Every chartered Tufts Greek organization will have a house next year, as the Sigma Nu (SigNu) fraternity and Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) sorority will move into 90-94 Curtis Street together.
According to Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Su McGlone, her office worked with the Office of Residential Life and Learning and the Dean of Student Affairs to find a location for the two Greek chapters.
"I think that organizations definitely do not need a house to be successful, but when they're in a place [and] they're doing really well, it gives them an additional place to call home," McGlone said. "[It allows them] to be able to have a place for their members to congregate and then to be able to work on a lot of things that they're doing as an organization."
McGlone explained that both organizations are in good standing with the university. While Theta is new to campus this year and has never lived in an on-campus house, SigNu previously lived at 92 Professors Row, but was removed in the summer of 2012 when the fraternity inflicted heavy damage on the building.
Senior Michael Hursh, the Tufts chapter president of SigNu, explained that the fraternity has evolved and learned a lot during its two years without a house. Hursh said he was optimistic about the opportunities available with the new house.
"We lost the house at a tough time, but we've learned a lot from that and moved forward," he said. "One of the positives of this is that we're moving into a new space ... and we kind of have the opportunity to make it our own and to really develop [it] much like we have developed from the past as a brotherhood."
While not having a house impacted SigNu's ability to recruit initially, the fraternity has recovered by altering its recruiting strategy, according to Hursh.
"Obviously, having a house does play a role in recruitment, but one of the things we tried to focus on during our time away from having a house was what we call value-based recruiting, which is trying to recruit people with shared values and common views, rather than people who are just in it for the house," he said. "If you can kind of maintain the values and then use the house more to drum up initial support, that's kind of the best of both worlds, and that's what we're really aiming for."
While having a house will likely have less of an impact on Theta's recruitment due to the guaranteed bid system for sororities, Tufts Theta Chapter President Lesya Horyn, a junior, said the new house will allow the chapter to grow in other ways.
"We're really excited about it and it will be really nice to have a space that we can call a 'Theta' space," Horyn said. "We weren't really sure we were going to get a house, but ... It will be nice to feel like a part of the Greek community, having that central location."
While Theta and SigNu will share a house, they will live in separate apartments and will not have access to each other's spaces, McGlone said. She explained that the basement of the house, which is currently a shared space, will not be accessible to the students.
The presidents of both chapters, however, said that the shared space will hopefully allow their organizations to work together.
"I think [sharing a house] is a big positive," Hursh said. "It's a unique arrangement ... If we can build a strategic type of partnership, as well as a friendship, we can help each other out a lot because I'm sure they'll be going through some problems [and] I'm sure we'll have some issues as [we] move into a new space ... If we can have some kind of bond that's a little stronger, that can definitely help ... in the way of philanthropy or hosting different events."
While both Hursh and Horyn are enthusiastic about the new house, both feel that they will not be sharing it long-term. Hursh explained that SigNu signed a one-year lease. With the possibility of a new sorority coming to campus in the next few years, Greek life's housing situation will likely change, Hursh said.
Horyn agreed. She said Theta views this as a building block to eventually get their own house.
Theta will select eight of its members, and SigNu will select 11 of its members to live in the house next year, according to Horyn and Hursh. The individual chapters are using their own strategies for selecting residents.
"I think it's a great opportunity for the chapter - it's a new space with a lot of potential," sophomore Ryan Buell, a SigNu member and Daily columnist who will live in the house next year, said. "I joined this fraternity for the opportunity to make it our own, [to] make it into a vision that we could shape collectively and the new space provides the best opportunity."
