled the flame of the stereotypes that do exist towards Greek life, correct? The post did not attack greek life in a negative way AT ALL, it was merely an observation made by a concerned student for the future of his university which he obviously cares about. Your comment shows that you think anything said about or towards greek life is an attack at greek life and you think it necessary to comment with a simple minded, arrogant thought. You, like greek members at Maryland do, defend anything anyone says about Greek life. The only difference is they do it with intelligence and and can properly articulate arguments.
This will be the only comment I have on the matter, but I was too appalled to not give any insight.
Making Greek Housing could benefit more of campus than you think. Towson needs more housing and that is a known fact. Make Greek housing and it will free up more res hall space for non-Greek affiliated members. So it does provide more housing space for everyone. Just not in a traditional method
John,
You still have not responded to my question. Are you referencing black fraternities as well? If so, what stereotypes and generalizations are you speaking of?
I appreciate your response.
@umdstudent: essentially, none of the greek events on campus benefit the towson community as a whole. as an undergrad student here, i have never been invited to a greek sponsored event on campus, nor have i seen one open to the vast majority.
Yeah it’s called rush week guys. You are invited you join every semester.
to join*
@TUalum: even if we’re all “invited” to join, not everyone receives a bid. try as they might, greek life still remains exclusive and only contains a fraction of the student body.
I don’t really think you are looking at it the right way.
Fraternities and Sororities are NOT allowed to deny someone a bid based on things like their skin color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation etc. If they did deny someone a bid based on things like this it could lead to them losing their charter.
What is really comes down to is a discussion, even with those that rush, on whether the relationship would work and be beneficial.
For example, if someone works a full time job outside of school and would not be able to make any of the meetings or other events then perhaps they would not be a good fit for that particular organization.
Like with many other things in life, you need to put in an effort in order to be accepted.
There are over 30 fraternities and sororities that are affiliated with Towson University. The insistence by anyone that none of these are willing to accept them after they had made every effort to join is very far fetched.
John,
I am still not sure why you have not responded to my question.
When you spoke of the generalizations and stereotypes that are true of “most” of the members of Greek life, were you also including the black fraternities and sororities as well?
Your lack of response seems to suggest that you were indeed referencing these fraternities/sororities and are too embarrassed by your statement above to discuss further.
Please let me know.
Sorry TU Alum that i am busy with other things and i dont have time to constantly check a message board. but to respond to your question…i was generalizing about ALL frats/sororities including “black” ones however i dont see the need to bring race into the conversation being that it was never brought up in the original piece. i am assuming you are setting up some sort of “burn” given your unyielding persistence….
Actually in your last comment, which you posted AFTER I initially asked the question you stated:
“I am only going to respond to comments that are relevant”
All of my comments have been relevant but you did not address any of them, until now.
Also, not sure why you put the word black in quotes. Are you somehow suggesting that there are not any fraternities or sororities that identify themselves as black? Let me know if I have that right.
If I am right you couldn’t be more wrong. There are over two dozen fraternities and sororities nationwide that identify themselves as black.
I have brought race into the conversation because there are fraternities and sororities that identify themselves as black. You have generalized that certain stereotypes apply to most Greek members.
If you could please clarify the stereotypes you referenced above I would appreciate it.
Just in case you were wondering there are also Fraternities and Sororities that identify themselves as:
Asian
Jewish
Latino
LGBT
Native American
South Asian
Etc.
Race is actually a big part of how Greek life is identified.
If you could please let me know the stereotypes you were referencing though.
drinking, partying, you know the ones that come to mind when talking about greek members. i didnt realize i was dealing with someone who lived under a rock
I am familiar with the things that went on in my fraternity but I prefer not to generalize or apply stereotypes to other organizations that I don’t belong to.
So is it just partying and drinking? That’s all?
So your saying that most members of Greek life (Black, Asian, Jewish, Christian, LGBT) do nothing but drink and party?
Thanks for your attention on this matter.
i was generalizing, yes. obviously this is not true with everyone as i said in the article.
But you said its true for most members.
So by your own comments, you think that most members of fraternities or sororities, even those that identify themselves by race or religion, do nothing but drink and party.
Thanks.
TUalum: I’m not even sure what convoluted point you’re trying to make anymore.
