Sorority village - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Feb 8, 2005

Sorority village

Date: Feb 8, 2005

That's a load off my mind.

Date: Feb 8, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: ram
"That's a load off my mind."

Yes, Ram. With important decisions like this no wonder there was no time to keep up with SACS.

Date: Feb 8, 2005

I guess they believe their own PR and need more dorm space for those 20,000 students.

Date: Feb 8, 2005

Wilbur Hall, which is where the sororities are currently housed, will be renovated into a freshman dorm.

OhhhhhhhhWilbur . . . .

Date: Feb 8, 2005

They've been talking about this for the past 3-4 years.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: asdf
"They've been talking about this for the past 3-4 years."

Length of planning has little to do with actual results. Ask Nursing.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

If you spent one night in Wilbur hall you would support the building of a sorority village. We have had bats, spiders (brown recluse & black widows), cold showers, leaks when it rains, and heating and air problems since the early eighties. It is time for those girls who keep a higher GPA than the average student to have adequate housing.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

So you think just because you are in a sorority you deserve better conditions than every other student that uses student housing?

You are paying for your friends, not a better place to sleep.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

Can we drop this whole issue? It's not germane to the serious things that are going on.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

Greek houses should be funded solely by the inhabitants of those houses or their national chapter offices - not by the university. If students want such an off- campus club, let them build one.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

True LVN, I just expect their housing to be equal with the other housing on campus. Most of these women could live in McCarty with their GPA. What would happen to McCarty if they all applied to live their with their high GPA's hummmmm? Alot of mad non-greek students.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Former Wilbur Resident
"It is time for those girls who keep a higher GPA than the average student to have adequate housing."

Ha! A GPA of 3.0 at USM means you are in the top half. Those high octane dorms are surely going to be crowded.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Ouida Smoka Cig
"Ha! A GPA of 3.0 at USM means you are in the top half. Those high octane dorms are surely going to be crowded."

No a GPA of 3.0 means you are in the bottwm half. Average GPA is above 3.0.

"...and all of the children are above average."

Date: Feb 9, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Grader
" No a GPA of 3.0 means you are in the bottwm half. Average GPA is above 3.0. "...and all of the children are above average."

You are right. I must have been on Miss Information's Dewberry Wine when I posted that.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by: Former Wilbur Resident
"If you spent one night in Wilbur hall you would support the building of a sorority village. "

Nice offer, but my wife won't let me take you up on it.

Seriously, I don't think anyone expressed opposition, just different priorities.

quote:

Originally posted by: Former Wilbur Resident
"It is time for those girls who keep a higher GPA than the average student to have adequate housing."

Any girls with a "higher GPA" or only those in a sorority? And what about guys with a higher GPA than the average? They don't like bugs, bats, and cold showers either.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

Re Greek Organizations: "If you want good friends, they're gonna cost ya."

---"Talkin' Fraternity Blues," Townes Van Zandt

Date: Feb 9, 2005

Has anyone even noticed lately the ghetto that they call "family housing", Pine Haven? I'd like to know where this is on the list of priorties?

Date: Feb 9, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Incognegro
"Has anyone even noticed lately the ghetto that they call "family housing", Pine Haven? I'd like to know where this is on the list of priorties?"

As a resident (my mom was a student) of Pinehaven back in the 80s, I can attest to the bad conditions there! And Pinehaven is waaaaay older than Wilbur Hall. But, I don't see anyone rushing to improve USM's family student housing.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

Right on sister! Pinehaven is a little USM ghetto. USM either needs to address the deplorable condition of it or "outsource" non-traditional student housing. As it is, you have to be married, divorced, or have custody of kids to live there.....has anyone stopped to consider the housing needs of the non-traditional students who struggle to pay the cost of off-campus living, but don't qualify to live in the lovely ghetto? There are many non-traditional students who choose NOT to get married, divorced, or have kids ---at least until they finish their educations! SFT and company need to WAKE UP......the dome is compressing their clueless brains! Oh...but if they give G. Lassen another check book or dozer he will make HIS decision. Careful ghetto dwellers....you just might find yourselves under piles of rubble ----remember, NO ONE is safe at USM.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

"So you think just because you are in a sorority you deserve better conditions than every other student that uses student housing?

