In accordance with the Greek Village Master Plan, fraternity and sorority chapter houses are constantly being shuffled around. As buildings are torn down, new houses go up and new chapters move into old houses. The four chapter houses currently under construction include Kappa Alpha Theta, Zeta Tau Alpha, Sigma Kappa and Alpha Delta Pi. 

All four chapters belong to the National Panhellenic Conference community and are a part of phase three in the Greek Village Master Plan timeline. Only construction of the Kappa Alpha Theta house will finish in time for the July move-in schedule, according to Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Shelly Brown Dobek. Both Sigma Kappa and Zeta Tau Alpha are anticipated to open mid-October, since the University decided to cancel fall break, the planned move-in date. The Alpha Delta Pi house, which broke ground this past spring, will open fall 2021.

According to Brown Dobek, COVID-19 has impacted several elements of construction, both accelerating and slowing the building process. However, each house will open according to its original timeline.

Brown Dobek said construction crews have had an easier time working on-site without concern for bus routes or student traffic, and work by private services has been expedited. However, all sites also required university services, which were temporarily unavailable while the University was closed due to COVID-19.

Services including phone lines, internet and security access technology all had to work remotely while campus was closed. However, the delays by university services ultimately balanced out with the accelerated abilities of private services, Brown Dobek said.   

Brown Dobek also said it takes about 13 months for the complete construction of a single Greek Village house, and each chapter must be fully financed before they break ground in order to stay on the construction timeline outlined by the master plan.

According to Sigma Kappa President Izzy Lauver, Sigma Kappa is excited to have a house to call their own.

“We’ve never really had a space that was ours to utilize the way that we’d like to,” Lauver said. “For this new house, we’re really excited to have spaces that will be able to fit our whole chapter and also have study spaces throughout the house and other spaces where in-house and out-of-house girls can be together, which isn’t something that we really have right now.”

Phase three of construction will wrap with the completion of the Alpha Delta Pi house, opening in fall 2021. Brown Dobek also said phase four design is well underway and will break ground in January 2021 for the two townhouses, Townhouse A and B, and one apartment building accommodating smaller chapters in the village. These buildings are scheduled to open fall 2023.

These locations are designed to provide university space for groups not planning to build in the village, including the National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council, according to Brown Dobek. 

“We’re really excited to see how it’s going to lend to both the diversity and inclusivity of the village,” Brown Dobek said. “And really make space for all 50 of our organizations and not just those that have the alumni base or the national house corporations to build them a private home.”

The apartments will be suite-style and house between two and four residents. Townhouse A will have three units, each housing 25 residents. Brown Dobek said there may be three smaller fraternities living in Townhouse A, but the planning team wants to provide a variety of sizes to accommodate smaller groups. Townhouse B will have six units ranging from five to 12 beds.

The townhomes will vary between two and three stories, but each unit will have a presence on the street in the village. 

The new construction is not the only change Greek Village will see this year. Brown Dobek said in-house living for chapter members will also look different.

Where and when residents will be expected to wear a mask is still a conversation being had with the guidance of the chancellor’s housing task force, according to Brown Dobek. Task force members are in the process of establishing what a family unit is for a fraternity or sorority house, which has more shared spaces than a residence hall. 

A family unit is your apartment or private home where you do not wear a mask unless you invite someone outside of your family unit into your home, according to Brown Dobek. In residence halls, the family unit is two roommates who share a space. 

“We’re still awaiting some final direction on whether the house is considered a family unit or whether it’s just the bedrooms,” Brown Dobek said. “What we know about the village is that most of our groups still have one bathroom that serves all 40 people and there’s one kitchen that serves those 40 people, so they really almost live like a family unit, which could be good because that means there might be less social restriction if its only residents in the house.” 

She also said when one person gets sick, chances are the whole family will get sick, as seen with the norovirus and other illnesses that have spread in the village. In the case of a positive test in a chapter house, whatever is decided to be the family unit will be asked to self-quarantine for the recommended amount of time.