EAST LANSING, Mich. — The City of East Lansing is seeing an uptick in Michigan State University fraternity house applications and the reason could be related to the university reinstating its requirement for second year students to live on campus.
According to the City of East Lansings website, there are three special use permitapplications pending for fraternity houses. The fourth application has already been approved.
When Fox 47 asked why the city was seeing an increase, Planning and Zoning Administrator, Peter Menser said in an email, “We understand that MSU has been reviewing its off campus housing policies, part of which includes ensuring that organizations that utilize off-campus housing are up to date with any required approvals and meet local ordinances."
“There have been four special use permit applications proposing to establish a fraternity or sorority in the City. This number is higher than in year’s past, but is not out of the ordinary," Menser added.
When MSU reinstated the second year live on campus policy last fall, which requires students to live on campus for their first two years, they made a few exceptions.
"We have a group housing process that fulfills the second year live on requirement at a house that's been approved by the administration of Michigan State University to fulfill that requirement," said Kat Cooper, Chief Communications Officer for student life and engagement at Michigan State University.
Eligible houses include fraternities, sororities, and co-ops. If one of those organizations wants to live off campus, they must apply through the university and be approved. They also need to obtain a valid rental license with East Lansing for the home.
Students who want to live in these houses must also apply on their own.
"Some universities have fraternity and sorority and co-op houses on their physical campus," said Cooper. "That is not the case with Michigan State University. All of those houses including Evans scholars, religious organizations, fraternities, and sororities and co-ops are off campus on East Lansing property."
Out of the 65 MSU greek chapters, only eight special use permits are on file with East Lansing, plus the three that are pending review.
Special use permits in the city will go through a review process that includes a public hearing with both the planning commission and the city council.
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