Greek housing coming to USF

The university wins approval of a $24-million financing package for a building boom, which will include other housing, too.

By STEPHEN HEGARTY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 27, 2002

TAMPA -- Looking to shake its image as a commuter campus with little night life, the University of South Florida is poised for a student housing boom that includes long-awaited space for fraternities and sororities.

The Florida Board of Education on Tuesday approved a $24-million financing package for the expansion, which is expected to increase the number of on-campus beds by almost one-third.

The campus currently has housing space for 3,783 students. By the year 2010, the university hopes to have room for 5,000.

The housing boom promises to change the look of the university, especially in the northeast area of the campus, near Maple Street and East Holly Drive. It could also go a long way toward changing the university's ambiance.

"We believe it's time for us to have more of a 24/7 student life on campus," said Harold Nixon, USF's vice president for student affairs.

The demand for housing on the Tampa campus has been outpacing the supply for several years, especially in the fall, when the waiting list can reach 200 students. Officials say the space crunch is so severe that it has prompted some incoming freshmen to go elsewhere.

USF hopes to fix that problem over the next several years.

The expansion plan requires the university to demolish the Village Complex, which was built as temporary student housing in the early 1980s. Much of it has fallen into disrepair; officials estimate it would cost $400,000 just to keep the buildings functional for a few more years.

The buildings will be replaced by newer, more permanent structures.

The bulk of the expansion involves two new projects. One includes suites for 230 students, primarily traditional undergraduate students. The other includes several duplex-style units with space for 344 -- "student groups who share special interests," according to a USF project summary.

That includes the planned Greek housing.

"Greeks have been trying to get housing on campus for 15 years," Nixon said. "We're finally going to do it."

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