GREEK HOUSING AT WOFFORD IS GETTING A MAKEOVER—
As Wofford students say goodbye to the 2014- 2015 school year, they will also say goodbye to the 60-year-old Fraternity Row. The college’s new Strategic Vision, released last semester, specifically calls for improvement to Greek housing. The deconstruction of the old Row was set to begin yesterday, Monday, May 4.
The Row has been a central part of social life on Wofford’s campus. It is home to a number of events, like Winter Lighting and Spring Weekend, and is the popular Friday night hangout spot for members of Greek life and their friends. While many students hold fond memories of the Row, the houses are no longer sufficient for filling the needs of the organi- zations that used them.
Wofford’s Strategic Vision is clear in communicating the desire of administration to not only improve the campus’s physical sustainability, but also to enhance every aspect of life at Wofford in order to “prepare superior students for meaningful lives as citizens, leaders and scholars.” The college hopes that the new Greek Village, which will have a new location on campus as well as a new, fresh face, will help achieve both of those goals.
The Vision, which can be read in full detail online, states in recommendation five, part five, “A new residential Greek housing facility has the potential to strengthen the Wofford Greek life program by refocusing the emphasis of Greek organizations on the national standards of academic success, service and philanthropy within our campus and community.”
In a video released by the college elaborating on the decision to build a new Greek Village, Shelton Blue, rising junior and member of Kappa Alpha Order fraternity, shares, “I tell people on tours who are coming to visit that one of the most important things about Wofford is the community. Everybody’s together. You can’t walk past somebody and not say hi. When we have this new Row with the fraternity houses and the sorority houses, it’s going to bring everything together even more.”
Other students are worried about the process. Chad Sanders, president of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, says that the rising senior class worries that their final year as Wofford students will not live up to the experiences of those in the past. “I think the juniors, myself included, are a little disappointed that we may not have a house for our senior year, but we realize it’s definitely time for the [old] houses to be retired. We’re staying positive and hopeful that the [new] houses will be finished quickly so we’ll be able to use them next spring.”
Wofford plans to give the rising seniors at least one semester to make their own memories in the new fraternity and sorority houses. Jason Burr, vice president of facilities and capital projects, confirms the college’s intentions to have the new houses open as soon as possible.
“Most likely progress will look slow at first, as utility disconnects and abatement takes some time. The actual demolition will most likely occur after graduation. Our goal is to have the new Greek Village open by spring 2016.”
Anna Aguillard, president of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, says, “We idealistically trust Wofford’s administration to deliver their promise to the entire campus community.” She also shares the excitement over the new Row from a sorority standpoint.
“We like Wofford’s decision to finally build Panhellenic houses. Zeta envisions using the house for Homecoming, philanthropy events, sisterhood, tailgating and chapter.”
Wofford is striving to become a college that fully equips its students to be leaders in the 21st century, and it will take the effort of all the Wofford community to make it happen. As one alumnus states in the video mentioned earlier, “It’s time for the Greek Village to become a part of the new Wofford.”
