Des Moines Register, IA
08-19-07
Ames sorority moves back into house after fire
All but 11 women of Alpha Chi Omega will be able to live in the house when
classes start at Iowa State.
By SARAH LEFEBER
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Thirty Alpha Chi Omega women will be moving back into their house at Iowa
State University today, just six days after a fire broke out on their third floor last
Sunday.
The 45 women have been staying just three houses down for the past week at
the Kappa Alpha Theta house. Eleven women will remain there for around a
month and a half until the third floor is finished, according to Claire Masker, the
Alpha Chi Omega recruitment adviser.
"Classes start on Monday, so we wanted to make sure we had them situated by
tomorrow," said Masker. "The cleanup is getting finished up today, and then the
contractor is going to get in there and really work."
The fire was mostly contained to one study room on the third floor, destroying
two residents' personal possessions. The rest of the $170,000 in damage was to
the structure of the house.
Paul Sandoval, deputy fire chief for the Ames Fire Department, said that although
the cause of the fire is still undetermined, his department is done with operations
inside the house.
The fire came just one day before the sorority's rush week began, but Masker
said it went smoothly with the help of the Greek community at ISU.
Masker said two fraternities let them host events in their houses Monday and
Tuesday, while another one provided meals for the women throughout the week.
When it came time for the sorority to give tours of the house, the ISU fraternities
made them a virtual house tour to show to prospective women.
The Alpha Chi Omega women were able to hold the final event in their own
house Wednesday night and had 23 new women join their house.