Zeta sisters move into temporary home on Walnut

Over the next week, Penn’s newest sorority will move into its first house on campus.

Seventeen Zeta Tau Alpha members will reside in a newly renovated house on 40th and Walnut streets. The residence was originally home to deactivated sorority Phi Sigma Sigma.

ZTA has signed a lease with Phi Sigma Sigma nationals for two years, while they search for a permanent home on campus, College junior and ZTA Vice President Kelsey Bogue said. “We want something a little bit bigger.”

She also stated that Phi Sigma Sigma will potentially reside in the house after they are eligible to recolonize on campus.

“As Zeta Tau Alpha begins their first year here at Penn, they have struck what seems to be a good partnership with the House Corporation of Phi Sigma Sigma,” Penn’s Director of Student Affairs and Fraternity Sorority Life Scott Reikofski wrote in an email. “It is really a win-win situation for both organizations.”

Despite the plan to move in for two years, ZTA’s national office has renovated the house’s interior, repainting the walls and adding new carpets.

“We’ve still been working with the landlord,” Bogue said. “For example, ZTA didn’t want to install central air … but he’s been good about letting us paint and put in carpet.”

“Our walls right now are Zeta blue, which is a light blue Tiffany color,” Engineering junior and ZTA house manager Hilary Grosskopf added.

Although ZTA does not own the new house, Bogue does not foresee problems with hosting “sisterhood” events or recruitment this semester. In fact, she expects the house to function as a “center” for all 141 ZTA members.

“It was hard for us to just have movie nights or baking nights before. We get to do low-key events like that now,” Bogue added. “Any kind of events a normal sorority would hold on campus you’ll have at our house as well.”

“We are going to try to have a lot of sisterhood events, like an open house where all sisters can come in and take a look at the new house,” ZTA member and College junior June Luo said.

ZTA’s executive board is still working to establish the sorority’s residential presence within the Greek community. As house manager, Gosskopf said she serves as “the student connection” between ZTA nationals, sorority members and the OSA/FSL.

“I can design the house rules from a list of standard Zeta rules and then the advisers approve them,” Grosskopf said. “There was one funny rule from the list that said no bare feet downstairs or in the basement. They also suggest no boys in the house except for specific areas.”

While the executive board continues to sort through logistics, ZTA members are excited to move in.

“It’s been quiet since I moved in,” Lou said, who was among the first girls to move in. “But it’s getting louder everyday.”
According to Gosskopf, the house will hold four doubles, one triple and seven singles. One single will be reserved for a ZTA guest or visiting councilor.

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