University of North Florida

Interfraternity and Panhellenic Council

Memo
To:

From:
Sent:
Subject:

John A. Delaney, President, University of North Florida; Mauricio Gonzalez, Vice

President for Student and International Affairs; Valerie P. Reynolds, Coordinator,
Budgets
Sam Smith, President, Interfraternity Council; Jane Doe, President, Panhellenic
Council
September 26, 2016
Greek Housing Proposal

The University of North Florida (UNF) is one of the fastest growing universities in the state.
Along with growing undergraduate and postgraduate programs, the North Florida Greek
community has been on a rapid rise. As UNF and its Greek community expand, the more there
are eyes on the institution. In order to compromise with the rising attention UNF is getting,
legitimizing its Greek community is more than necessary. Due to the fact that the Greek
programs play such a huge role in student life, the very standing of the UNF Greek community
can play a role in a potential undergraduate deciding if he/she wants to go to the school or not.
The best investment UNF can possibly make to help its Greek community would be investing in
a set of houses: a Greek row. The school cannot go wrong in making an investment to a
program that gives back to the community and attracts prospective undergraduates to attend
the school.
Problem with No Greek Affiliated Housing
The University of North Florida Greek Community has built a strong foundation over the years
with philanthropic, driven, and intelligent students. As the community continues to grow, it has
become difficult to achieve the full potential of what it can be on our campus without Greek
Housing. With eight Fraternities and six Sororities active on campus, we feel it is imperative to
build a complex in which the Greek community can thrive at its best potential. With difficulties
such as renting weekly spaces for chapter meetings on campus and renting monthly storage
units for chapter supplies, it has become difficult for these chapters to reach their full potential.
Each chapter has weekly meetings they must attend, and with no permanent room available to
hold these meetings, each chapter has to routinely rent out a room a week in advance. This has
become difficult because of decrease in room availability on campus due to demand. We have
encountered problems with not only renting the rooms, but also getting them unlocked on time
for chapters to enter. The UNF Police Department has to be called to unlock the rooms for each
chapter. Considering these meetings mainly take place on Sunday afternoons, it is increasingly
difficult for chapters to enter the classrooms at a reasonable time. Additionally, each chapter
has to rent outside monthly storage because there is no room on campus to hold important
equipment. Each chapter has an abundance amount of materials to hold including, but not
limited to: chapter letters, tables, chairs, ritual materials, banners, arts and craft materials,

Delaney, Gonzalez, and Reynolds

Greek Housing

foundation supplies, and philanthropy necessities. This has become an unnecessary burden on
chapter funds.
Proposed Solution: Greek Housing Community
The benefits of building a Greek Housing Community on campus are exceedingly compelling.
Each chapter on campus raises money for their respective philanthropies every semester, such
as Service for Sight, Breast Cancer Awareness, The Hubbard House, etc. In order to exceed
previous year's fundraising, Greek Housing is imperative. These chapters have allocated
money towards unnecessary budgets for storage and renting facilities to hold meetings. With
proper housing for these organizations, they can save the money previously allocated for those
funds and put them towards their philanthropies. Although each house will have more to offer,
these are the most beneficial factors provided for each house: weekly meeting space, ritual
rooms, storage, bedding, and a kitchen. These organizations will prosper with proper space to
complete their overall mission, which is betting the community at large. Housing will significantly
increase chapter production, fundraising, and efficiency. A cost breakdown for the proposed
solution is illustrated below, as well as information pertaining to the build and location of such
community.
Proposed Solution Options
During the lodging analysis for the Greek housing community there were two main options that
ARCADIS engineers determined to be best suitable for UNF. They proposed freestanding
houses and townhouses with different rental rates and parlor fees (see Table 1).
Freestanding Houses

Townhouses

Lease Term:

12-Month Lease

12-Month Lease

Rental Rates: (in 2012,

$700/month/bed

$650/month/bed

Parlor Fees:

$250/Semester for all

Chapter Members with a
House ($41.67/Mo. X 9 Mo.)

