January 2, 2013
Southeast Missouri State University Greek
Community
Dear students, alumni, and friends:
Over
the past year, I have been fortunate to work with many of our Greek students
and alumni on the future of Greek Housing at Southeast. It has been great to
hear countless stories about people’s connection to their Greek organization
and how living in the fraternity or sorority house positively impacted their
Greek experience. It was the strength of
Greek Life at Southeast that sparked my desire to explore the feasibility of
changes in Greek housing.
As
some of you are aware, there have been discussions about this in the past, most
recently when Merick Hall was being considered in 2007, but there had not been
a systematic examination of Greek housing, including the demand for this kind
of housing, financing options, and the possible locations for a Greek Village.
With the support of the University’s Board of Regents, the Office of Residence
Life contracted with Brailsford and Dunleavy (B & D), one of the premier
housing master planning firms in the United States, to examine an on campus Greek
Village housing concept.
This
letter is meant to provide you with a great deal of detail on the project. We
are sharing this level of detail to help our students and alumni understand the
factors that influenced this decision. I promised at the beginning of this
process, both in person at multiple meetings and again in various
correspondences with students and alumni, that the University was committed to
sharing the details of our process and the factors that impact any decision
involving a new Greek Village. The following pages include information on the
methods used, the results gathered from those different methods, details on the
financial model used, and the information weighed by the Board of Regents in
their decision not to move forward with a new Greek Village. As someone vested
in this effort I want to share that I did recommend the Board, based upon the
information collected and limited commitment from across the Greek system, not
to move forward with a new Greek Village at this time.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
In
the spring of 2012, Southeast Missouri State University engaged B & D and
Treanor Architects (Treanor) to complete a Housing and Greek Village Master
Plan that would determine the feasibility for developing a Greek Village on the
Cape Girardeau campus. The research and program development for the Greek
Village consisted of the following tasks:
·
Campus-wide focus group
interviews
|
·
Student survey and housing
demand analysis
|
·
Individual Greek chapter
meetings
|
·
Greek Alumni meetings
|
·
Discussions with Greek
National Organizations
|
·
Financial modeling
|
·
Peer school competitive
context analysis
|
·
Off-campus housing market
review
|
·
Program feasibility review
|
·
Architectural concept
development
|
SUMMARY
OF FINDINGS
Focus Group Interviews
B
& D conducted on-campus focus groups with more than 50 students and staff
members over the course of 10 sessions. In general, students were strongly
supportive of the current location of Greek Hill and its proximity to the
Towers dining complex. This was an area of major concern to current Greek
students, who felt the location was critical for recruitment and provided a
high-level of visibility for all Greek organizations. Most students,
particularly members of sororities, felt that the present Greek Area is
currently meeting their housing needs. Sororities and some fraternities were
not supportive of moving to a new area of campus. The most common concern of
the current buildings noted by students was the size of bedrooms and the
“institutional” feel of the buildings.
In
general, focus group participants were excited about the prospect of a new
Greek Village. However, many groups expressed concern over the increased cost
of new housing, as well as any chapter financial obligations. There was support
for new housing, however, the room rate cost needed to be close to current room
rates and the majority of the members at the focus group did not believe they
would be able to be a financial partner in the project. Students felt that both
proposed locations for Greek Village (behind the Student Recreation Center and
at the intersection of Sprigg and Bertling) were far from the center of campus
and would hurt each organization’s ability to recruit new members.
Student Survey
An
on-line student survey was sent to all current students at Southeast, including
all active members of Greek organizations. In total, 310 Greek students
responded to the survey, representing a 30% response rate. The responses demonstrate that students believe housing is an integral part of the
Greek experience, as 73% indicated that the availability of on-campus housing
for fraternities and sororities played an important or very important role in
their decision to join an organization.
Students
were asked to indicate their preference for the proposed location of the Greek Village.
A large majority of students (71%) selected Option 2, the “Pig Lot/Student
Recreation Center” site as their preferred choice. Only 21% of students chose
Option 1, located along Sprigg Street, just south of Bertling Street. Please
note, we did not ask students if they preferred to remain in the current Greek
Area. The support for Option 2 is a change from the discussions on a Greek
Village concept when the new residence hall (now Merick Hall) was being
discussed a little more than five years ago. At that time students and alumni
were opposed to this area as being too far from the center of campus.
