When asked the very common question, “Are you in a house?” followed by, “What sorority are you in?” and concluding with, “Do you like it?” most of us tend to babble on and on about how much we love the girls in the house, how we have made our best friends, and how we hope to see them smiling, all teary eyed at the end of the aisle at our weddings. Cheesy, but you know it’s true. But when we get caught up in the conversation of how much we love our house and the people in it, we often fail to mention one vital person –- the house mom. 

I made the choice to experience living on my own junior year, so I no longer live in the Delta Gamma house. I’m not around as much as I would like to be, but I still make my efforts. There are various things I miss about living in. Being three feet away from 60 of the coolest girls around came with having 60 closets to peruse and 60 different friends I could go to at all times of need. I can’t complain.

One major asset of living in was the constant love from our house mom, Susie Maser. Going through recruitment, I fell in love with the conversations I had, but the first thing to bring tears to my eyes was the letter a senior read, written by Susie. Our house mom herself did not even have to be present for me to feel the impact and affection she has for Delta Gamma. 

I am always astounded by how she manages to be surrounded by 61 girls, 24/7, and keep her positive attitude. She never fails to get to know each and every girl –- live-in or live-out -- on a personal level. When Susie greets someone and carries a conversation, she is genuine. If she asks, “How’s your day going?” she truly cares. She accepts each and every one of us for our flaws, including our ability to be obnoxiously loud in the late hours of the night, or the occasional messes we leave around the house.

Susie holds a special place in the hearts of those long distance students, unable to make frequent visits with their real moms. She is, essentially, a second mom. She understands each member well enough to know when to keep a girl company and when to leave a girl on her own during a stressful, late night of studying. She recognizes when someone is having a bad day and knows just what to say to light up the room. Susie Maser is the Beyonce of the Delta Gamma household. She is so outstanding there is a Delta Gamma award named after her, sponsored by the Kappa chapter. 

As I gush about Susie, I realize that every house probably shares this fondness for their house moms, and you should. It is not every day that we take the time to thank them for everything they do for us and, wow, do they deserve it.

So, next time you are asked about your sorority, don’t be afraid to throw in a line or two about how your house mom could be president and ruler of the world. Let’s turn a house mom appreciation week into house mom appreciation every day of the year.