WESTERN TO BREAK GROUND DEC. 9
FOR ON-SITE GREEK HOUSING COMPLEX

CULLOWHEE - Western Carolina University will break ground Tuesday, Dec. 9, for its new Greek Village, a 252-bed housing complex that will become home to 17 sororities and fraternities.

The ground-breaking ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. on the site of the complex, to be located near the golf practice range at the far end of the existing jogging trail. An $11.4 million project funded through student room fees, the complex is designed to provide modern housing for fraternities and sororities that currently either occupy certain wings or floors of residence halls, or have off-campus houses. The village is planned as a series of red brick row houses featuring white columns, and a multi-organizational building.

“The village has been designed with significant student input to meet the needs of today’s students,” said Bill Haggard, associate vice chancellor for student affairs. “Larger organizations will be housed in 16- and 20-bed units, and smaller groups will be part of the multi-organizational building, which will consist of three- and four-bedroom apartments.”

Each house will have a parlor, residential kitchen, public bathroom, lockable storage space and state-of-the-art technology, Haggard said. A centrally located commons building will provide meeting rooms, reception space and laundry facilities for all residents of the village. The commons building also will house an apartment and office for the village director.

The Greek Village is scheduled to be open in the 2004 fall semester. It is being built by Affinity Housing LLC, a limited liability corporation that is managed by the Western Carolina University Research and Development Corp., a nonprofit corporation organized to benefit the university.