Haha ok
To the person who said an arena is less beneficial than a single dorm, you’ve lost all forms of speaking privelages for two weeks. Now for a relevant argument in support of the original poster, lets remember exactly what greek life truely is at its core. A society of people scared of the fact that they have made it to college and no longer are important as they thought they were in highschool, and therefore seeking to find a means of expressing social superiority over the same kids they thought they were better than in highschool. The funny part is, almost ANYONE not in greek like truely despises who you people are down to fabric that makes up your muscle tissues. We get it, this is your last whooo rah where you feel important before the real world shits on you. Thats fine, and you can all party and “only live once” together all you want, but in no way should you be entitled to any school funding what so ever. You can paint the surface of greek life with the philanthropy and stewardship that helps you fall asleep at night, but we all know at your core MOST of you are a waste of life more concerned with yourselves than the rest of the world, getting wasted and cheering on girl on girl makeout sessions proving just how far certain sects of homosapiens have devolved over the course of our 10,000+ year species history. You people actually PAY PEOPLE to be your friends and embrace them humiliating you because you aspire to someday do that to others, and you call yourselves an asset to our university system… You are a joke to the entire rest of the world beyond your plastic neon glasses. Beyond pathetic.
well said Keith…well said. i salute you
John,
I most likely will be reporting you to the minority Fraternities and Sororities at Towson University.
I’m sure they would like to know that you think that most of them only drink and party. And that you agree with people who “truly despise” them.
By the way anyone who thinks that Towson University would actually be paying for the Greek housing is incredibly misinformed.
Greek Housing would be paid for by private investment corporations. In return, those that lived in these homes would pay rent to that corporation.
The only thing Towson University would be contributing is the land. Probably behind the administration building.
This is the same sort of relationship that Towson University has with Capstone Management, who built some of the dorms in the West Village precinct.
Please do your research and learn the facts before coming to conclusions and writing misleading articles for The Towerlight.
@a grad student, regarding fraternities and sororities buying their own houses. Believe me, if we could we would but, (don’t quote me on this) certain laws in Baltimore county that prohibit more than 3 unrelated people in the same house prevent us from doing so. I believe the laws are different once you cross the city line and that is why there are unofficial fraternity houses at Towson. I believe it is to eliminate the chance of brothels, and seems to be an outdated law for Baltimore County. I know right down the road at Johns Hopkins, they are allowed fraternity housing but special permits are required that Towson could provide. Basically, what I’m getting at is unless Towson makes a move it can’t legally happen. Here’s a link to some reference to my rant.http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/permits/rentalregistration/rentalfaq.html#Q13
I think its wonderful that people have forgotten that this is an editorial or opinion piece. You can report me to any group you want but I have nothing but express an opinion…agree with it or not I really dont care
TU Alum– you’re a moron. Everyone knows Greek Life consists of a bunch of drunks. Black White Asian Latino etc whatever doesn’t matter. I’m slightly curious what point you were trying to make though.
I totally agree with John’s article. He’s entitled to his opinion as is everyone else. If we all agreed the world would be such a boring place. So even though many people are bashing John’s opinions there are still plenty (including myself) who definitely share his views. Remember guys, it’s okay to disagree! Not everyone has to believe that Greek Life better than, well, regular life I guess you’d call it.
Yes and no. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and free speech but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t consequences when these are completely off base.
Fraternities and sororities do not see themselves as “a bunch of drunks.” Members devote a good deal of their time to community service, philanthropy, intramural sports, activities like homecoming and Greek Week.
You are applying a stereotype. If a stereotype was applied to the Black Student Union or one of the LGBT Organizations (both of which identify themselves by race / sexual orientation) on campus you would be labeled as a racist or homophobe. Why then is it alright for you to apply stereotypes to fraternities and sororities considering that many of these identify themselves by that same race or sexual orientation?
There are roughly 200 fraternities and sororities nationwide, with millions of members, that joined because that particular organization identified itself by their race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity etc. Not because they are “drunks.”
Is there drinking and partying in fraternities? Of course. College kids tend to drink and party regardless of whether they are in a fraternity or sorority.
Have people had bad experiences with fraternities or sororities? Sure. I’m sorry it happened but the same could be said for a lot of other things as well.
But the fact that anyone would apply the negative “bunch of drunks” stereotype or generalization to “most of the members” when you yourselves don’t even belong to a fraternity/sorority though is beyond absurd.
Also, John did absolutely no research when writing this op-ed. He says:
“My problem is that the University would fund Greek housing.”
Having been a member of a fraternity I can assure you that Towson University WILL NOT pay for Greek housing. As The Greek mentioned in his comment above, the homes would be built by a private investment corporation and the loan would essentially be paid back by the fraternities/sororities paying rent over a 25 year period.
Towson University would donate the land and once the loan had been paid back 25 years later the homes would then be owned by the school.
This is the agreement that Towson has with Capstone on some of the West Village housing.
If you don’t believe me I strongly encourage you to reach out to the Fraternity and Sorority Life at the Office of Students Affairs and ask them yourselves.
