SGA discusses possible Greek community

According to some within the Student Government Association, GCSU aspires to build a Greek community on West Campus in the future in hopes of further enhancing student affairs and increasing Greek involvement.

“The university is interested in moving forward and has communicated with University System staff and with people who have been involved in the planning of similar facilities on other campuses,” Dr. Bruce Harshbarger, vice president of Student Affairs and dean of students, said.

While GCSU and several of its Greek organizations have shown an interest in the project, plans are still in the initial phasees and nothing has been confirmed, Harshbarger said.

“(A Greek village will) add a sense of community, . provide campus ethos and GCSU pride,” SGA President Zach Mullins said.

However, city ordinances may be restricting just that.

An ordinance passed in 2008 limits the number of residents in a single-family zoned home in the downtown area to no more than three unrelated people, affecting both Greeks and non-Greeks alike.

The proposed location off the Hwy. 441 bypass is thought to be ideal not only for its space, but also for the facilities it offers.

“The proximity of that space to the Intramural Complex, its visibility from the bypass, the nearby access to utilities and the availability of overflow housing at The Village were all contributing factors in choosing that site,” Harshbarger said.

Sophomore and former Village resident Jamie Cowan said the installation of a Greek neighborhood would be beneficial to West Campus. After feeling “alienated” from the rest of campus her freshman year, Cowan thinks the addition would attract more students to the less populated area.

Keilah Johnson, a current Village resident, agrees with Cowan. She thinks the addition would be a “good change,” but it might not necessarily be for every Village resident.

“The Village is a lot quieter and there are a lot less people out and about. . Adding the Greek row may change that atmosphere,” Johnson, a sophomore mass communication major, said.

Some factors for planners to consider include noise and traffic.

Other University System schools have designated Greek communities.

The University of Georgia offers its Greek-affiliated students 43 nationally-recognized houses to live in around campus.

Raleigh Nyenhuis, a sophomore at UGA, is currently living in the Alpha Chi Omega house with around 60 of her “sisters.”

“Having the ability to live in the house, you have a lot more to offer as a sister,” Nyenhuis said. “It makes you have a huge appreciation and respect for the sorority.”

One of the main attractions in formal recruitment for most students is the opportunity to live in the houses, Nyenhuis said.

“Driving down Milledge Avenue and seeing all the houses is exciting and makes you want to get involved.”

The Greek Life system at the University of West Georgia opened its Greek Village this past August. The village houses 18 sororities and fraternities and features a community center equipped with meeting rooms, a kitchen area and study spaces.

“(The idea to build a Greek community) had been in the making for a long time,” Julie Cowan, University of West Georgia’s Panhellinic president and Jamie Cowan’s older sister, said.

The school was donated land by Carroll County Development and construction began a year ago.

Julie Cowan said the Greek organizations have already noticed an increase in the number of students interested in “going Greek.”

Those involved in Greek Life think the construction of the village at GCSU would also interest more students in becoming a part of the Greek system. It could also lead to the establishment of additional fraternities and sororities at GCSU.

The enhancement of Greek Life also has the potential to draw more prospective students to GCSU.

SGA is in the process of completing the short-term goal to allow the current Greek houses around campus display their letters outside. Mullins hopes this step will “promote Greek representation.”

Any suggestions or ideas regarding the construction of a Greek row can be submitted through the SGA comment box on the myCATS portal under the student tab. Feedback can be given to any student involved in SGA as it continues discussing the possibility of a Greek row.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 6 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry