The Alpha Phi sorority opened its new house to the public Saturday.
The new house features a large car port as well as new furniture, carpet and paint. The converted residential space was purchased and renovated with the help of U alumna of the U — as well as other colleges — and the house’s 15 women.
The sorority is technically a fraternity, because it was started in 1872 before the word sorority was established. The U chapter has 113 total members, most of which are looking forward to the potential of the new space.
Other greek houses, such as Sigma Phi Epsilon and Pi Beta Phi, showed up to enjoy refreshments, mingle and view the new residence.
“It’s normal for a frat to have a house … it’s a place to meet and hang out,” said Victoria Pozzuoli, a junior in health promotion & education. “Everyone loves the house — it’s open and welcoming with good lighting.”
Along with housing current members, the house will be a base of operations for initiating new members.
Chapter president Stephanie Scott,  a senior in English, chose Alpha Phi in her sophomore year when the chapter was re-colonizing after it was shut down in the 1970’s.
“The thing that sets us apart is our girls and the standards we hold for ourselves and our sisterhood. The type of girls we recruit we see as top girls and we are very choosy about that … that makes our organization work,” Scott said.
Celeste Mickelson, a senior in psychology, said she has a close relationship with other members of Alpha Phi.
“I’m from a small town and when I found out about the sorority [and got to know them] they kind of felt like family.,” Mickelson said.
Ashley Duffin, a junior in broadcast journalism, describes the process of choosing a fraternity as “sort of like dating — they are my boyfriends when I don’t have a boyfriend. The frat is with me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. I can trust them to be there for me at 2 a.m. in the morning.”