Members of Phi Sigma Sigma gathered in the former fraternity house located on 200 E. Beaver Ave. Monday night to celebrate "bid night" — and the signing of their three-year lease at the house.

A press release from Phi Sigma Sigma stated Phi Sigma Sigma will be "the first Pennsylvania State University sorority to provide official private residential housing to members."

The chapter currently has on-campus dorm floor in South Halls. Sandy Grossman, the treasurer of National Housing Corporation for Phi Sigma Sigma, said the sorority will officially move into the house in the fall semester.

According to the press release, the facility will provide housing for up to 44 members with a live-in house director and offer a full meal plan for residents.

Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg, the international president of Phi Sigma Sigma, said Sigma Alpha Epsilon allowed Phi Sigma Sigma to host their bid night in the house for the night.

Grossman said "it is a big day for [the sorority] to be here."

"A lot of the house is going to be redone for the women to move into in the fall," Grossman said.

Grossman said representatives from Penn State greek life spoke to Phi Sigma Sigma about the opportunity for new housing this past summer.

"We just made the deal to move here last Friday," Grossman said.

Grossman said the sorority made the decision to move off campus with the support from Penn State.

"Phi Sigma Sigma's venture into off-campus housing is appealing on many levels," Damon Sims, the vice president for Student Affairs at Penn State, stated in the press release. "I'd like to think this venture will go well and add value to both Phi Sigma Sigma and our broader fraternity and sorority community. Perhaps it will prove to be a vanguard for other sororities.

The house was previously occupied by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

As the first sorority to move into an off-campus house in Penn State history, Wonnenberg said it's a great new start to changing the culture on campus.

"I think that we all know the last couple of years have been challenging for greek life and I think that there has been a need in how do we do something different in changing the culture on Penn State's campus and I think that the university felt as though moving women to off campus housing could do that," Wonnenberg said.

"So we were happy to take this big first step and we're pretty excited for our women here."