After a 10-year hiatus, Syracuse University’s women’s fraternity Alpha Gamma Delta returned to the Butterfield house on Comstock Avenue this fall.

AGD was founded in 1904 and was the third women’s fraternity established on SU’s campus, making it an Alpha chapter and part of the university’s ‘triad’ along with Alpha Phi and Gamma Phi Beta, according to a Daily Orange article published in August 2010.

AGD’s residence house, Butterfield, was originally built and designed by one of its founders, Emily Helen Butterfield, said Rachael Ashton, property coordinator for AGD and senior in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science.

However, in 2001, the chapter closed due to a low member count and the Butterfield house became a residence hall.

On April 30, 2010, SU asked AGD to re-establish as a women’s fraternity. Plans to renovate the Butterfield house began once the previous lease as a residence hall ended. The previous lease ended in summer 2011, according to a Daily Orange article published in August 2010.

Bianca Cortez, president of AGD and a senior civil engineering major, said she thought the renovations looked beautiful. The first wall in the foyer has AGD’s purpose painted on it, Cortez said. The purpose written on the wall are words to live by, which were created by the fraternity’s founders, she said.

‘Not only is it beautiful, but it’s a constant reminder that we’re Alpha Gamma Deltas and this is how we strive to live everyday,’ she said.

Ashton, AGD’s property coordinator, said she liked the dining area the best because it has a giant replica of the fraternity’s badge on the wall where all the girls are together most.

With 33 women living in the Butterfield house, Ashton said she and Cortez planned out an hour-by-hour schedule ahead of time for when every sister was moving in. Ashton said all the girls loved their rooms and the renovated living areas.

Ashton said her position as property coordinator requires her to live in the house with the girls.

‘It is an experience I always wanted to have and so far it has been really fun living with all of my friends,’ she said.

Last year, AGD participated in recruitment activities in both the fall and spring, using the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center and various buildings around campus to meet and interview girls, according to an article published in The Daily Orange in February.

Cortez said having a house will help take some of the added stress off the girls’ shoulders when looking for a location for recruitment.

‘We love our sorority regardless of having a house or not, it’s just a lot easier to all come together now,’ she said.

As for the future of AGD and Butterfield, Cortez said having the house is a privilege, not a right.

‘As long as we continue to positively contribute to this campus and community, we have a very long and bright future,’ she said. ‘We’re all so grateful and appreciative.’

mjberner@syr.edu

Published on August 31, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Maddy: mjberner@syr.edu