Your opinions are ignorant and narrow minded and your articles are incredibly misleading and wrong.
It’s possible to apply stereotypes to black groups and homosexual groups without being racist or homophobic. It’s just a stereotype. But I’m not targeting one particular type of Greek Life member, I’m talking about the majority, which naturally would include the black people and gay people and whoever else. See? I stereotyped them without being racist or homophobic, I’m just being realistic.
And how can you call someone else’s opinions ignorant and narrow minded? Do you read what you write? Everything you’ve said is ignorant and narrow minded.
You have very little experience with fraternities and sororities. I am assuming you are not in a sorority and have really only experience those fraternities and sororities at Towson Univerity and maybe a few other schools that you may have visited. Let me know if I am wrong.
You have completely agreed with John’s article in asserting that the majority of the millions of members of fraternities and sororities across the U.S. and the world are “a bunch of drunks.” You have then said that people just need to accept this because its just realistic thinking. Based on what? Your view of the world?
And you don’t think this all sounds a little narrow minded and ignorant?
I would agree that the use of a stereotype is ok when that stereotype is not a prejudicial.
Calling a group “a bunch of drunks” is a negative stereotype and therefore prejudice.
http://localhost/2012/04/sga-supports-greek-housing-but-lack-of-funding-resources-has-put-the-project-on-hold/ this is the research I did. I based it off of an article I saw in this paper. I am clearly not the one who is misinformed. if you have any factual issues, you can take it up with this author but I am officially done commenting on this thread. congratulations greek members you have wrongly attacked my journalistic integrity, insinuated that I am a racist and homophobe, threatened to kill me. not to mention, most of you did it anonymously like cowards while I stood up here and took every insult/criticism you threw at me with the utmost transparency. but hey, it is what it is. you are welcome to further argue with others on here but I would advise you not to waste time directing one at me because I won’t be responding. thanks for the feedback though from anyone who was remotely civil about
Haha you clearly are the one who is misinformed.
Private investment corporations would be paying for the Greek housing so how is your statement ““My problem is that the University would fund Greek housing” not wrong and misleading?
If you don’t believe me I strongly encourage you to contact the office of fraternity and sorority life at Towson University, their number is 410-704-3741.
The only thing you based this article off of was another article in The Towerlight? You did no other research? Do I have that right? Funny that you actually think you have journalistic integrity.
It’s nice that you don’t want to embarrass yourself anymore on this thread though. Apology accepted.
It shocks me how misinformed so many of you are. Like many other Greeks have said in earlier posts, Towson would not be paying for the houses only providing the land. I know this because every month I’m paying dues to a ‘future housing expense’. For those of you who think all Greeks do is party and get wasted, you’re dead wrong. Actually a good number of events that students go to are planned by Greek life. And there are no “special invitations” maybe if you could get your head out of the sand and actually look for, and attend more campus events as a whole you would know that. People, and by people I explicitly mean non-greeks need to stop being so closed minded and get the stereotypes of Greek members out of their heads. In many cases I’m sure the Greek community has contributed more around the Towson community than many of you (damn mandatory community service and philanthropy). But most of all I’m ashamed at how poorly The Towerlight depicts us. Nice to see we have a “credible” newspaper…
What many may not know is that if Greek Life continues to grow at the rate it has the past few years, the designated housing will not be able to house entire chapters. The select few who are granted housing in the housing, for many Greek organizations, are those on the Executive Board and those with GPAs higher than a 3.5. There is a live-in House Advisor provided by each organization’s national headquarters. These men and women are selected of the thousand who apply and are trained to be the “House Mom/Dad.”
Stereotypes are what break this world apart. For those of you who still see Greeks as “drunks” and “screw ups”, just know connections have been made by many who have reached out to Alumni brothers and sisters for future internships and jobs that would have not been available without Greek life. Greek life members do not party anymore than the average Towson student and the average GPA of greek life is higher than Towson University as a whole.
By giving Greek Life some of its own housing could begin the transition from these awful stereotypes to the more truthful views the Greek Community holds today. Greek Housing will happen as the campus grows and as university housing because more and more occupied. I advise everyone to be optimistic and not be so negative.
Greek housing would not be funded by the University and would ultimately end up providing a massive revenue stream to Towson. I am confounded by how uneducated you were in publishing this article. Do your research before making assumptions that are entirely incorrect. Furthermore you are the reason that there is tension among people who choose to join greek life and those that do not. Why write an article about something that not only has zero effect on your life at TU, but something that you have absolutely no information or knowledge about?
Finally for the record greek life currently accounts for 9% of the undergraduate population and at it’s current growth rate will be around 15% when housing is completed.
If you have any more questions feel free to email me..
Rob
RCalab2
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