The BiCultural InterGreek Council, long without chapter houses, is working with the University to find office space. After years of being the only Greek organization without chapter houses, the BiCultural InterGreek Council has begun actively working with the University to find campus office space that would serve as the group's home base. Although BIG-C members are not necessarily looking for a residential living space, they hope to find a large office or suite where chapters can decorate their own areas and use the space to meet, socialize and study, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said. And while the group has not yet found an available space, the BIG-C's nine chapters hope to find a suite in the high rises, "preferably close to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs," which would allow them to continue to work closely with OFSA. The BIG-C currently uses space in OFSA's suite of offices in High Rise North, an arrangement many BIG-C leaders say hampers the group's management. "We would like to be able to use a space freely without having to vie for time with the IFC or Panhel [in OFSA]," BIG-C President and College senior Jason Rosas said. Nearly every IFC and Panhel chapter has its own house that serve as visible centers of activity for those groups. OFSA Program Director and BIG-C advisor Larry Moses said dedicated office space would help the BIG-C develop its own identity by increasing its visibility on campus. He noted that the space would give interested students a place to go for more information about the organization. Rosas agreed, stressing that the BIG-C needs a "center of focus, something which it has lacked since its existence here at Penn." But the Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., member admitted that the BIG-C's low membership accounts for the group's lack of residential space. "There has always been constraints on the BiCultural InterGreek Council because of our size," he said, adding that BIG-C chapters do not have enough members to fill the houses or provide sufficient funds for maintaining private spaces. Specifically, while more than one-third of the student body belong to the Panhellenic Council or the InterFraternity Council, all the BIG-C chapters total only about 50 members. "The IFC and Panhel simply have a greater number of members," Rosas said. "They have the people to fill the houses." The BIG-C is looking to the administration to help them find this "extra space to make plans and manage our organization efficiently without having to scramble around the University for space," he added. "The BIG-C has contributed in many ways to the University and the community," Rosas said. "[University officials] realize that, so I think they're trying to be as helpful as possible." Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum said she has not yet received a formal proposal for space from the BIG-C, but said "we are looking forward to working with the BIG-C to make the dream of a BIG-C space a reality." Additionally, the BIG-C may get space in the new Perelman Quadrangle because the group is a member of the Perelman Student Allocation Board, she said. But Rosas said student groups being displaced from Houston Hall have priority for the Perelman space, making it less likely for the BIG-C to receive room in the new facility. "There are many groups on campus who need space," he said. "The University is doing what it can to accommodate a large number of groups with limited available space. "[University officials] have a lot of plans. Whether or not we're a part of those immediate plans is what we're trying to find out," he added. Additionally, the BIG-C does not yet know if it will have to provide any funding for the as-yet-undetermined space, Moses said.
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