@civitas and @MiddleburyDad2, I think it really does boil down to the rich former-frat-boy donors. And in their way, the frats added a quaint fringe of “normal” college life to Wesleyan, sort of like Versaille’s Hameau de la Reine lol. But among the student the only real support comes from hardcore jackass athletic recruits, and it would be better for the school (and for them) if they were dispersed around campus and better integrated into the community. When Wesleyan inevitably acquires and renovates those houses, they will be awesome places to live or if they really tear out some of the bones of the buildings to create larger spaces, could be converted into academic buildings. It would be delicious if Beta became the headquarters for a Queer Studies department.
Not long after I left, Bowdoin began to implement a gradual removal of the Greek system. What’s hilarious is that the day the administration announced the coming change was the only passionate demonstration I witnessed at Bowdoin.