Kappa sigma richmond8/2/2023 ![]() In response to cultural shifts, the University changed the policy for alcohol to allow drinking on specific areas, one of which being the lodges.11 The first publicized appearance of drugs within the fraternity cultural arose in the late 1970s when students were caught with LSD and cocaine.12 Instances like these became a regular occurrence in the decades to follow, as they were on campuses across the country The era of the seventies marked a time of sexual liberation and increased acceptance of drug use. This donation, along with merging of Richmond and Westhampton colleges, influenced the social dynamics of campus. Claiborne Robins, forever changing the trajectory of the school. The University received a donation of $50 million from E. In the 1970s the use of lodges and the social scene around Greek life grew rapidly. Considering the financial state of the University of Richmond at this time, this proposal was rejected due to lack of funds.10 In response to these actions the Interfraternity Council created an elaborate court system to hold fraternities accountable for staying sober at the lodges.8 Fraternity leadership complained that these alcohol policies were outdated but recognized that they had to comply with the University policy because of the financial support received in the construction of the lodges.9 In 1968 the fraternities submitted a request to either build new residential houses or add on to the to lodges for housing. In the fall of 1966 SAE was expelled from campus with six other frats penalized due to out of control drinking. Even when low-percentage beer was legal, the University remained strict in the sixties on its policies but fraternities were not compliant. Issues involving alcohol appeared in the late 1960s and continue to persist as a problem into the decades that follow. The question of when and under what circumstances women were allowed to lodges was a major concern of the 1960s. ![]() The physical division between the Richmond and Westhampton campuses made the lodges a primary location of coed interaction. In the 1960s the fraternities pushed back on this policy and demanded that the University instill more trust in them. In that decade fraternities had to pre-register the parties in the lodges and chaperones were required if women were expected.7 This requirement continued and still exists to some degree, but what the authorities expected and accepted changed over the years. The funding for the lodges came partially as loans from the University, capped at $7,500, in addition to the land given to the fraternities for free.2 In May 1952, after two years of fundraising, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta and Sigma Phi Epsilon broke ground on what is now called “old frat row”.3 Other social fraternities were inclined to construct their own lodges and by the end of 1956 there were five lodges on the row.4 The progression continued in 1958 when five new lodges began construction on what is now called “new frat row”.5įor the fraternities of the University of Richmond the 1950s meant the beginning of lodges and a “time for jubilation among the fraternity men on campus.the beginning of a new era of fraternity social life at the University”.6 Through tracking the history of the lodges, one can see the consistencies in Greek life and how it adapted in conjunction with the University and the times of the country.īy the 1960s the fraternities and the University were determining the policies and purposes for these new social enclaves. The responsibility of constructing the road, sewage and water lines was assumed by the University. The goal of the Interfraternity Council was to construct three lodges on the northern end of campus but the road to access the lodges did not yet exist. Originally the lodges’ suburban architecture was due to limited funding but the need to make them uniform to campus has never been a concern. The lodges were and remain inconsistent with the traditional architecture of the school. The lodges were never intended for residential use they only served as a social gathering place. This difference was used to encourage the construction of lodges because it made the University appear more appealing and established. Since 1870 fraternities have been a part of the University's student life, but in the spring of 1950 the administration of the University settled the question as to whether the social fraternities should be allowed to build lodges.1 Greek life at the University of Richmond was often compared to other colleges that had fraternity houses, particularly William and Mary. The purpose of the lodges were, and continue to be, for the social fraternities. The lodges, a consortium of nine mid-century ranchers, sit across the Robins Center on College Road at the northern end of the University of Richmond campus.
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