Alpha Phi physical plant nears finish
The physical plant for Alpha Phi sorority, the first since the chapter’s recognition, is scheduled to be completed by July 1.
By Lindsay Ellis, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Alpha Phi sorority’s first physical plant since the chapter’s recognition in April 2007 is nearing completion and is projected to be finished by July 1, according to project manager Jim Odorisio of Trumbull-Nelson Construction. Construction workers finished building the exterior roof and wall framing in late March.
Although the plant’s construction has been in the planning stages for several years, zoning issues, the economic recession and other setbacks have delayed its completion.
The plant, located at 2 North Park St., will house 23 members of the sorority starting in fall 2012, according to Alpha Phi president Lexi Campbell ’13. Members of the Class of 2013 and Class of 2014 will live in the building in roughly equal numbers during Fall term, she said.
Odorisio said he expects that the building will be ready for a “preliminary look-see” by members in June.
As May approaches, the building’s exterior will start to be finalized with the addition of trim, windows and roofing, according to Odorisio. Trumbull-Nelson will also install the plumbing and electrical infrastructure at that time, he said.
The site for the $2.6-million house, funded by the Office of Residential Life, was secured in winter 2011 after several delays, Director of Residential Operations Woody Eckels said. Construction of the house began in fall 2011, and after being hired in early December 2011, Trumbull-Nelson excavated and installed underground utilities for the building in January. The firm completed the concrete foundation and the basement and concrete floor slab in February, Odorisio said.
In 2008, the College planned to build the sorority’s physical plant at 26 East Wheelock St. The location was abandoned, however, because it lies outside the area within which the Town of Hanover allows the College to construct buildings, according to Eckels.
“In between the time we designed the building and when it came time to reinstitute the project, the town voted on an amendment to say student housing could only be in the institutional zone,” Eckels said.
The zoning shift has restricted the College’s construction options, which also delayed the construction of a house for Kappa Delta sorority, Ellie Sandmeyer ’12, former president of the Panhellenic Council and a member of Alpha Phi, said.
The College hired Haynes and Garthwaite Architects — the group that designed Alpha Xi Delta sorority’s physical plant and the Latin American, Latino and Caribbean affinity house — to undertake the project following a bid process, Eckels said.
A building committee of Alpha Phi members provided input and feedback at regular schematic meetings throughout the course of the design process, Eckels said. At the latest meeting, the committee took a three-dimensional virtual tour through the building.
About 20 Alpha Phi members currently live on the fourth floor of Hitchcock residence hall, Campbell said. Although the floor is a “great location,” its common room cannot accommodate all of the sorority’s members for weekly meetings, Sandmeyer said. Once the physical plant opens, all of the sorority’s members will be able to congregate in the living room.
Members of KD will move to the fourth floor of Hitchcock when Alpha Phi members relocate, according to Sandmeyer, who said she hopes that the physical plant will be a “draw” for the sorority during the recruitment process.
“I’ve run the rush numbers for years now,“ she said. “We definitely saw AZD build a lot of momentum in terms of recruitment after they finally got their physical plant. We’re hoping it’ll have a similar effect on Alpha Phi. We haven’t had a problem, but historically it’s been a big boost.”
Benefits of a physical plant include the ability to hold pre-recruitment parties, weekly meetings and parties during recruitment, according to Sandmeyer.
“Most women on campus would like to have their own social space to be in control of,” she said.
The sorority has nonetheless enjoyed a strong sisterhood without a house, extending 37 bids during fall rush in 2011, she said. This statistic is consistent with the average number of bids extended at each sorority during the rush process.
Sandmeyer said that the College’s sorority system has moved toward greater stability in recent years, though the growing number of physical plants is not a “huge part” of this shift.
“We’ve seen a lot of parity in how the houses are rushing because of the strength and expansion of the sorority system,” Sandmeyer said.
Campbell said she is looking forward to giving potential new members tours of the physical plant and decorating the house for rush events, but she is most excited about the house’s kitchen, living room and library, she said.
“No one likes studying in the library on a Sunday night, where you can smell the stress,” she said.
“No one likes studying in the library on a Sunday night, where you can smell the stress,” she said. So instead of “smelling the stress” in the library, the College has taken other student’s tuition money and spent $113,000 per woman to build a sorority house for them. Two years ago, Sigma Phi Epsilon spent their own $84,000 per man to build their fraternity house. When the house was finished, people complained that it was an architectural industrial block, but they didn’t pay a penny for it and they didn’t volunteer to contribute to it either. Of course, these same people and no one volunteered to contribute to the building of the sorority house, the College just took it and built it. Now isn’t everyone thrilled that the women of Alpha Phi won’t have to smell the peasant students who are in the library on a Sunday night? They won’t have to smell them with the money they had taken from them? Why is it costing 36% more per occupant to build a sorority with College money than it cost to build a fraternity with private money? The College did it that’s why. Trumbull-Nelson, Haynes and Garthwaite and the Office of Residential Life paid for it. Hey, who do you know wants a free house? And remember Alpha Phi President Lexi Campbell ‘13 and her sisters won’t have to smell you anymore. Isn’t that great? Wasn’t that worth it?
