Bissman Hall is glossy with fresh paint. The beige walls that were once covered in Greek letters now house posters of first-year activities. In the wake of the largest first-year class in Wooster history arriving on campus, changes, it is evident, have been made. Once the official home of Greek life on campus, Bissman Hall has been reborn as a first-year center.
Greek life now exists mostly in University and Spink Street program houses, one of many housing changes made this summer to accommodate both the larger first-year class and the 2 to 3 percent increase in the number of returning students. Because of the size of the group being moved, the Greek housing transition was one of the most work-intensive of the summer for administrators and students. It also soon became one of the most-talked about.
“Bissman housed so many memories,” said Maurgerite McClain, the president of the Pi Kappa sorority, “It was definitely hard for people to see it go.”
The summer began for Director of Residence Life Christie Kracker with the realization that the plan to house incoming first-years in Bornhuetter, Wagner, and the recently converted first-year centers of Compton and Douglass would not work. With the original goal for the class of 2014 capping off around 550, the number had risen as high as 670, before finally settling at 640 to 650 students.
“We were asked to look at the entire housing stock and compile any possible solutions,” said Kracker, “We had enough beds on campus to house the numbers of both first-year and returning students ó it was just a matter of having the right beds in the right places.”
At this time, Bissman Hall was at 73 percent occupancy, while campus programs houses were at 85 percent.
“[Bissman] rose to the top as the building that would lend itself to relocation above others,” said Kracker.
The eventual solution was presented to the Dean of Students, and then brought to discussion by Dean Holmes at the President’s Cabinet level.
“We acknowledged fully that it was going to be difficult, and the timing would be difficult for the students and us, but, as we saw numbers firm, we were left with no other choice,” said Kracker.
Residence Life began several conversations with Greek administrative groups including the Inter-Greek Council and Director of Greek Life Joe Kirk. The number of students who wanted to live in Greek housing varied from 5 to 28 students per groups, which “added a layer of complexity,” according to Kracker.
“The process to place them was a mixture of trying to keep the community in close proximity to each other, which had come out as one of their main concerns from the beginning.† We also had a finite number of houses to work with even with bringing the Spink Street neighborhood back on line.† It was important to weigh the needs of all the groups ó WVN, Permanent Charter, Campus Program Houses, and Greek Groups,” said Kracker.
Many of these needs were related through Roger Klein ’11, the co-president of IGC and Treasurer of the Xi Chi Psi fraternity.
“Some members of the community feel that the Greek community should have been alerted sooner to the potential problems with their occupancy while they were still on campus,” said Klein.
Klein identified some of the biggest concerns of the Greek community, including the fact that the number of students who sign up for Greek housing doesn’t always reflect the number of total students in the organization, making some common areas in houses too small for groups that relied on Bissman for social events and meetings. The current absence of an area where campus-sanctioned parties can be thrown is a pressing issue. Every Greek group is required to throw an all-campus event once a year. UG staff can’t work the events, and there is no existing venue on campus where they can be held for free. Klein, however, was enthusiastic about the decisions made this summer.
“[The IGC] acknowledge that it was only over the summer when the final number of first-years was finalized… although the current set-up isn’t perfect, [the IGC] greatly appreciates the efforts Residence Life made to work with Greek leadership, and their flexibility in determining house assignments,” said Klein.
The full list of renovations affected not just Greeks or first-years, but the entire campus. The coaches and athletic staff that had been moved into Holden Annex were again transferred to make room for student living facilities. Holden Formal Lounge was also renovated. The complete interior of Bissman was painted, and the building also received new carpet and new lounge furniture. Residence Life also purchased 20 new sets of common furniture for houses and apartments. The Spink Street houses (McDavitt, Morris, Schalbach, and Rickett) were brought back online, with newly painted floors, refurbished porches, new furniture and lighting, and repaired walls and insulation. Carpets were replaced in Westminster Cottage, Miller Manor, Hider House, and Kennedy Apartments.
In the aftermath of all the changes, some members of the Greek community are enthusiastic about the move.
“It’s a totally different dynamic, and there are pros and cons of both, but all of us have adjusted, and are definitely making the most of it and having a great year together,” said McClain, ’11.
“The members of my organization love the new house,” said Anthony Dominguez ’11, president of Phi Omega Sigma. Dominguez believes that the move to College Avenue will improve Greek social life. “I’m not sure if the school did it because of necessity, or if they finally got their head straight. Either way, mad props to Joe Kirk and Erin Leonardi for making it happen.”
“I am very excited about the opportunity that this move creates and presents to the Greek community of this campus… I see this move helping each group to strengthen their roots as a Greek organization and a challenge for the community as a whole to remain strong,” said Joe Kirk.