swing house?

When a sorority is building a new house, they are usually put in a "swing house" while their house is being built. It's just a house that is already on campus that the original sorority that lived there has built a new house but the university has kept the house and each year a different sorority uses it as their swing house while they build. But, there are a limited number of swing houses, so when multiple houses are rebuilding not everyone gets a swing house, so the sorority who doesn't get a swing house needs a place to hold rush so they use the stadium. It's just for the week of rush/bid day but swing houses are usually for the whole year and it's like it's their normal sorority house.

When houses undergo reconstruction or extensive renovation, the sisters usually cannot stay in the house. In these cases, they will try to stay in "swing houses", which are houses that aren't regularly in use. They are oftentimes much smaller and not as nice as regular sorority houses, but it serves as a general meeting space for rush, meals, that sort of thing. The assignment of swing houses and use of the stadium is based on a rotation, so whoever has just started renovation is going to have less priority to use the swing house during rush than a house that's been under construction for a while.

Every updated house on campus ends up being beautiful, but they do take time, hence the use of alternate locations for rush and meetings. However, even though the house is a great bonding opportunity for sisters, not having one or only having a swing house doesn't detract from a sorority's overall great qualities. It's not the house that makes the sisterhood! So if you're rushing at a house that is in the stadium or in a swing house, don't discount it right off the bat just because it isn't the best physical location. You might love the sisters!

A swing house is a sorority chapter house that is available on a temporary basis. There are two of these. Since the building boom started, what happens is a chapter moves into one of those houses when their then-existing house gets demolished and building on a new house starts. The old Gphi house is one of these. Like the house that DZ is using now. When Zeta was building, they used it. When Phi Mu was building, they used it. When DZ is done building, maybe Theta will use it. When Theta is done building, maybe a new chapter/colony will use it.

Rushing out of the stadium is actually using a lobby area by some of the tide pride seating areas. Like the stadium club, the north "zone" club and the south "zone" club. These are really big rooms and well suited for hosting recruitment. There is way more room in those areas than in a swing house, which are houses from another era when the chapters were smaller. But sororities still prefer to use their swing house if it is big enough. Phi Mu and Zeta both rushed out of the old Gphi house, so maybe DZ will also.

Pi Phi does not have a swing house because they chose to build out of sequence. They will rush out of the stadium for sure. DZ is in a smaller swing house than the Gphi one, so they probably will use the stadium too. Just a different club part than Pi Phi.

Hope this answers your question.

The only chapter without any house facility this fall is pi phi, but they will have a new house after the winter break.