After completing significant renovations to one of seven on-campus fraternity houses, Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) recognized equity concerns with fraternity members living in on-campus OWU-owned houses while sorority members lived in on-campus housing but attended chapter meetings and social activities at chapter-owned houses off- campus. OWU engaged Scion to collect input from students, OWU staff, alumnae, and chapter staff to identify priorities for future sorority spaces, provide potential options and estimated costs, and recommend next steps to advance identified priorities, with emphasis on affordability. Scion provided six options and recommended testing how the options would be received by sorority members and stakeholders.
Following to the earlier analysis, OWU engaged Scion assess their student housing system strategically, considering two unrenovated residence halls, two vacant residence halls, Greek facilities, and the residential system holistically. Scion conducted focus groups and surveyed students, toured campus facilities, and met with stakeholders. Workshop Architects developed multiple options for transforming the residential core of campus with alternative approaches to housing, and that include chapter spaces for Greek students. Using Gordian data on facilities renovation costs, Scion developed project budgets for the options to inform and empower decision-makers. The University is moving forward with one of the proposed options for renovating and enhancing the housing system.