On Monday, April 20, Residence Life and Housing (ResLife) sent an email to students announcing the opportunity for themed housing on Eagle Row following the removal of Chi Phi fraternity from their house at 22 Eagle Row.
According to Director of Residence Life and Housing Scott Rausch, this is an opportunity for any student group at Emory to have “the ability to create their own themed, living-learning community” on Eagle Row.
The application, which is only open for a week, calls for organizations interested in the residential space to provide long-term goals, aligned with one of the four goals from the Campus Life strategic plan, have a faculty advisor and complete at least one educational program or event each month, among other requirements.
While we understand the quick turnaround surrounding this application stemming from the recent opening in housing may make the application process seem a bit rushed, the potential new occupants of Eagle Row have an unprecedented opportunity to create a positive change on the Row. As such, it merits a certain type of organization to fill the space.
When considering student groups to fill the theme house, Emory should be very careful and intentional in whom it selects. For example, allowing organizations that cater to a very specific subgroup of campus or a singular interest group would not contribute to the ideal open, community-centered space Emory is hoping to create.
Instead, these groups would continue to perpetuate the negative image of exclusivity that some houses on Eagle Row tend to have.
First, this space should be open only to organizations that demonstrate an actual need for a residential space to further their mission. While Emory is full of outstanding organizations that provide countless benefits to the community, very few organizations could effectively utilize a 40-person house to incorporate and augment their mission to its fullest. Campus groups that would benefit from a close-knit residential community as well as provide a welcoming, open programming space for students would be ideal trailblazers for this new paradigm shift on Eagle Row.
It would be a shame if housing were offered to an organization that does not necessarily grow stronger through a residential focus when there are other groups, such as cultural organizations and fraternities, that thrive on community.
The selected group should also facilitate a more welcoming, open social scene than what currently exists on campus. Although the theme housing will not necessarily be filled by a fraternity, the organization that lives in the house should provide a valuable contribution to Emory’s social scene. In theory, the fraternities on the Row should be open to the entire student body, whether through recruitment or through social events hosted in their houses; yet in practice, they can sometimes be exclusive.
For the some fraternities on Eagle Row, this announcement should serve as a good wake-up call. The purpose and mission of fraternities, by nature, is to live in these houses and foster a strong sense of brotherhood and community, and while some fraternities have made commendable, conscious efforts to improve their openness and collaboration, the Row as a whole can do better. By creating themed housing designed to address these deficiencies, Emory is pushing fraternities to live up to their potential while creating a better community for all students.
The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel‘s editorial board.
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