For the over 600 women living in LSU's Greek Housing this year, the anxiety of COVID-19 was elevated. Upwards of 60 girls live in each house, leaving the community and housing directors in a situation to rework their entire semester plan. LSU is home to twelve Panhellenic sororities with houses down West Lakeshore Drive, and while each house has its own restrictions, safety is the number one priority.
"It was all very new and unknown," says LSU senior Kelly Wilson. Wilson was named Kappa Alpha Theta's Facility Director last November before coronavirus was even a thought in most people's minds. While typically her role consists of planning menus and coordinating with officers, she soon found herself deciding how the 59 in-house girls would stay safe.
Theta has put strict rules in place for their members. No visitors are allowed in the house at any time, and only in-house girls are allowed upstairs on the residential floor. Masks are strictly enforced at all times when members are in common areas besides when actively eating or drinking. At mealtime, the former buffet-style pickup has become a window service where girls receive their boxes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The house is cleaned and sanitized twice each day by a cleaning service. Wilson emphasized that everything the house did was in an effort to meet or exceed the guidelines laid out by the university. Members who did become sick were required by the chapter to leave. Any fellow members who came in contact with those who tested positive quarantined in their rooms. Despite the close quarters, cases have been relatively low at the Theta house, with little time left in the semester.
Down the row at Chi Omega, precautions are similar. The guest policy is the same, but masks are optional on the second and third residential floors. Tables have been adjusted to create social distancing, which junior Ally Kadlubar says is the most significant change.
"You can't pull up chairs, which was such a big thing because, during lunch, we would all pull up chairs, and everyone would just sit around and pile in, but now it's only six to a table," says Kadlubar about meals at the house. With so many unknowns about the virus and campus operations over the summer, she was just glad for the opportunity to live in the house. Members keeping to themselves on the main floor can take off their masks but are encouraged to wear them when interacting with their sisters.
As cases in Louisiana continue to rise, chapters are optimistic along with the university that the state may lift some restrictions come next semester. Theta has already gone back to using china rather than to-go boxes for meals, and cases at Chi Omega have decreased rapidly. When in-house members return in January, they hope to see changes that prioritize their safety while also letting them enjoy life in the house.