$175/Semester for all

Chapter Members with a
House ($29.16/Mo. X 9 Mo.)

expected to escalate 4% annually)

Table 1 Estimate of Probable 2012 Lease Rates

In order to create an on campus Greek neighborhood, the recommended plan suggests an area
of campus that resembles a Greek row. This design allows for additional parking for Greek
members that living in this community, eliminating the daily struggle of searching for on campus
parking elsewhere. Each chapter is required to invest a $20,000 down payment to ensure they
move into the new buildings upon completion of the new living quarters. This deposit also
serves as the security deposit for any damages done to the buildings (see Image 1).

Delaney, Gonzalez, and Reynolds

Greek Housing

Image 1 Proposed Conceptual Master Plan - 2012

Statistics and Cost Breakdown

Currently, Greek members at UNF live either off campus, or they live on campus in regular dorm
housing. If approved, the Greek student body would see an increase in their chapter dues,
facility dues, and housing costs. The organizations are no longer required to rent rooms on
campus since they are recognized by UNF as school clubs and therefore would save money for
other events and their members throughout the year. Although chapter dues and facility dues
would both increase by 30%, the Greek community believe the benefits of the housing outweigh
the permanent financial increase (see charts 1 and 2).

Chart 1 Image of Greek Member Costs off Campus

Delaney, Gonzalez, and Reynolds

Greek Housing

Chart 2 Estimate of Greek Member Costs at UNF

To estimate the future costs of membership of Greek organizations at UNF, we looked at other
organizations at state schools and viewed the differences in dues based on where their
members live. An example of financial obligations required of the members of Pi Beta Phi at
UCF are displayed in Table 2.

Table 2 UCF Panhellenic Council Pi Beta Phi Chapter Fees Per Semester 2015-2016

Delaney, Gonzalez, and Reynolds

Greek Housing

Conclusion and Recommendation

The Greek life on campus makes up 10% of the students on and off campus. So every ten
students you pass walking along our School, you will past at least one highly involved student in
the Greek Community. This number also represents the amount of groups who dedicate weeks
towards their specific philanthropy of choice. As a single unit, we represent those on student
government, on campus Residential Advisors for freshmen housing, and many on campus
employees. For the amount of work, recognition, and dedication we give towards the University
and all its activities, we deserve Greek housing. We have all of the essentials that include funds,
space, and the rights. Not having the housing makes it difficult on us as the Greek community
and inconveniences the University. Instead of having our own area for events and weekly
chapter meetings, we have to go through the University to book classrooms and different areas
for the many events we have throughout the busy school year. Building the Greek housing may
seem like a risk, but it can only help recruit more students from across the state of Florida and
even the Country. As we all know, The University of North Florida has been on the rise as one
of the top Universities in the state, this would just be a giant affordable step towards making our
campus that much better.
Additional Benefits
A sense of home for each of the Greek organizations
An increase in Alumni involvement and donations
An Increase in Greek student involvement due to a decrease in traveling
Less disturbance to outside communities such as residential areas
Less risk all-around
Our own chapter room and library for increase in studies and gives open tables for the
rest of the school in the Thomas G. Carpenter Library.
Less trouble for the university with dealing with constant events on campus

Delaney, Gonzalez, and Reynolds

Greek Housing

References
Ashouri, N. (2013, April 18). Greek members hope to find a place to call home. Retrieved
September 26, 2016, from
https://unfspinnaker.com/greek-members-hope-to-find-a-place-to-call-home/
Gomez, E. (2015, September 28). It's About Time For Some Greek Houses, UNF. Retrieved
September 26, 2016, from
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/its-about-time-for-some-greek-houses-unf
University of Central Florida, Panhellenic Council (2016). Sorority Chapter Fees Per Semester.
University of Central Florida Panhellenic. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from
http://fsl.sdes.ucf.edu/docs/pan/Panhellenic%20Sorority%20Chapter%20Costs.pdf
University of North Florida, Fraternity and Sorority Life (2013). Fraternity and Sorority Village.
UNF Division of Student Affairs. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from
https://www.unf.edu/fraternity-sorority/Housing.aspx.