WKU Board of Regents authorizes property transfer; not all agree on resolution

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Western Kentucky Universitys Board of Regents on Wednesday authorized the transfer of property to five fraternities that will form the beginning phase of the Greek Village.

By a vote of 8-3, the board determined that the land will be given in separate tracts to the Greek organizations, which will be responsible for funding, building and maintaining their own houses. This resolution means the board will move forward with paperwork to transfer the land to participating fraternities; the actual transfers will be brought before the board later.

Supporters say the new housing will serve as a way to replace old, off-campus Greek houses, which in many cases are in need of major repairs.

We are challenged to do this without impacting our operating budget, WKU President Gary Ransdell said. We must move the houses out of the citys historic district, and this is the only way to achieve that end.

The property is between 14th and 15th avenues, adjacent to Center Street. Dissenters who included Faculty Regent Robert Dietle, Staff Regent Pat Jordan and Student Regent Patti Johnson had varying reasons for voting against the resolution, but Dietle was the most outspoken.

Im pretty strongly against this, said Dietle, an associate professor of history. Their houses are unsafe? Maybe they are, but thats a group they join. Fraternity houses are not the only unsafe housing in the community; weve got off-campus students living in apartments. … I dont take it very well that were giving land to students that are part of an exclusive group.

Johnson said she was concerned that the land giveaway is so small and there is no guarantee that the same opportunity for free land will be given to different organizations. The board plans to buy a tract of land across Center Street from the Southcentral Kentucky Performing Arts Center, which is planned to house the rest of the Greek Village.

So far, Sigma Chi is the only fraternity that has expressed definite plans to move into the Greek Village area.

I think this is a great idea, but this is only five, Johnson said. How can we guarantee more safe housing? I wish there were a guarantee for other groups that they could move into a project like this.

Gene Tice, vice president for student affairs and campus services, presented the resolution to move forward with the Greek Village to the board. He said hes been down every blind alley to find the best model for proceeding with the village, and the only way to make it affordable and attractive to fraternities and sororities is to give them the land.

After board Chairman Cornelius Martin suggested the Greeks lease the land, Tice said charging these students for the land would be impossible. Western has not had the land appraised, but Warren County Property Valuation Assessor William Carter estimated the value at $166,000.

Our groups are fairly young, Tice said. Financially, that would be a deal-breaker.

Also during Wednesdays meeting, the board approved a long-term tuition policy that would allow incoming students to pay their tuition two, three, or four years in advance, assuming a 5 percent tuition increase each year. Current undergraduate students can also pay one amount equal to the balance of the rest of their Western education through 2008.

Through its commitment to service to students and parents, Western is taking action to create a way for incoming students to avoid significant tuition increases in the future, Ransdell said.

Payment for tuition beyond the first year will be placed in a tuition reserve fund, and interest from that fund will be used to cover any tuition increases above 5 percent.

In other action, the board:

Voted unanimously to sell property at 1425 State St., which contains the historic Settle House, to Jim Skaggs for $175,000.

Voted unanimously to acquire the ALIVE Center property and facility at 1818 U.S. 31-W. Representatives from the ALIVE Center, a volunteer dispatch service, said Westerns acquisition of this facility will let students become more engaged in the community. The property will be bought for $207,500; part of that will be funded with the $175,000 gained from the sale of the 1425 State St. property. Grants associated with the ALIVE Center will fund the remainder of the purchase and programming at the center.

Voted unanimously to implement a new program in Computer Information Technology designed to be a completion program for students transferring from Kentucky Community and Technical College System institutions and other community colleges in the region. All program courses are offered online.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700