On March 28, 2025, at 3:15 p.m.— just as students were preparing to leave for spring break, University Hill, also known as Greek Hill, at California State University, East Bay was demolished. Once a well-known landmark, easily spotted while driving up Harder Road, now stands as nothing more than a bare patch of dirt.

The university’s decision to remove the iconic Greek Tiles shocked many students, especially since CSUEB fraternities and sororities had recently proposed repainting the tiles to give them a more vibrant and updated look. 

In an email sent out to students and faculty, President Cathy Sandeen shared a video titled “A message About University Hill,” and explained that the university, in partnership with ASI and Student Leadership and Involvement Center (SLIC) , decided to remove the tiles in order to “restore the hill to its natural state.” But how do members of Greek Life feel about this change, and where will their representation remain on campus? 

Nicholas Leggat, Vice President of the Fraternity and Sorority Council and a member of Delta Chi, opened up about the impact of the removal. “Greek Hill isn’t just a hill with painted letters,” he said. “It’s a symbol of everything we’ve built, everything we’ve been through, and everything we still stand for as brothers and sisters. It might just look like concrete and paint on the surface, but underneath that are years of memories, growth, and real connection.”

Greek Life organizations advocated for preserving this meaningful space, but according to Nicholas, the university dismissed their voices. “It felt like the university was an unstoppable force, and any opinion we had would just be swept under the rug,” he said. 

President Sandeen responded to these concerns in her video by stating, “don’t worry, we will find other ways to advertise our clubs and organizations, such as using light pole banners.” 

Still, questions remain. Does the removal of Greek Hill signal a larger issue of erasing student-led traditions? Will other organizations, clubs, and programs eventually be pushed aside as well? As the campus moves forward, many are left wondering if East Bay is slowly losing its pride and commitment to celebrating student diversity and camaraderie.

*update*

Shortly after the article was published, it was removed at the request of a member of the Student Leadership & Involvement Center (SLIC). SLIC felt that they had been misrepresented in the original article, yet they failed to properly inform students that University Hill was not demolished to be “returned to its natural state,” as initially stated by Cathy Sandeen in her video message. According to SLIC’s newsletter though, Stephanie Ann Lustina, Fraternity and Sorority Coordinator, is unsure who receives it; the land on which University Hill resides will instead be returned to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Yet many faculty and students did not receive this newsletter or any previous newsletters.

After receiving personal statements from a SLIC member, they requested an update to clarify that University Hill was demolished to return the land to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. I spoke with Lustina about this and she “doesn’t know if the tribe has been contacted.” I have reached out to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, but have not yet received a response regarding whether they were officially informed of the land being returned to them.

Lustina also shared that she doesn’t know if SLIC will be publishing a public announcement regarding the University Hill land being returned to the Ohlone Tribe.