Occupancy Requirement
Fraternity and Sorority houses must maintain 90% occupancy in their house:
(number of in-house members + exempt members) / (capacity of house) = % occupancy
If a chapter falls below this 90% requirement for 3 consecutive semesters, the chapter will lose their right to group housing. All in-house and exempt members count toward occupancy. The following people can affect the number used to determine occupancy:
- Graduate Students can live in Fraternity and Sorority houses. They only count toward occupancy if they are living in their chapter house, have gone from undergraduate to graduate school without a break, and lived in-house as undergraduates.
- Occupancy exemptions are people who do not live in the house but are counted toward the chapter’s occupancy. These people include individuals on University approved Co-op, internships, study abroad, or those employed by Lehigh University as a Gryphon.
For more information about occupancy, click here
Over Occupancy
While not encouraged by the University, the chapter can choose to over occupy bedrooms within the limits of fire code. If a chapter chooses to do this, all residents affected must sign and submit an Over Occupancy Waiver to the Office of Housing Services. Only students in over occupied spaces which exceed the residence hall capacity standards will receive a 10% housing credit. The chapter must write a letter addressed to the parents of the residents explaining this over-occupancy situation.