BUILT FOR SISTERHOOD

A Place to Call Home

For many Pi Phis, living in the chapter facility is a once–in-a-lifetime experience. The opportunity to be surrounded by sisters allows members to grow and thrive in environments where they know they will find support. It’s often said that Pi Phi is a home away from home, but for many sisters looking for a place of comfort and solace it is so much more.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, chapters across North America were forced to close their doors for the remainder of the term. As the pandemic continued into the fall, universities and chapters had to decide whether they would open their facilities for the 20202021 academic year. Each chapter and campus faced the lengthy and challenging decision to open housing facilities – requiring a great deal of planning and preparation.

For the California Zeta Chapter, planning started with the hope to welcome members home to the University of California, Santa Barbara campus for the fall term, but necessitated flexibility and collaboration to do so. After several meetings with chapter officers, Alumnae Advisory Committee members, Fraternity Housing Corporation (FHC) and the Region Eight Team, California Zeta was able to reconfigure its housing policies and design a transition plan with additional COVID-19 safety measures including increased cleanings, House Director trainings and a quarantine and isolation plan.

California Zeta chapter officers and volunteers knew what opening the facility would mean to sisters. “It was important for members to have a place in the chapter facility because several of our members did not have options outside of the chapter house,” Vice President Finance/Housing BRITTNEY ROGERS says. “They had relied on living at Pi Phi.”

While many members were able to accommodate the housing changes brought on by the pandemic, several members faced increased stress and additional challenges. There were several out-of-state members who expressed that living in the chapter facility was their only opportunity to return to California for the school year.

Whether coping with a challenging time change from California to their home state or a lack of access to Wi-Fi and technology, many members would have faced additional strain if the chapter house didn’t open. The stress of facing a lack of housing only compounded existing issues associated with student life in a pandemic. Sisters faced this increased pressure along with the burdensome social challenges and mental health concerns that affected all students during the pandemic.

As Director Housing, QUINN SHOMO recognized the concerns she heard from chapter members and worked in conjunction with advisors and volunteers to safely reopen the chapter house. “Everyone in our chapter knows they have a place to call home because of Pi Phi,” Quinn says. “In times of crisis, it’s nice to know you have your Pi Phi sisters standing by to help you.”

Beyond providing a sense of home, living in the chapter facility also offered members a notable virtual learning experience. “With no access to the library or on-campus resources, being able to spread out and study in the chapter house allowed us to focus on our academics without the added pressure of finding somewhere to go,” Brittney says.

The California Zeta Chapter facility offered several study spaces from the chapter room to the computer room. With plenty of space to social distance, members were able to study and attend classes in a variety of environments – whether in a private room or a shared space with sisters.

Over the last year, many sisters – both collegians and alumnae – lived, worked and studied apart from one another. Live-in members at California Zeta shared that being surrounded by their sisters provided light during some of the more difficult moments of the pandemic.

Quinn shares that many days started with sociallydistanced breakfast, followed by members’ course work and a socially-distanced lunch. Often, members would end their day by walking to the beach to watch the sunset or watching a movie. Reflecting on the last year living in the chapter facility, Quinn says, “While it wasn’t always easy, it was certainly worth it to be able to live alongside sisters.”

Although the housing experience has looked different over the past year, it has continued to support sisters at a time in their lives when they need it most. With the Fall 2021 term fast approaching, many chapters are making plans to reopen their facilities — some for the first time since their facilities closed in Spring 2020. Sisters will soon be together again, caring for one another, pursuing academic goals and celebrating the ups and downs of life.

Across North America, Pi Phi housing facilities are providing members with a sense of home. Chapter facilities support more than just housing – encouraging members’ educational pursuits, meeting expectations for safety and allowing space to develop Sincere Friendships. Whether living in a traditional chapter facility or among sisters, Pi Beta Phi will always be a place to call home.

How did living in the chapter facility support your collegiate experience? We want to share your housing story!

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