Stubbs Hall on Longwood University’s campus is home to many students who are members of Greek life. Stubbs Hall not only serves as a residence hall for students who are apart of sorority life, but also as a common place for various chapters to reside. There is a total of ten chapter rooms in Stubbs Hall, and Alpha Beta Psi (ABY) was lucky enough to acquire one.
“Each sorority has different rituals and special things that we do with each individual organization,” says Hope Barnhart, president of Alpha Beta Psi. “Chapter rooms are where rituals take place and it’s a place for sisters to hang out together and get to know each other better.”
On July 22, 2021, ABY received a chapter room in Stubbs Hall after a lengthy application process. Barnhart describes the application process as rigorous but rewarding as their proposal was reviewed by Longwood’s Residential and Commuter Life; Cheryl Steele, who is the Dean of Student Engagement; and Tim Pierson, who is the Vice President for Student Affairs.
Barnhart has been a member of ABY since her freshman year, and her sisters have wanted a chapter room since before she even joined. The sorority was established on Longwood’s campus in 2014 making it a fairly new chapter of Greek life. She said, “We have been working really, really hard to just get this room, and I am super excited for all the memories we are about to have in there.”
According to Barnhart, there are many benefits to having a chapter room. “During formal recruitment in the spring, the girls will go to each chapter room” she says. However, she explains that the sororities who do not have chapter rooms go into the basement of Stubbs Hall, which is not decorated. “It’s different to go to a chapter room that is all decked out, and then come to our room with no decorations,” says Barnhart.
The absence of a chapter room for ABY meant that it was really hard for the sorority to recruit more members. Barnhart recalls potential members during recruitment asking ABY sisters why they did not have a chapter room, and she was baffled by the questions. She says in response, “To us in the chapter, we didn’t think it was a huge deal that we didn’t have one [a chapter room], but we did still hang out with each other and did our rituals together either way.”
Although the sisters of ABY have been doing fine without a chapter room, they are more than thrilled to finally hold rituals and events in theirs. Barnhart says wholeheartedly, “We just had our first chapter in there, and it was really fun. I’m just so excited for what the future holds.”
Overall, the sisters of ABY are excited to finally have a space to themselves on campus, and they are all looking forward to their future endeavors in their chapter room.
To keep up with Alpha Beta Psi and their new chapter room, follow them on Instagram @alphabetapsi, and like them on Facebook at Alpha Beta Psi Longwood University.