Individual Chapter Meetings
B
& D conducted individual chapter meetings with all of the recognized
sororities and fraternities, and two of the NPHC chapters. (One IFC and two
NPHC organizations elected not to participate). Meeting with each chapter
individually was important to understand their capacity and potential needs in
a new Greek Village. Each chapter was given a set of questions to address
before meeting with the consultants, which included membership data, housing
preferences, alumni involvement, housing corporation capacity, National
Organization involvement, and potential for commitment to a new Greek Village.
The
overall consensus was that a few of the IFC fraternities had an interest in and
possible capacity to finance the construction of their own chapter house, while
the remaining IFC fraternities and all of the Panhellenic sororities did not
have the alumni base or fundraising capacity to operate and fund any part a new
chapter house. The NPHC groups self-determined that they could not support even
a small house in the new Greek Village because their membership numbers are low
and fluctuate from year to year. They were very interested in meeting/chapter
and lounge space that could be contained in a Greek Village community center.
Greek Alumni Meetings
Greek
alumni were asked to participate in focus group meetings on campus in Cape
Girardeau and in St. Louis. More than 30 alumni participated in these meetings.
The majority of attendees were from four IFC fraternities. These four chapters were
the same chapters that expressed the strongest interest in financing all or
part the construction of their own chapter houses. In general, alumni were
supportive of the idea of a new Greek Village, but were concerned about the proposed
Village locations as being too far from central campus. The sorority
representatives expressed concern regarding the capacity of the sororities to
take part in a new Greek Village, stating that cost would be a major burden chapters
and may deter recruitment. The common theme emerging from the alumni groups
were a few IFC chapters were interested in moving forward with a new Village,
whereas the Panhellenic sororities and remaining IFC chapters were content to
remain in the current Greek Area housing rather than be financially committed
to a new Greek Village development.
Discussions with Greek National Organizations
The
University requested B & D contact each chapter’s national headquarters
after the individual meetings to determine the level of support the chapters at
Southeast could expect from their nationals. In the Fall of 2012, each
chapter’s national organization was contacted to determine their preferences
and potential involvement. It quickly became
clear that many national organizations no longer support financing for
university-sponsored, on-campus development and prefer to only fund limited upgrades
and/or furnishings or are limited to building off campus. The Panhellenic
chapters’ reported their decisions are made on a national level and similar
housing for all chapters is required. The IFC chapters offered a wide range of responses,
with some organizations offering no support for housing development and others
offering financial assistance and legal entities for ownership. No IFC national
organization offered strong support for being financially involved in an
on-campus Greek Village, however, most IFC organizations defer to the local
chapter and alumni to determine their capacity to fund and operate a chapter
house.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Greek Village Program
Based
on the data gathered and the membership of Greek organizations over the past 18
semesters, B & D identified the following program would be necessary to
house the Greek population in a new on-campus Greek Village:
·
14 chapter houses with 3 configurations
o 32-bed configuration – 7 houses, 24-bed configuration – 3
houses, 18-bed configuration – 4 houses
Working
with the University, B & D developed a financial model to determine the
financial performance of the Greek Village program. The following elements were
included in the financial model analysis:
·
Construction of 368 beds
·
Construction of 5,000 square
foot Greek Village Community Center
·
Total project cost:
$35,302,000
o Cost range for each type of chapter house: $2,804,000 - $1,817,000
o Community Center – $1,717,000
We based
the design on the same design and construction standards we would for our
residence halls. This included sprinkler systems, fully addressable fire alarm
systems, elevator (required by code), HVAC with individual controls, and
comparable construction methods to what we throughout the rest of campus.
Throughout this process students expressed interest in chapter rooms and
lounges large enough to hold a majority, or all, of the chapter. For example, a
chapter room in each house large enough for a 50 person meeting. Providing
these in each house adds approximately $2,000,000 to the total project cost.
