Rumors have circulated campus for years about why sororities at the University of Miami do not have houses.
Students frequently assume that the city of Coral Gables allegedly had a law prohibiting six or more women to live in a house together, labeling it a brothel.
“I’ve definitely heard the rumor, and because no one ever really clarifies whether it’s true or not, a lot of people end up believing it,” said Jayden Montes, a member of Alpha Delta Pi. “It just keeps circulating without anyone correcting it, so it feels believable over time.”
However, this law does not exist and never has.
The rumor has been passed down among members across several sororities, not just ADPi.
“Even before I rushed I had heard about the brothel rumor. I kind of just accepted it as the truth because everyone seemed to know about it and I had heard about it happening at other campuses too” said freshman Audrey Booher, a member of Delta Delta Delta.
Still, it is unclear how this story began or what contributed to so many students believing it.
An article in the Miami New Times stated that residents complained about landlords allowing multiple “rowdy college students” to rent out one home. These complaints led to discussions about limiting the number of residents in one home in Coral Gables.
These discussions never produced any legal action, but it is possible that they contributed to the hearsay.
According to the City of Coral Gables Ordinance, there are laws that state that family residences must be occupied by one family. This ordinance does not prohibit people of the same gender or relation to each other from living together, but simply states the homes “are to be occupied by one family plus servants, who are living and cooking as a single household.”
This rumor has spread beyond the University of Miami’s campus as similar stories have become like folklore at universities across the country.
Miami University’s student newspaper in Ohio stated that the “suggestion of the brothel law,” was common knowledge among sorority and fraternity students.
Chapman University’s The Panther also published an article in 2022 that uncovered the truth behind the “brothel myth.” The supposed law was merely a myth dating back to the early 1900s that was debunked by the University’s Hilbert Museum of California Art director.
The question that now stands: if the law is merely college gossip, why don’t sororities have houses on campus?
The University Campus District — a list of provisions for new use and development on UM’s campus — states that if the University’s Master Plan includes sorority or fraternity housing on campus, then it would be much easier to get this approved by the city of Coral Gables.
However, University of Miami’s Master Plan does not outline any type of housing for Interfraternity Council or National Panhellenic Conference organizations. So, an amendment would need to be made to the master plan, and the housing area would have to follow the qualifications outlined in the University Campus District provisions.
“The Dean of Students Office is always glad to meet with Panhellenic organizations to discuss their needs and ideas for the use of space,” the University of Miami said in a statement to The Hurricane. “There has been no interest to pursue sorority housing presented to our office and there is currently no real estate available.”
An article published in 2013 by The Hurricane stated that while the brothel rumor was false, there was speculation about an agreement among the sororities not to pursue off-campus houses unless all sororities could afford to do so.
The article also stated that, according to the former director of Greek life at the University of Miami, the reason there has been no pursuit to create sorority houses is “because logistically it’s very difficult.”
However, several Panhellenic members still state they want some kind of housing.
“It’s a way to get even closer to our sisters. Daily dinners in the sorority house would be a great way to bond with everyone,” said Hannah Salles, a freshman student in Pi Beta Phi.
Paulina Vaamonde, a sophomore in ADPi, agreed with this sentiment.
“It would be nice to have a bigger space and be able to stay with other sorority sisters in one big house,” she said.
Sorority members still have the desire for sorority housing, but the steps needed to actually make that happen are rigorous and unclear. However, with the false “brothel law” now debunked, it seems there may be hope for housing in the future.