At many colleges across the nation, "sorority life" implies that women live together--usually in beautiful, well-kept houses, replete with cooks and maids. Although for many Duke women sorority life consists of friendships, fun and the bonds of sisterhood that one finds at other schools, there is no sorority housing.
Historically, sororities have not requested University housing because women have never had the collective desire, said Kerianne Ryan, president of the Panhellenic Council, one of the major sorority umbrella groups. The desire to live not as a group continues, she said, even as administrators implement several changes to greek life, possibly including the number of selective groups with on-campus housing.
Rumors have long circulated that a supposed anti-brothel law prevents women from living together in large groups, even in college sororities. However, local law enforcement officials, as well as legal experts and greek leaders, could not confirm whether or not such a law exists.
Nicole Manley, program coordinator for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, said she had heard of the rumor but that she did not believe any such law would be a hindrance to sorority housing at Duke.
"A lot of cities in the South have brothel laws," Manley said. "[But] I think we could work around that, since [Duke] is a private university."
Work around the law, that is, if women were actually interested in living together.
"People just don't want to be forced to do anything at this school," said Ryan, a senior. "I think people have that fear.... If you have residential sororities, it becomes your life."
Megan Gessner, a junior and Panhel space and housing coordinator, is in charge of setting up meeting rooms and recruitment rounds for all sororities. She plans on commissioning a survey in the next few months to determine the level of interest in sorority housing, but, like Ryan, said she does not think women want to live together.
"It would be more of a consideration [to participate in the recruitment process] if you have to live with these girls 24/7. [Currently, sorority women] can have their friends in their sororities, but it's not their life," Gessner said.
Consequently, if sororities were residential, many women would be less likely to participate in recruitment, said Kristina Goff, a sophomore in Delta Gamma sorority. "Non-residential sororities allow more girls to rush because they are still able to maintain other commitments while pledging a sorority," Goff said.
While recognizing that some women feel they can better balance their many activities by not living in a sorority house, Manley said they are missing out on certain benefits. She believes there is an advantage to eating, studying and just watching television together on a regular basis. "It's that sense of sisterhood... that I think we may miss," she said.
Mary McDowell, president of Kappa Delta sorority at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the bonds of sisterhood develop with greater strength when women live together, particularly women of different ages. "One advantage of living in the house is that it gives you the opportunity to get to know older and younger girls," McDowell wrote in an e-mail.
She also said UNC's historic Southern houses are an incentive for women to join the greek system because they instill pride in the hearts of sorority sisters.
Some girls at Duke do want housing for sororities. While all sororities on campus do have a space in Trent Drive Hall, senior Kristen Prude, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, said that this was not a replacement for sorority housing.
"It would be nice to have a space designated for your group. Trent... is not really convenient," Prude said. "I only see [sorority housing] as an asset."
Lindsey Hess, a sophomore and member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, said she is thinking about getting at least a few of her sisters to live in a house with her. She said a number of her Tri-Delt sisters block together in apartment complexes to approximate living together in a sorority house.
Goff added that while many girls already in sororities would probably like living in houses, she praised the University's policy of not isolating greeks from the rest of the student body.
"There is something to be said for the system we have at Duke, which allows for a large amount of interaction between greeks and independents," she said.
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