You are paying for your friends, not a better place to sleep."

Looks like TheMan got picked on by a bunch of Greeks in college....

Date: Feb 9, 2005

Either that or I simply find them to be annoying.

[Quote]"Being in a sorority is a privilege and something we pay for," said Knox, a junior from Chattanooga, Tenn. "We should be treated special and two floors in Wilbur Hall is not special."[/Quote]

They are paying to be special, not paying for special housing.

Its not like the sorority girls stay there anyway. Most nights they are shacked up at the frat houses. Trust me, I know.

I say let them live with the bats. The university has more things they could be fronting that money for instead of letting it be paid off with "leases" that everybody else pays for as well.

I mean, if its truly not costing the university any money and its being paid off by said leases, why not tear down the quad and every other piece of **** student housing and let it all be paid off by 'leases' from the individual students as well. It wont cost a dime.

Date: Feb 9, 2005

Things are not so bad in the housing area. At least we have no high-level university administrators who own private apartment complexes near campus and rent to students. We don't. do we?

Date: Feb 10, 2005

Hey. Doesn't anyone remember some serious legal reasons why the sorority members where housed in the hall? Wasn't there an agreement years ago (with someone who gave lots of money) that individual houses would never be built? I heard this was a part of the stipulation before the donor would give the $$. Someone should check with the dorm office... hmmm...

Date: Feb 10, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Catt
"Hey. Doesn't anyone remember some serious legal reasons why the sorority members where housed in the hall? Wasn't there an agreement years ago ...?"

Those agreements from years ago tend to lose their teeth.

For example, 100 years ago, when old Mr. Kamper donated 40 acres (now Kamper Park) to Hattiesburg, it was with the restriction that the city only use it for the recreational benefit of children (well, white children, but that's another issue.) If any of the 40 acres was ever used for another purpose, the whole 40 was to revert to the descendents of Mr. Kamper. About 10 years ago, the city converted the ceramics building to the water department, but no reversion has taken place.

Legal agreements don't just enforce themselves. If the USM donor is dead and no one left has inclination or standing to argue about the stipulation, the powers that be can pretty much do as they please.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

In case you have not figured it out, Lassen plans to demolish Pinehaven and put the "village" on that property. Just watch. These people become so predictable because of what they do not say rather than what they say. They bought two lots behind Pinehaven from my aunt's estate to have access from her street.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Catt
"Hey. Doesn't anyone remember some serious legal reasons why the sorority members where housed in the hall? Wasn't there an agreement years ago (with someone who gave lots of money) that individual houses would never be built? I heard this was a part of the stipulation before the donor would give the $$. Someone should check with the dorm office... hmmm..."

I always thought that the stipulation was that a sorority could not move into a house unless all of them had the financial means to move into a house. Lots like that has been met.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

I think that the board is having some issues that go a little deeper than just our usual anti-Thames sentiment...issues we would be having regardless of how good our leadership was/would be at USM.

It seems to me that there is no little venom being spewed against sororities here, not because of the "village" plan but because of sororities' existence. As long as those who are not in fraternities/sororities are insecure in their own self-worth, we will have this type of rhetoric being bandied about.

If you don't like fraternities and sororities because of the way some of their members conduct themselves, then just move on and do what you'd like to do. I don't see fraternity/sorority members coming on the board saying "We need better housing than everyone else." All I see is "We need adequate housing" from both a sorority member and a married/family housing resident advocate. I agree with both. If we can scare up money for new athletic facilities/improvements (e.g., Reed Green renovation, new athletic complex) or "amusement" projects (e.g., the Hub renovation) then why can't we scare up money for new dormitories? I'm for better living conditions for all.

For those who cast aspersion as to why universities support Greek systems, look no further than academic literature. A number of studies has shown a link between Greek affiliation and affinity for an institution, i.e., alumni giving -- Greeks tend to give more over time than their non-Greek counterparts, everything else equal.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

Oops, that should be "a number of studies have"

Date: Feb 10, 2005

Thank you sad but true, excellent point. As for Pinehaven it is in the overall plan to slowly demolish those houseing units and re-build them on all of the slowly aquired land that has been poping up as temporary parking lots.