Third-year housing exceptions are unfair • The Tulane Hullabaloo

Greek organization houses are exempt, while other houses are not.

There has been a lot of discussion about Tulane University’s requirement for students in the class of 2027 or later who live on campus for the first three years of their studies. This policy is well-intentioned, and reducing the number of students looking for off-campus housing could give the proverbial slumlords who rent to Tulane students a reason to lower prices. The problem with this policy lies in its discriminatory nature: who is exempt and who is not.

For example, students studying abroad in the fall semester will live around the world for nearly five months, while their counterparts remain in Tulane.

A fairer policy would allow students staying at Tulane to choose whether to move off campus for the second semester or stay in their first semester housing. Students returning from abroad will be provided with on-campus housing. This way, third-year students can each live off campus for a semester if they wish.

Granting special privileges to students who choose to study abroad essentially means that these students earn more. Students who remain on campus must be moved to the front of the course registration line for at least their senior year.

Another exception to this policy is made for students who are legally married. I doubt many students will take advantage of this rule. A ring-by-spring school, Tulane is not.

While Tulane’s expectation of study abroad is objectionable enough, the exception to Greek life deserves condemnation. Like Tulane’s website says, “Students living in Tulane-approved Greek housing” are exempt from the on-campus requirement.

Students in Greek life should receive absolutely no special treatment. Allowing them to circumvent these rules will only deepen divisions and leave Greek organizations as exclusive bubbles, separate from the broader campus community. In any case, fraternity houses can be more dangerous than the average off-campus housing. Making an exception for their members defies logic and safety.

Plus, it gives another reason for freshmen to stick with a pledge when they might not otherwise want to. The promise to leave campus early could be another reason for pledges to remain quiet about any abuse they may suffer.

On-campus living requirements are about more than convenience: they are about safety, resources and responsibility. Greek off-campus housing has a well-documented history of it problems.

I’m not saying that Greek organizations shouldn’t exist. Every student should have the freedom to join groups of their choice. But the difference lies in the fact that Tulane specifically privileges these students over others who may want to live off campus.