Yep, and you should expect the overall population to increase by 1,500+ new students every year. As FAUfasho pointed out, Saunders had given instructions to raise the freshmen class numbers. Fortunately we're becoming popular so we're able to retain quality in doing that.

I've seen more people who are seriously debating FAU vs the traditional powers lately. We must be doing something right. The thing that's holding them back is lack of Greek Housing and limited nightlife opportunities.

That is crazy to me.  Between Boca, Delray, WPB, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami there is hardly limited night life opportunities.  I know people from Florida especially see it that way but I dont get it.

I came to FAU from Texas for the reason it was between Ft. Lauderdale and WPB.  For instance at UF…I know every bar and have been there maybe 3 weekends.  Between the beach bars and downtown bars and clubs there is no way you can say there is a lack of night life at FAU.

walty12 said

That is crazy to me.  Between Boca, Delray, WPB, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami there is hardly limited night life opportunities.  I know people from Florida especially see it that way but I don't get it.

I came to FAU from Texas for the reason it was between Ft. Lauderdale and WPB.  For instance at UF…I know every bar and have been there maybe 3 weekends.  Between the beach bars and downtown bars and clubs there is no way you can say there is a lack of night life at FAU.

I completely understand what you're saying and usually I argue it that way too. Underclassmen don't typically find that answer very satisfying, for whatever reason. The rebuttal I get is usually about how they want to get hammered without driving. At UF you can go downtown or you can just go across the street to a place like The Swamp/Balls/etc and get obliterated.

And I get that, so that's why 20th Street/University Blvd is important. The other potential place I mentioned, which would be an extension of University Commons across Glades, would be the "closer" option a Lazy Moon-type place.

The downside to Gainesville is that you're trapped in Gainesville. There's nowhere worth going for about an hour's drive (or more) so once you've played out the town, that's it… as you mentioned.

Owl_Ranger said

Yea I hear you on that. I did read someting in the UP last year pertaining to the development of greek housing. They were saying that construction for it can begin as early as 2015 and the "greek row" would be similar to Auburn's (clustered housing). That maybe the most important thing FAU is missing right now.

Oh, absolutely. As far as campus life, it is the #1 thing we are missing right now (#2 would be a new Student Union). However I've heard that the Greeks have been kind of apathetic about it - some even arguing against it - and that slows things down, on top of the fact that you're talking about spending millions of dollars on a subset of the student population numbering just over a thousand people (1/30th of the overall student body). So they kind of want everybody to be on board if they're going to do this. I think once they start talking about this as a more concrete thing, once they show the Greeks the renderings of it, everybody will be on board.

2015 is still three years away. That's unacceptable. It just is. I was told "in three years" back in 2009, and people on this board have been hearing "in three years" since the 70's. The head position in Greek Life is always held by some graduate student who works there to get his Master's and then bounces, so three years is just long enough to make some progress and hand the baton onto the next guy.

Housing needs to take it over, take the baton away from Greek Life. Because they clearly can't close the deal.

Owl_Ranger said

I have been to a few frat parties since I've been here and due to the lack of housing on campus, most greeks reside in houses in surrounding areas. I'm sure most don't mind that but you can't compare that to an actual on campus house.

Right. A couple of them have off-campus houses and it's decent. Visiting students don't know that though. Hell, even enrolled students typically don't know that. So it's a visibility issue, but it affords the chapters some freedom with things like candles that FAU has been stingy on (for understandable reasons, don't get me wrong).