[19813] in APO-L
Re: The "House" Issue
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Sarah N. Markham)
Fri Dec 18 11:56:48 1998
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 11:56:40 EST
Reply-To: SarahNell1@AOL.COM
From: "Sarah N. Markham" <SarahNell1@AOL.COM>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
A few of my thoughts about this "house" discussion.
Another downside to owning a home is liability. Any chapter purchasing a house
would most certainly need a LARGE general liability insurance policy. This
would naturally be expensive since most underwriters view a house full of
college students as a huge risk. Your college or university may require you to
purchase additional coverage also. Not to mention hazard (flood, fire,
earthquake) insurance.
The dues for most social sororities and fraternities that have houses can run
as much as $2000 per year PER MEMBER, at least at my alma mater. And that is
for all members, not just those that reside in the house. Those living in the
house pay rent also.
Do we really want that?
Someone wrote earlier that maintenance on the house would not take an
inordinate amount of time away from service, since everyone has to do
maintenance on their dwelling, wherever it is. Well, I for one never had to
paint walls, fix plumbing, mow the yard, trim the hedges, install storm
windows, work on the roof, clean gutters, or hang drywall at any APARTMENT
COMPLEX I ever lived in. The really hardcore aspects of maintenance are taken
care of for you when you live in an apartment. All of the things I mentioned
(and more) would have to be done by SOMEONE if APO chapters were to have a
house.
I can tell you it is a lot of work. I just bought one myself.
In the end, I think having a house would be a whole lot more trouble than it's
worth.
Sarah N. Markham
Alumna, Delta Theta--University of Louisville
Section 67 Staff
