by Matthew Kiras

There’s a new kid on the block in Fraternity Row, dedicated to non-white Greek life organizations. The Department of Fraternity & Sorority Life is planning the space in the building that once housed Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at 4 Fraternity Row. 

It’s going to include office spaces, programming spaces, dining spaces and a suite for one staff member who lives in the house full-time, said Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life equity coordinator Lorae Bonamy. The house is open only to National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council fraternities and sororities — not Interfraternity Council and Pan-Hellenic Association ones.

“[National Pan-Hellenic Council] and [Multicultural Greek Council] chapters at UMD have never had their own physical space on campus, and have been historically under-resourced as compared to [Interfraternity Council] and [Pan-Hellenic Association] chapters,” said Ethan Foley, the resident director for the Department of Fraternity & Sorority Life. “It is important that we equitably serve all of our students in DFSL, and this is one step in the right direction toward greater equity in the Greek community here at UMD.”

The building takes its name from the open meeting space in ancient Greece. This summer, the university invested $1.2 million in the facility to convert the former fraternity house into a multi-use space for students to use and enjoy, said Lorae Bonamy, the senior coordinator for equity and social justice in the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life. 

“The Agora project is a part of the department’s updated commitment to advising sororities and fraternities with an equity-and-justice minded approach, and is our responsibility as the premier fraternity and sorority community,” Bonamy said. 

Eight staff members sit on the committee that’s working to conceive of and bring the new Agora House to fruition. The Agora house makes UMD the only Big Ten institution that provides Multicultural Greek Council / National Pan-Hellenic Council exclusive access to programming, office, and meeting space. 

Foley said this new house offers a dedicated on-campus space for students to meet, program, and develop their organizations.

“The Agora will provide UMD’s first on-campus space exclusively for the MGC and NPHC to gather, connect, and program. This is a big step, as UMD is one of the first universities in the US to provide physical space on campus for these historically marginalized councils of Greek-letter organizations,” he said.

It’s unclear when the building will open, said.

Jailyn Morris, the resident director for Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, said the Agora house is an important symbol for UMD as a whole. 

“I think creating this house will signify inclusiveness in the UMD community that hasn’t been there in the past,” Morris said. “It shows that finally, everyone is thought of as important and deserving of a space at the University of Maryland.”

Featured image: Administrators said they aren’t sure when the newly remodeled Agora House will be open. Photo by Matthew Kiras.