By Anonymous on Apr 11 | 1:43 pm
$113,000 per resident, but $20,000 per sister. Physical plants for sororities are about a lot more than residence. They’re about empowering women by giving them their own social spaces.
By Anonymous on Apr 11 | 2:43 pm
The kitchen, living room and library. That is exciting. Why don’t all Dartmouth students have them at College expense? Now there’s a deep question for the administration. Where are the complaints that some students are more equal than others according to those who supposedly run the place? Why can’t we all be black, gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, Latin American, Latino and Caribbean women and get our free house with an exciting new kitchen, living room and library. Why does the College throw your money around for sororities but not for fraternities? Is this all political? You bet your underwear it is and you are the political and real losers.
By Anon on Apr 11 | 3:33 pm
Empowering women by “giving” them their own social space. Where are all of the rich Dartmouth women alums ponying up to pay or get loans for Dartmouth women to be “given” their own social space. No one has taken a penny of College money to give fraternities their own social space. How much it costs to build a sorority with other people’s money is always too much, especially when they have no say in it. Where is everyone else’s free private space? Where is everyone else’s $113,000 per occupant or $20,000 to be a member of a club? Why not ask people if they would rather have $20,000 taken off of their tuition than have their own social space? They don’t get that choice and the sorority shouldn’t get that benefit. Where is this money coming from? It is coming from other students. Where is the $41 million plus for the Hanover Inn coming from?
By Anonymous on Apr 11 | 4:33 pm
“No one likes studying in the library on a Sunday night, where you can smell the stress,” she said.
how tragic.
By Anonymous on Apr 11 | 4:35 pm
“Where are the Dartmouth women alums ponying up to pay”? Funny story actually: they’re currently trying (and failing) to convince the college to recognize a women’s alumni group that would be able to raise funds for exactly this kind of thing. For some reason, the administration has a problem with allowing them a say in how their donations are spent.
Building more female dominated social spaces is a great thing for campus, on par with building an LGBT house (which is next in line) and other similar projects.
By Anonymous on Apr 11 | 9:25 pm
That is a funny story. So, the College is discriminating against women while they foot the entire bill for them? Something sounds fishy. “Your money is no good here.” Hahahahahaha. No doubt the administration is stupid and controlling…and stupid. OK, I believe it.
By Anonymous on Apr 12 | 12:34 am
I’m confused. Are you arguing that the primary purpose of sororities is the empowerment of women?
By Anonymous on Apr 12 | 11:21 am
Alpha Phi national offered to pay for the house itself – this came up several years ago when APhi was first established at Dartmouth. However, since the college wanted to maintain control of the physical plant, it refused to allow the sorority to buy its own house. If you’re upset with the way the college has chosen to spend its money here, be upset with the administration, not the sorority.
By APhi ‘09 on Apr 12 | 7:47 pm
The College refusing independent money to pay for a sorority house in order to maintain control of it, fits with everything the College has done in the past 30 years. The College and the bloated bureaucracy don’t care what happens at Dartmouth as long as a whole lot of administrators make a good living and retirement while they “control” everything in order to justify their worthless positions. Look what a good job they’ve done with the Hanover Inn for instance. They had to farm out the management to an independent management group and they are now in the midst of blowing a medium sized fortune on renovating a hotel that could have been torn down and rebuilt new for far less than the cost to renovate. Of course it isn’t the sorority’s fault what is going on with the College building their house. It is the College that is completely at fault.
By JBL on Apr 13 | 12:58 am
Dartmouth builds and buys rental housing all over Hanover, including some fraternity house. Some of the property is treated as a “land bank,” kept for potential future academic use and only incidentally expected to bring in any income. Dartmouth would be doing itself a disservice if it sold off property this close to the center of campus — it’s not a desire for “control” for its own sake.
Before it built this house, Dartmouth “controlled” the empty apartment building it owned there.
And Trumbull-Nelson and Haynes and Garthwaite most certainly did not pay for this house.
By NotBrendan on Apr 19 | 5:27 am
The College is building a private club house for the women. It isn’t open housing for the student body at large. Do you get the distinction there? As far as Trumbull-Nelson and Haynes and Garthwaite..who said they paid for it? They got paid for it. The College paid for it. No one said they should sell off the land, although the College is on a land selling kick to pay the present bills. The bureaucracy of Dartmouth College is bleeding the endowment, gifts and all other income dry. No comment on that right? All is well at Dartmouth College, with at least 1,000 too many administrators doing nothing.
By @NotBrendan on Apr 23 | 4:31 pm