Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority To Share Residential Space on Campus this Fall
Featured in the photo above, the women of Alpha Gamma Delta (Alpha Gam) will create history at Westminster this fall through the establishment of a shared living experience on campus for the sorority. Alpha Gamma Delta sisters will have their own Alpha Gamma Delta floor within Sweazey Hall, beginning fall 2015. Nearly half of the sorority chapter will live on the sorority floor in Sweazey.
Alpha Gam President Allison Wright ’17 says this year is a year of milestones, as the chapter celebrated its five-year anniversary at Westminster in December, initiated its 100th member, and signed the housing contract with the College.
“Sorority housing is a great opportunity, and we are all excited and ready to be able to show off our Alpha Gamma Delta love and loyalty all the time,” says Wright, who plans to live on the Alpha Gam floor. “It will be good for recruitment, morale, and camaraderie.”
This summer, Westminster Plant Operations staff will renovate the Alpha Gam floor in Sweazey to personalize the space for the chapter. The Alpha Gam chapter selected a wall color to promote their sorority’s identity, and lines of the sorority’s purpose will adorn every door, as well as the Alpha Gam letters.
According to Nicole Elliott, Assistant Director of Greek Life & Recreation Services, other updates to the Alpha Gam floor will include the sorority crest painted on the hall wall and Greek letters displayed outside of Sweazey to identify the residence hall as home to the Alpha Gam floor.
The agreement for Alpha Gam housing is the result of a contract between the chapter, the Alpha Gamma Delta House Corporation, and the College. The House Corp. has helped with funding for the personalization to the sorority’s newly defined residential space. The fees for an Alpha Gam member to live on the floor are the same as room and board expenses for any Westminster student living in the Wetterau, Weigle, or Sweazey Hall, known by students at “The Triangle.”
Elliott says the housing option is open to any sorority at Westminster.
“It’s a great opportunity for sororities to have this residential option,” she says. “It shows growth in our panhellenic community and will strengthen Westminster’s panhellenic spirit and numbers for our chapters. This small start could pave the way for sorority houses on campus in the future.”
“Greek life sets a high standard for members to excel academically and with co-curricular activity and community service,” Elliott says. “By promoting and living by shared values, each brotherhood and sisterhood contributes to greater bonding and leadership development for our students.”
The Westminster Alpha Gam members who will live together on the Alpha Gam floor look forward to the benefits of the shared space with sisters.
“I’m really excited for how much closer we will become as sisters, living next to each other next year,” says one Westminster sophomore and Alpha Gam sister who plans on living on the floor. “Having more than one sister right around the corner will create a better environment for us to practice and incorporate our purpose into our everyday lives.”
Selected via interview process by the College, Kailey Marchant ’18 will serve as Greek House Manager, a position paid for by the College and operating as a member of the Residence Advisor staff. Responsible for risk management, work orders, and addressing any security concerns, the Greek House Manager adds an extra layer of leadership for the floor, according to Elliott.
The Alpha Gam housing will be ready for student move-in day on August 16, and the chapter is planning a ribbon-cutting event for the fall. In fall 2015, Alpha Gam will have 29 active members at Westminster.
