Brothel myths complicate off-campus housing

While off-campus apartments are renowned for hosting wild keg parties and non-stop debauchery, one could hardly call them houses of sin.

Yet Massachusetts legend does just that. According to the myth, there is a law that bans more than four unrelated women from occupying the same apartment, because by legal terms it is considered a brothel. Though the versions vary, almost everyone has heard stories about the "brothel law." Some even revel in breaking it. One junior claims, "Since I have five girl roommates, I'm technically living in a harem!"

Relax ladies, you can turn off the red light. In reality, there is no law in the books that gives any specific reference to gender in relation to housing restrictions. BC's student advisory cites the laws in cautioning that "no more than four unrelated students may reside in a dwelling without creating illegal occupancy conditions." To avoid trouble with this law, many tenants sign separate leases for the same apartment. No connection is ever made among female-inhabited apartments and houses of prostitution. So then why all the brothel talk?

According to Richard Roeper in the Chicago Sun Times, the "brothel law" myth is "the most widespread piece of university folklore making the rounds." The origins of the tale are at best hazy, with some vague connections to the Puritan "blue laws," which allotted penalties for immoral actions in 17th-century Connecticut. Like any good myth, its roots are mostly shrouded in mystery. And yet it has managed to find its way into common lore at more than 100 college campuses, according to Roeper's estimation.

In most versions, the supposed "law" is cited to explain the absence of sorority houses on college campuses. "I remember hearing about the 'brothel law' on my BU tour," said Melissa Shakro, A&S '06. "The tour guide gave it as the reason that BU has frat houses but no housing for sororities."

Students at Tulane University in New Orleans had been given the same explanation from admissions for the absence of sorority housing on their own campus. In 1998, a group of students decided to investigate, searching city and state law books for a "brothel law." They concluded that no such ordinance exists in New Orleans or Louisiana. Since then, student groups and newspapers across the country have debunked the myth with research of their own.

Yet the tale persists, even among university officials. According to BU's admissions website, there are no sorority houses on campus "because of a strange but enforced Massachusetts state law [which] prohibits sorority houses from even existing." This is a false claim, since the actual over-occupation law has no bearing on fraternity or sorority houses. In fact, sorority houses exist at many Massachusetts universities, including Tufts and the University of Massachusetts.

So what, then, is the real reason behind the absence of sorority houses on many college campuses? Some say that since most universities were all-male upon their inception, fraternities swept up all the good land, leaving slim pickings for their Greek sisters of the 21st century. Others claim that institutional sexism is rampant in the Greek system, and fraternities are given more funding. Still others say it is simply a matter of demand - sororities are less popular than frats, so there is little need for housing. Whatever the real answer, the "brothel law" explanation continues across the country - forever intertwining sorority houses and bawdy houses in university folklore.

At BC, which lacks a Greek system, the urban legend has taken on a new incarnation. Here the myth concerns apartments, and has been spurred by the actual ordinance that bans more than four roommates - male or female - from living together. This regulation poses a problem for those who wish to lower living expenses by having more roommates.

And expenses are certainly an issue in a metropolis such as Boston. "Not only is there base rent to consider, there's so many bills: heat, electric, water, food. With more roommates, it ends up much cheaper," said Lindsay Williamson, LSOE '04. Williamson shared a four-bedroom Commonwealth Avenue apartment with three females and two males last year. Of the overcrowding law, she said, "They should base it on the size of the apartments, not on the base number of roommates."

High expenses cause many students to question why the law exists at all. "Safety," answered Lisa Timberlake, spokesperson for the Boston Inspectional Services Department (BISD). "Overcrowding can be dangerous for the health of the occupants, especially in a fire and what-have-you."

Some are skeptical about these motivations. "The problem is not the number of students, but the bad students," said Don Neuwirth, manager of Circle Realty.

Neuwirth believes that the law is a means of curbing the noise levels and property damage associated with renting to undergraduates. Neuwirth asserted that he doesn't like the law, but declined to comment on whether he shows apartments to potential violators of the code.

Those who do break the law may find themselves without a harem to call their own. According to Timberlake, last weekend the BISD "found that 10 BU students rented a four-bedroom unit. The landlord was told to find them other living arrangements." The police department will not arrest renters for over-occupation, but the BISD does conduct routine inspections, checking out areas about which they've heard complaints.

While BC offers a student advisory that cautions students against over-occupation, it holds no role in enforcing the law. "If students did get in trouble, we would work to get them new housing off campus," said Henry Humphreys, director of the Office of Residential Life. Though Humphreys does not condone violating the law, he does understand why students do it. "Landlords and realtors are giving them large fees and high rent. It's so expensive, they're forced to put more than four students together."

Humphreys urged students to negotiate when looking into apartment costs. "Realtors and landlords count on people from out of state not knowing Massachusetts real estate prices, so they can take advantage. What students should know is that the market is so soft right now, they can negotiate fees and rent, and in some cases, waive fees completely."

Nonetheless, many students continue to break the over-occupation law, squeezing eight or 10 roommates into compact apartments. "I hardly knew anyone living off campus last year with less than five roommates," said Williamson. So while BC students may not be living in brothels, they are certainly living in cramped conditions. And what they do within those walls is a legend all its own.