From the Denton Record Chronicle:
UNT OKs ‘sorority row’
07/22/2003
By Matthew Zabel / Staff Writer
Five sororities should have houses at the University of North Texas in about a year, after the university’s regents Monday approved the construction of a sorority row on the campus’s east side.
In a called meeting via teleconference Monday, the UNT Board of Regents voted 8-0 to build five sorority houses for $5.1 million at the southwest corner of Bernard and West Prairie streets, on a vacant lot the university already owns.
A UNT sorority leader praised the decision, saying it will enhance Greek life on campus and make a nice border to the campus.
Amanda Baird, a junior and president of UNT’s Alpha Delta Pi chapter, one of five sororities expected to move into the houses in August 2004, said putting the sororities all into one area will allow the Greek organizations to interact more.
"When the Greek community as a whole is strengthened, each individual chapter will be strengthened, as well," Ms. Baird said.
But the managers of a neighboring apartment complex fear having sororities across the street might bring noise and trash to the neighborhood and scare away potential tenants.
Amber Morris, assistant manager of the 344-unit apartment complex directly across the street from the future sorority row, said even though most of The Oaks apartment residents are UNT students, some have families and don’t want to live in a rowdy neighborhood.
"Not everyone wants to be in a party environment," she said. "Some just want a quiet community, and people find it a relief when they find out we’re pretty strict."
Ardyce Mentzel, the apartment’s manager, shares some of those same concerns, but said is more optimistic about the project.
"I have a lot of respect for young people," she said. "It’s all about respect. You don’t want to live in a neighborhood where the property isn’t kept up. It all depends how they take care of it."
UNT officials said the project would primarily improve student life on campus and secondarily help address the university’s housing shortage.
"It’s an exciting time to be Greek on this campus," said Troy LeForge, UNT’s assistant dean of students for Greek life. "This will provide a strong community atmosphere for women groups and will forge a stronger Panhellenic conference."
Dr. Bonita Jacobs, UNT’s vice president for student life, said the sorority houses would be built in a single building that will be divided into five parts. Each part will be about 7,600 square feet, with enough room for 25 beds. Each part will have a distinct facade on the front to distinguish the separate sororities. In back, a courtyard would allow for many more activities among the Greek organizations.
UNT would own the house and lease it to the sororities with long-term agreements, she said.
The sororities expected to move into the houses are Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi and Zeta Tau Alpha.
Of the 13 sororities chartered at UNT, only Alpha Delta Pi has a house, at the corner of Eagle Drive and Welch Street. The house has room for 18 women. Tentative plans are to move out of their current location and move into the new sorority row upon completion, Ms. Baird said.
UNT Regent Gayle Strange of Denton said she believes the improvement to the property will help improve the appearance of the area, and thus the property values there.
And as an alumna of Alpha Delta Pi, Ms. Strange believes the stronger Greek organization will be a boon to the university.
"When everybody’s together like that, people decide to attend athletic events together and other activities," Ms. Strange said. "That’s the community all of us remember and hope the students today will be able to experience."
MATTHEW ZABEL can be reached at 940-566-6884.
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