Members of the Panhellenic Association penned a petition last week urging GW to allow students with disability-related accommodations to live in Greek townhouses without placing hefty fines on chapters.
Fraternity and sorority members criticized the Office of Student Life’s enforcement of a policy last semester that requires 95 percent of rooms to be filled in chapters’ townhouses — a rule that doesn’t count single rooms granted to students with Disability Student Services accommodations as fully occupied. Panhel Vice President Charlotte McCourt said she started the petition Feb. 19, which has since garnered more than 380 signatures as of Sunday night, as a “jumping off point” to change the policy in future housing contracts.
“I’ve been talking to a lot of members from different chapters who’ve been saying they would love to live in the house,” McCourt said. “It’s their dream, but they can’t because of their accommodation.”
If fraternities and sororities don’t meet the 95 percent requirement, individual chapters have to pay the price of leftover rooms, which amounts to $6,910 for each empty bed, according to Campus Living & Residential Education’s housing rates.
McCourt, a sophomore, said the petition aims to demonstrate to CLRE that members of Greek life are “united” against the housing policy and to encourage the University to change the policy for future housing contracts, as the current contract expires in 2027.
“When the new contract is being signed, they can take this into account and know not to implement this policy because it is highly ableist and discriminatory,” McCourt said.
She said some chapters, including her own, Sigma Delta Tau, require its executive board members to reside in the chapter townhouse to facilitate teamwork, but members with accommodations opt to live in alternative housing because of the policy and miss out on collaborating in their “shared space.”
“This policy is going to override that and that will further take away people from our community,” McCourt said.
McCourt said student life officials changed the policy last semester to require 95 percent of beds be filled as opposed to individual rooms, requiring a majority of the rooms to house two members.
“So that means that each house can only have maybe one single, and that’s not fair to have that, like everyone with DSS accommodation fighting for one single,” McCourt said.
University spokesperson Julia Garbitt said student life officials and CLRE work with each Greek chapter to assist them in meeting their occupancy requirements.
Garbitt said there are no limitations on how many single bedrooms groups can allocate in their space but said the leases state that each group has to meet the required occupancy or pay GW the difference in cost. Garbitt said the University’s priority is to support students in navigating their housing policies and ensuring individuals’ needs are met.
“We encourage all student groups to have proactive conversations with their organizations to discuss ways that they can be innovative in supporting individual members’ needs and interests while also fulfilling the obligations of their lease in a way that best benefits their overall membership,” Garbitt said in an email.
Panhel President Anastasia Adams said the University’s policy on single accommodations in campus townhouses is “discriminatory” as it prevents them from living among their Greek communities.
“I respect GW and its policies, but I also respect my fellow students and feel it is of my utmost responsibility as Panhellenic president to advocate for anyone who is being personally impacted by this policy,” Adams said in a message.
Adams, the housing manager for Chi Omega, said some chapter presidents and housing managers met with GW officials to discuss their concerns in late October, but she said no progress was made. She added that she hasn’t been able to reopen the discussion due to the lack of a person of contact.
Adams said her chapter won’t have any single bedrooms in its townhouse on Townhouse Row in the next academic year because it can’t afford to pay for the almost $7,000 fine for each empty bed.
She added that each chapter is responsible for paying their own fines and that she hasn’t heard any plans from the University on assisting chapters financially. She said some chapters have previously asked their national organizations for financial assistance in paying for empty rooms.
“I realize that GW loses money from having only one person in a double room but denying someone with a disability the ability to live with their closest friends in a community they actively chose to be a part of is morally wrong,” Adams said in a message.