Upon
completing the financial assessment, and with only four IFC chapters expressing
any support for being involved in the financial commitment for new a new Greek
Village, the proposed Greek Village does not meet Southeast’s financial
targets. The model demonstrates the housing would lose more than $500,000 in its
first year at current room rates. In
order to financially support the Greek Village, the project would require
either $12,100,000 in capital contributions from the Greek chapters, or room
rates in Greek will need to be increased by $3,250 a year to a new room rate of
$8,200 per year. This new room rate would be $2,400 higher than the most
expensive housing currently at Southeast. Even with changes to the scope of
work and value engineering of the project, the significantly increased room
rates or level of financial commitment that would be needed from chapters is
beyond what I believe the Greek system at Southeast can support or room rates I
believe are appropriate for our students. Based upon this financial examination
and the feedback from more than half of the chapters currently in the Greek
Area, I have recommended to the University administration and the Board of
Regents that we not pursue the Greek Village at this time. The report from B
& D echoes this recommendation by noting “a Greek Village in this form does
not appear to be feasible for Southeast at this time” (B & D, Executive
Summary).
Greek Hill Renovation Program
As
the costs of a new Greek Village were finalized, the University asked B & D
and Treanor to consider conceptualizing an option that would address student
and chapter needs, while also meeting Southeast’s strategic and financial
goals. As a result, the consulting team suggested the possibility of expanding
the second floor chapter lounge space in each of the chapter houses. This
recommendation calls for a 800+ square foot addition to each chapter’s lounge
space. The proposed lounge expansion would result in a larger space for
meetings, events, and socialization. In addition, the expansion would
dramatically alter the exterior of the buildings on Greek Hill, generating
significant opportunities for chapters to express their individual identity and
uniqueness. While this is not the same level of change as a new Greek Village,
is does addresses Greek students’ dissatisfaction with the “institutional” feel
of the Greek Hill building exteriors, as well as provide for social and
activity space within their chapter houses.
To
support this renovation to the five buildings (ten chapter houses), the
University and B & D developed a financial model to fund the recommended changes.
The details of this idea included the construction of ten (10) 840 square foot
lounge additions for a total project cost of $4,680,000. Revenues for the
project would be generated through two sources: rental rate increases and Greek
parlor fees. Room rates would increase approximately the same rate as students
living in the University’s most expensive housing. Students currently living in
Merick/Henderson/Vandiver/North/West pay $5,850 per year to live on campus. A
possible second option is for the University and Greek students to jointly
adopt parlor fees for chapters with expanded space in the Greek Area. The use
of a parlor fee would allow for a smaller room rate increase.
The
idea for additions to Greek houses that improve the space for chapters and
significantly improves the appearance of each house is a wonderful idea;
however, it is completely dependent on the desire of the Greek students and
chapters in the Greek Area. I am not advancing this idea to increase room rates
or establish place parlor fees to fund these changes until there is an
opportunity to discuss these with our Greek students. Any change would only
come about because of student support and a desire for these changes from our
on campus Greek students and their chapters. This idea has been developed with
limited student involvement because it was only asked for B & D and Treanor
after the first numbers of the new Greek Village were being considered. This
was not an effort to exclude Greeks from this idea, but a desire to try and
respond to the concerns about the space in the house and the perceived institutional
appearance of each house we received during our initial data collection
process.
Future of Greek Housing and Greek Life
I do
want to express my appreciation for so many Greek students and alumni who have
been part of this process. We are not finished, but we have reached a point where
we have to turn from the idea of a new village to other possibilities. I know
some chapters may want to move forward with their own plans for off campus
housing, while others will want to discuss possible changes to their current
space in the Greek Area. This coming year, I will be accepting a new role
within the University that will increase my involvement with Greek Life. In addition,
the University is increasing our commitment to Greek Life with the expansion of
the previous Assistant Director for Fraternities and Sororities to a new
Director of Greek Life position. This new position will increase the level of
attention to our Greek students and alumni. The Director of Greek Life will
report to me in my new role as Assistant Vice President for Student Success. I
have long believed one of the best tools the University has to work with our
Greek students are their alumni. It is my expectation that the new Director, expected
to join the University in spring 2013, will reach out and try to build upon these
relationships. I absolutely do not expect us to always agree, however, I also
do not think the only time we should be reaching out is when there is a
problem.
As an alumnus of Southeast Missouri State University and the Delta Chi fraternity, I know how intertwined one’s college and Greek experiences are. I look forward to your continued involvement in helping us carry on this tradition of recruiting, educating, and graduating Southeast and Greek alumni. I welcome any questions or additional thoughts you would like to share. You can reach me at bskinner@semo.edu or 573-651-2274.
Fraternally,
Dr.
Bruce W. Skinner
Assistant
Vice President for Student Success and Director of Office of Residence Life
Instructor,
University
Studies
Southeast
Missouri State University
