Living in UC Berkeley Greek Housing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
I n the middle of March 2020, the UC Berkeley dorms were vacated by students as COVID-19 made its way into the Bay Area. Hundreds of students left for home, and many have yet to return back to campus. How did COVID affect students who do not rely on university-provided housing, such as those in Greek life?
It is not outside of the norm for Greek organizations to offer semi-guaranteed housing for their active members. Many students accepts these offers given there are often decent financial deals given the wider UCB housing crisis. This is great for students who desire the community aspect of group housing, as well as stability not implied with on-campus packages. However, the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted this stability. Like all other communities, Greek living continues to see diverse responses to the pandemic.
Current President of the Acacia fraternity Justin McGrath says that he “couldn’t tell you” what the Greek house life atmosphere was like pre-COVID since he moved into his house in the Fall of 2020. He also clarified that for Acacia in specific, “that’s when we all moved in.” He said that “Not having social events regularly surely put a damper on fraternity moral, but we found a way to entertain ourselves within our house and strengthen our bonds of brotherhood.” When asked about how Acacia managed house safety, he outlined that “We had regulations such as mask usage in common area, no large social event, limited guests to trusted repeated visitors…” He even mentioned that there were “weekly [COVID] tests for all willing brothers.” McGrath felt safe since test results were coming back to them “basically every day.” The house was originally expecting roughly 28 residents, but that number dwindled down to “around 13 when we moved in come Fall semester.” I asked if Acacia has discussed a safety game plan for the house as California continues to re-open, to which McGrath replied:
“Yes we are trying to have only vaccinated guests come to parties. Come Fall 2021 that should be much easier given the university’s vaccine mandate for in-person attendance. We are also maintaining weekly cleaning as we have been with thorough sanitation of all facilities.”
Bella Villegas, also Class of 2023, lived in the Pi Beta Phi sorority house during the Spring 2021 semester. In this interview, she speaks about the kinds of rules that were implemented at the house and how they affected her living experience. Many sororities close their doors over the summer, so towards the end of the semester, Villegas knew her stay there was coming to an end. She felt nervous about having to look for a new residence, given the housing scarcity in Berkeley. Villegas was relieved when she was presented with the opportunity to sublet a room within the Acacia fraternity, conveniently across the street from Pi Beta Phi.
The label “fraternity” usually implies a loud and rowdy environment, but this is not the case for Acacia. Rooftop parties and kickback are common among UC Berkeley Greek organizations, yet in the middle of a sunny day, no members are found on the rooftop.
Even inside the house, none of the brothers are spending time in the communal areas, but are instead isolating in their rooms. The chairs of the dining table are set away, suggesting that no one intends to use this space for a while.
During an interview with Mikayla Hubbard, President of the Chi Omega sorority, she said that pre-COVD their house was “friendly” and “welcoming.” She says that Chi O is “always a very busy house with lots of things going on.” When asked about how it has been living in the house during the pandemic, Hubbard says that it is “definitely a different experience than communal living before, but still felt very homey with our house mom and staff and all the members there.”
She continued to mention that “Having a couple COVID cases definitely brought stress, but most people were great about making smart decisions.”
I asked about what house rules were set in place, and Hubbard replied with: “We had a no guest policy, reduced house capacity, masks always in communal spaces, and our kitchen staff would serve food to us instead of our usual buffet style.”
Hubbard says that she did feel safe living in the house. Capacity ranges from 65–70 residents during a typical semester, but she says that they “were down to 35 in the Spring for COVID.”
I was able to interview another member of Chi O, rising junior Cate Holmes, about her history living in the sorority for two semesters. She says that it was at times “overwhelming.” She states that this was due to the strict and well-maintained rules placed on her house. Although many health and safety rules allowed her to feel shielded in the residence, it also caused anxious feelings to arise when she inhabited communal spaces.
Another undisclosed member of Chi Omega corroborates the environment Holmes illustrates. “I think a lot of people were on edge, especially when someone tested positive” she says in reference to the atmosphere. I asked about the house rules, and she confirmed the adamant structure saying:
“The house rules that I can remember off the top of my head included our house being at reduced capacity, dining tables and seating being spread out, no going to IFC property, and wearing a mask around the house (except for your room). Also no guests, and members not living in could not come inside.”
I asked her if she felt safe living in Chi Omega, to which she said “Towards the beginning of the semester I did not feel as safe as I would’ve liked to…” but explains that this was the result of an interpersonal situation with her “roommate at the time.” The issue “had to do with going out and being with a lot of people.” Luckily for this Chi O, “After that situation was dealt with, I felt a lot more safe there.” She says that once more residents were getting vaccinated, “it was definitely a more relaxed environment.”
Moving forward, this interviewee says that “I think recruitment will be in a hybrid style, but besides that I’m under the assumption that we’ll be operating normally.”
What the Chi Omega contacts describe is the complete opposite of what an anonymous sorority member accounts. This particular contact has been living in an unnamed Greek house since May 2021. Although she did not live here previously, she states that pre-COVID “things were always very lively with lots of different people filtering in and out.” As for volume of residents, she states that “pre-COVID in summer times about 35–40 people lived in, and the number hasn’t really changed.” She says that in her time at her current residence, “There has been no hint or thoughts about COVID. Masks are nowhere to found…” but also says “mostly everyone is vaccinated to the best of my knowledge…” This is a different picture compared to the masks in communal spaces policies of other houses, but the timing of this statement should be taken into consideration
Vaccines were not available to the public during the Fall 2020 semester, while as of June 30th, 2021, the LA Times reports that roughly 58% of Californians have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.
When asked if the house has discussed plans on how it will adjust the living experience as California continues to “re-open,” this anonymous contact says:
“I haven’t heard any discussion of COVID policies being implemented. There are no restrictions and I doubt there will be in the future.”
As California re-opened spaces and services on June 15th, 2021, the future of UC Berkeley Greek housing and culture remains hazy. Even if things fully return “back to normal” within the next months, how will the group living culture continue to be impacted by what has been a year-long public health crisis?
