With the addition of the Radian to residential options, sororities are having an unusually difficult time filling their houses for next year.
Because rush occurs during the spring, many girls have already signed contracts for housing next semester. Most off-campus leases are signed during the fall, as are contracts for in-house room change.
So when it comes time to decide who gets to live in the sorority house, many girls have prior commitments.
College freshman and member of Delta Delta Delta Chloe Castellon said sorority members are required to help fill the house and that the obligation to do so often falls on the newest pledge class.
College junior and president of Delta Delta Delta Rebecca Feldman explained that sororities must finance the expense of their houses through the rent of the girls that live there.
"If we don't make quota it would put a strain on the house," she said.
But sometimes, girls must break pre-existing housing contracts to help meet that quota.
Because the cost of breaking a Radian contract is so high, the older sisters are torn between needing to fill the house and trying to avoid forcing girls to break their contracts.
"We're targeting the people that it will be cheaper for, like off-campus housing and the people who are living in the high rises," said Feldman. "Unfortunately, there isn't anything we can do to help them" pay the cost of breaking a contract.
This year in particular, a higher number of new pledges have already signed contracts with the Radian, a number of sorority sisters said.
"The Radian targeted freshmen to get people to live there," said Feldman. "Most of the girls who ended up living in the Radian told me personally that they would have lived in the sorority house."
She added that "last year there was no problem at all . we almost had too many people wanting to live in the house."
President of the Panhellenic Council and member of Sigma Delta Tau Drew Tye, a College junior, said the sisters try to stress the advantages of living in the house in order to increase interest among new pledges.
Not only does a house include on-campus benefits such as electricity and a cleaning service, Tye said, but living there also builds a stronger sense of community between the sisters.
Additionally, even though many girls initially lose money by breaking their housing contracts, they "make it up because living in the house is substantially less," expensive Castellon said.
For example, a single in the Delta Delta Delta house costs $3,200 per semester, compared to the $1,350 monthly rate that the Radian advertises on its Web site for a one-person apartment. That does not include the security deposit and administrative and application fees the Radian requires.
In the meantime, Tye said the Radian is "trying to make it cheaper to sign for a lease. They are communicating with [the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs] to try and coexist peacefully."
A representative from the Radian was unavailable for comment.
