Proposed plan
Occupancy: 28 girls
Rooms: 12 double, 4 single
Other amenities: Shared restroom, large chapter room, small parlor, guest bathroom, kitchen, library and storage space
Butler University, Purdue University and Indiana University all have housing available for both fraternities and sororities.
Ball State’s sororities may be getting houses in the future, as the university is looking into building townhome-style houses for the 10 National Panhellenic Council chapters on campus.
While Riverside is full of fraternity houses, sororities lack any sort of housing other than a few small, university-owned houses.
According to a survey sent out to sorority members, the university and leadership of the National Panhellenic Conference chapters on campus recognize the growth of the chapters in the past few years. Both parties realize the chapters are outgrowing their suites or homes.
Melissa Ginotti, assistant vice president of student affairs and director of student life, said because there are 10 National Panhellenic Conference chapters with about 150 members each, it’s becoming harder to obtain space on campus for chapter meetings and events.
“The university commitment to a sorority housing project reflects our desire to offer the most immersive and compelling sorority experience to our students,” Ginotti said.
Currently, the concept under consideration is townhome-style houses. There would be space for each chapter to house 28 residents to live in four single rooms and 12 double rooms. The houses would also include a shared restroom, a large chapter room, a small parlor, guest bathroom, kitchen, library and storage space, according to the survey.
Lindsay Crum, a senior and member of Pi Beta Phi, said she wished she could have experienced sorority housing. Although she can foresee some arguments, she thinks it would be a good experience for new members.
“It would be a good place for new members to go and hang out with sisters, unlike the suite where it’s a hit or miss if people are there,” Crum said.
Crum also said having houses would encourage more girls to go greek and improve each chapter’s morale and attendance overall.
“Look at the different chapters, such as those at different schools — I feel as if their morale is up and they have better attendance to things because chapter is held there,” she said. “Living in the house could bring you closer to other girls you may have thought you might not reach out to.”
Although Crum was excited about the prospect of houses for future members, Melissa Kahler, a senior and member of Alpha Phi, said she personally didn’t wish for them during her time at Ball State.
“I’ve lived with girls in my sorority for three years [without houses],” Kahler said. “Most girls live with girls in our sorority, so it’s like we have a bunch of mini houses. It’s actually a lot of fun like that.”
Kahler also said she’s heard about the prospect of houses since before she attended Ball State, and wasn’t sure how serious the university is about making houses happen.
The first step is to review and analyze the feedback of the survey, Ginotti said. Communication with the sororities’ leadership is important to determine if there is sufficient support to make the project happen. There is currently no concrete timeline for the project.
“If it appears that we do have strong interest, we will engage the students and other campus stakeholders in further conversation and planning,” Ginotti said. “We want to ensure that the voices of many stakeholders and partners will be reflected in the planning and creation of these facilities, and that process will continue to evolve.”
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