While today marks the opening of the 2010 football season at Troy University, there will also be another significant opening today at 3:30 p.m.

Troy University’s new fraternity village will officially open today at 3:30 p.m., and will serves as an official home for seven Troy fraternities.

Dr. Doug Hawkins, president pro-tem of the Troy University Board of Trustees, said this new fraternity village will be the most luxurious fraternity housing yet at Troy. “This is really the third fraternity row we’ve had, and it is by far the best one yet,” Hawkins said. “It’s going to give an equal opportunity for all the Greeks. They will all have a chance to be close to campus, and I think this will be a point of pride for each organization. They’ll all be able to live together and function as a Greek society, and I think it will just be a great situation for everyone.”

The new houses will all be 8,517 square-feet two-story houses, and will provide 24 beds in each house.

The houses were constructed by Whaley Construction at a cost of $8 million, and were financed as part of the university’s 2009 bond issue that is also being used to fund the new dining facility and multi-purpose arena. Hawkins said the money was well-spent, as the Greek society has contributed much to Troy University over the years. “The Greeks are a great asset to the University, and have been a real integral part of the school,” Hawkins said. “If you look back, you can see that Troy wasn’t even a university when the Greeks came to campus.”