Senior Claire Alexanian was just another one of the girls living in her sorority house last spring.

But after her house closed for the summer, she decided to turn to a fraternity for a place to stay.

"You go to fraternities for parties ... but you don't actually know what they're like behind closed doors," Alexanian said. "When you move in anywhere, you're kind of scared about everything."

Alexanian was one of many girls who rented rooms in campus fraternities during the summer when sorority houses are closed, said Interfraternity Council President Mike Marino.

Marino said that many fraternities do not expect their members to stay during the summer and that boarders can help bring in extra money.

Alexanian, who has lived in fraternities for two summers, said she was surprised by the cleanliness and accommodating nature of the houses.

"Most people think (fraternities) are dirty, but we had a cleaning service every weekday, gardeners, and people who did the dishes," she said. "I thought it'd be wild and I'd never sleep, but it turned out that other people had summer school and work to do too."

Due to vacancies in some chapters, a few fraternities also rent out rooms to both men and women during the school year to ease their financial burdens.

"Certain chapters that are under financial stress find it necessary to rent out rooms," Marino said. "Housing in Berkeley is difficult to come by and fraternities are a great option for less expensive and affordable housing."

One such chapter is Alpha Sigma Phi, which currently houses nine girls, said Vice President Jordan Fiddler.

The chapter first seeks male boarders for recruitment purposes and then opens the rest of the house to either men or women, he said.

According to Fiddler, female boarders and fraternity members get along well in the house, which he said resembles a dorm-style setting.

"A lot of the guys are fine with it, and a lot of the girls will become our best friends," he said.

With the exception of initiation and chapter meetings, boarders are allowed to participate in all other social activities.

Junior Samantha Jones decided to live in Alpha Sigma Phi last year after her contract with a private dormitory was cancelled.

Jones added that her friends were apprehensive about her decision to live in a fraternity house. But she said she enjoyed eating dinner and watching Seinfeld with a "giant group of brothers" every night.

"They'll look out for you, and they'll pick on you. It's interesting having a group of 20 boys asking what you're doing and who you're going out with," she said.

She also noted that the low cost of fraternity housing was a big draw. At the fraternity house, Jones was paying $550 a month to share a "spacious" bedroom with paid utilities. Now, she pays $750 a month to share a two bedroom apartment without paid utilities.

Sophomore Camilla Gupta said she enjoyed living with a group of guys, but noted some inconveniences of living in a fraternity.

"Sometimes it's a little frustrating when they're partying and there are people everywhere and they're using your bathrooms. Otherwise, it's been good," she said.

After having lived in fraternity houses for two semesters, Alexanian said her friends' initial apprehensions were unfounded.

"They thought I'd be living in filth and beer cans," she said. "But that's just not how it is."

Tags: FRATERNITIES, GREEK SYSTEM