What is Greek Housing?

Greek Housing is housing that is specially designated for fraternity and sorority groups at Mason.

What is Greek Row?

Greek Row usually refers to a strip of houses that are designated for Greek groups on a college campus.

Does Mason have Greek Housing?

No.

Why not?

There isn’t a single reason why Mason does not have Greek Housing, and university officials have not directly expressed opposition to it. In fact, both the administration and Greek groups have been discussing this issue for decades.

What are the challenges to building Greek Housing?

One of the biggest challenges facing Greek Housing development at Mason in particular is the extraordinarily high cost of construction in Northern Virginia. This is one of the most expensive regions in the nation, and that’s reflected in how expensive it is to purchase land.

Another challenge is the amount of space Mason has on campus and the general demand for undergraduate housing. By Fall 2014, the university will house 6,400 students on the Fairfax campus. According to a recent study, the demand for housing at Mason is expected to increase 50 percent over the next ten years as more non-local students enroll. For university officials, it would be difficult to invest in speciality housing for a small group of students when there is such a widespread demand across board.

How much does it cost to build Greek Housing?

It depends! Another complication to this project is that different Greek organizations have certain requirements for housing. Some national organizations might require their chapters to meet in their houses. If a fraternity or sorority is made up of several hundred members, the house would have to be large enough to accommodate that meeting space.

University officials have said that if Mason were to build houses for each Greek group on campus, it would easily costs several millions of dollars.

But wait, I still have questions!

Great! We want to give you answers. Email us at GMUFourthEstate@gmail.com.