Beta Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi

On March 20, 1891, a small group of female students organized the Feronian Literary Society as the first women’s organization at what was then Michigan Agricultural College. Only twenty female students attended the university at this time. The organization was named after Feronia, a Roman goddess associated with abundance, health, and prosperity. Early meetings were held in members' own homes around East Lansing and in the Women's Building that was constructed in 1900. On February 17, 1922, seventy-eight collegiate and alumnae members of the Feronian Literary Society were initiated into Alpha Phi International Fraternity, becoming the Beta Beta Chapter. Alpha Phi was the first international sorority at present-day Michigan State University. In 2022 it was the longest continuously operating Panhellenic group on campus. The chapter purchased this property in 1935 and completed its house in 1938. A side addition was added in 1965.