Five girls have found themselves living in a college fraternity. It may sound like a sitcom, but for Ingrid Parl ’10, Alisha Neptune ’10, Beth Kenworthy ’10, Kiran Sheffrin ’10, and Kalen Flynn ’10, living at Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE), one of the University’s three fraternity houses, it’s reality.

The girls did not intend to live in DKE, but bad housing draws forced them to look to unexpected living arrangements.

Parl, Neptune and Kenworthy wanted to live together, but because the housing system only allows sophomores doubles or singles, they each requested a single. Their plan was derailed when they received their housing picks.

“Beth got 599 out of 600,” Parl said. “I got 584. It was horrendous and we didn’t get housing.”

The group went to Residential Life to see if there were any other options that would guarantee that they could live together. They were told that there were available rooms in a few program houses: Eclectic, Malcolm-X House, and DKE.

They chose DKE because they knew a few of the brothers there.

“We’re also athletes and thought it might be easier in a house with athletes,” Parl said.

The girls are all very happy with their current rooms. Flynn and Sheffrin live in an apartment in the basement that includes two singles, a common room, and a bathroom, all connected by a hallway. Kenworthy, Parl, and Neptune live on the first floor (all of the DKE brothers live on the second and third floors). The rooms themselves, according to the girls, are great.

“I would argue that it’s the best housing for sophomores,” Neptune said, boasting about their 10-by-20 foot common room, which they have furnished with several couches and a television.

The rooms were occupied by DKE brothers last year, and so the girls had to do some work on them before they could call DKE home. They repainted the rooms, and the girls on the first floor laid down new carpeting.

“We had to make it our own,” Sheffrin said. “Really girly.”

The girls praise what they describe as “a certain solitude” at DKE.

“It’s so much quieter than either Clark or Fauver,” Flynn said. “I could never sleep [freshman year], there were all these loud screaming people, but now, except for a few nights, it’s completely quiet.”

“The music’s not too loud either,” Sheffrin said. “Sometimes we hear Enrique Iglesias, but I want to hear that, so it’s okay.”

DKE’s five new female residents were admittedly nervous at the beginning of the semester, but say that the DKE brothers have been nothing but friendly and supportive.

“They were really into it,” Sheffrin said. “They thought it would be good for their image, and they approached us in such a positive way that it made me feel a lot more comfortable.”

When asked if they are considering living at DKE again next year they all said no, but not because it has been a bad experience. Some are planning on going abroad next year, or holding out hope that their bad housing picks will ensure better picks next year. They are looking forward to having kitchens, one thing that DKE is lacking.

The girls strongly encourage current freshman women to consider a room at DKE.

“When people hear that we’re living in DKE they have a really weird reaction,” Flynn said. “But once they come over and see our room they realize that we have the best situation.”