Walking into a white house with greek letters in the top left window, the room to the right has a cozy feel. Calming red and brown colors fill the room.
The shuffling of feet is heard through the house as people go from room to room checking out the decor. Four bedrooms are upstairs. The smells of hot cocoa and the heat of the house make it difficult for people to walk outside into 20-degree weather.
Outside, about 100 people sat in a white tent at Thursday's official dedication ceremony of Ball State University's first sorority houses.
Cara Luyster, assistant director of the Office of Student Life, said various meetings were held, e-mails were sent and phone calls were made since last year to get the houses. She said renovations began in August, and the women moved in about a month ago.
"We welcome a new chapter in the history of the Ball State greek community," Luyster said.
Alpha Gamma Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Phi Mu and Sigma Kappa sororities received the houses, which each have three to four bedrooms.
Luyster said when student life learned DeHority Complex would undergo renovations the office started thinking about what would be done with the sororities. The university-owned houses were introduced at that time, she said.
President Jo Ann Gora said she was excited to celebrate the houses' official opening.
"You have agreed to be the trailblazers of a new type of sorority life at Ball State," Gora said during the ceremony. "These four houses represent a big step in the history [of sorority life], and this is the first time they have had houses. We are dedicating these [houses] for sorority use, and these women are pioneers not unlike the women who had started chapters 90 years ago."
Gora said the majority of sororities favored having houses, and she was not surprised.
"Greek fraternities have houses, so it's only natural sororities want them too," she said.
Panhellenic Council President Amanda Hendrix said she wanted nothing more than to see the greek community be bigger and better than it already was.
"I got nervous when the renovation started and we didn't know what would happen," Hendrix said during the ceremony. "The closing of DeHority didn't mark the end but marked the beginning of a new era."
Near the end of the ceremony, Director of Student Life Lynda Wiley, Luyster and Gora handed the four sorority presidents a plaque that had a picture of their houses with the sorority's name and address written below it.
Kay Bales, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said the dedication ceremony was a great day not only for the university, but more importantly for the sorority community.
"Now that we have houses I have to laugh at how we were told [by various people] we couldn't," she said, "but we are now able to finally put those myths to rest. We will continue to work on the Riverside Development Project. Today is only the beginning."
Luyster said because the university owned the houses there was no cost in getting them. She said these were temporary houses until a plan was formulated to have a "greek village" where all the sororities would live.
Alpha Gamma Delta President Alyson DeLoera said the four women who lived in the house had to pay the same way as if they were living in the residence halls. The women living in the house this semester volunteered, but after this semester there will be a formal process for picking who lives there, she said.
"It's a great opportunity for us, and we can improve our sisterhood," DeLoera said. "We take great pride in our house, and we're glad to be pioneers."
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