Greek Court will get “sprinkled” this summer by more than summer rain showers.

A project to install a sprinkler system in seven Greek Court buildings will start in May and be completed before the Fall semester of 2002 starts, so no students will be inconvenienced by the construction, said Carol Strode, interim director of Facilities Planning and Management.

Strode estimated the cost for installation by the National Fire Protection Agency to be about $647,000 which is funded by a student paid campus improvement fee.

The buildings set for installation include the Delta Sigma Phi and Sigma Nu, Alpha Sigma Alpha and Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Phi, Delta Chi, Kappa Delta, Alpha Gamma Delta, Sigma Chi, Lamda Chi Alpha and Delta Zata houses. Also included will be the Sigma Phi Epsilon house, formally East Hall.

Mark Hudson, director of University Housing and Dining, said the installation is to “catch-up” to newer buildings in Greek Court that were previously built with sprinklers.

The “sprinkling” of Greek Court is part of Eastern’s master plan to put a sprinkling system in all residential units that have wooden structures.

The improvements started two years ago when sprinklers were installed in Pemberton Hall. After installation in Greek Court, Eastern will continue to install sprinklers at University Court and other residence halls, he said.

Sprinklers are the “latest level of life safety” for institutions.

“Years ago” smoke detectors were installed in every room because they were considered the safest way of protection against fires. Now sprinklers in every room are “the next logical step,” Hudson said.