Fraternity celebrates opening of new house

Brianne Alderman

Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity celebrated the grand opening of its new house Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication to alumnus Stanley Thurston, who worked as the building project coordinator for the house.

The house’s new location is at 2132 Sunset Drive.

A plaque reading “Thurston Manor” was presented to a shocked and very pleased Thurston during the ceremony. “I was totally surprised,” he said. “It was probably the highest honor I will ever receive in my life.”

Thurston and other alumni, including Geoffrey Grimes, architect for the project, helped design and manage the construction on the house.

“It’s been a real brotherhood experience working on this project,” Thurston said. “Alpha Sigma Phi has taught me a great deal, especially interpersonal skills and leadership. I probably would not have stayed and graduated from ISU were it not for the fraternity experience.”

Alpha Sigma Phi President Jason Farmer said the fraternity members have been anxiously awaiting this moment.

“Some members were so excited to move in to the new house that they lived for several weeks [in the house] without working bathrooms,” said Farmer, senior in computer engineering.

Despite delays in the renovation, Farmer said of the dedication, “It’s probably one of the most exciting things I’ve been involved in.”

Thurston said the chapter has come full circle because when the fraternity’s lawyers were going over the title of the newly purchased property, they found that Alpha Sigma Phi had previously owned the same property in the 1920s.

According to a press release, Alpha Sigma Phi was established at Iowa State in 1920. Since then, the chapter has closed its doors twice.

In 1995, Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity sent a consultant to ISU to restart the chapter.

The consultant helped form a special interest group, which colonized and re-chartered the fraternity in 1997 to become a substance-free chapter. “It was very significant when Alpha Sigma Phi re-chartered that the undergraduates decided to be substance-free,” Thurston said.

The men have lived at several locations since 1995 including the residence halls, a small house on Stanton Avenue that could only house 18 men and a larger property on Lynn Avenue that could house 35 men. Some members even lived in hotels this summer before the renovation was complete.