Greek life continues to expand at Troy University with the opening of AOII’s new house.
The new sorority established their Theta Delta chapter last fall and have established themselves as a successful organization on campus. This semester, the sorority was given Hillcrest Hall to use as its house.
This building was previously an all-male dorm that existed as wellness housing. According to Troy University’s housing office, Hillcrest Hall was “a substance-free house for males. They voluntarily seek and agree to maintain a living environment that is free from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.”
The facility has been repurposed as a home for members of the organization.
“It’s exciting to have a place to go and build relationships with women who share the same values as I do,” said Anna Laura Kirchharr, a junior English major from Uriah.
The decision to repurpose the dormitory was expected.
“Administration was prepared to give the chosen sorority an on-campus house,” Kirchharr said. “Having a house near Sorority Hill will enable AOII to easily and conveniently participate in all Panhellenic events and truly feel like we are a part of the Troy Panhellenic family.”
This decision benefits both the university as well as AOII, allowing for Greek life to expand on campus and better use housing.
“The house is full,” said Maggie Doss, a freshman social work major from Hayden and the house manager for AOII. “We are so grateful that the university was able to provide us with a house so quickly.”
This better benefits Troy’s ratio of female to male students, which, according to Troy University’s headcount as of the fall of 2017, is 60 percent to 40 percent.
“It was so exciting walking in for the first time,” said Peyton Cook, a senior accounting major from Ariton. “As an organization, I feel that we have gotten closer to one another and feel as though we actually have a home at Troy University.”
The growing presence of Greek life at Troy also shows a growing collaboration between the administration and Greek organizations. Greek life is advertised and promoted as a large part of the college experience at Troy.
The addition of another sorority and house marks the growth that Troy has experienced as a university. According to the university headcount reports, Troy’s home campus has grown by over a thousand students.
With growth comes change, and one of the major parts of Troy’s campus is Greek life. These organizations are the most active on campus but are also the most heavily supported by university administration.
Greek life isn’t necessarily detrimental in any way to the social atmosphere of Troy, but its overpowering presence can’t be avoided, especially for incoming freshmen on the campus.
For the individuals who don’t necessarily want to participate in Greek life, it would seem necessary for the university to invest in other organizations that catered to the interests of other students.
However, this is a problem for the administration to deal with, and it shouldn’t reflect on the newfound community for the sisters of AOII.
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