The lawn at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house was full of furry friends, waiting to get adopted this Saturday. The men of Sigma Phi Epsilon and the women of Kappa Delta joined forces with the Circle of Friends Humane Society to host an adoption day for both cats and dogs called “Animal House.” The event ran from noon to 4 p.m. and was located at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house.

The idea for the fraternity to partner up with the local humane society originated from UND sophomore Mica McCarthy.

“It was originally my sister’s idea because she asked why we didn’t have an adoption event for the local humane society and that got me thinking,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said it was easy to set up and with the help of his brothers and committee it was a very seamless and rewarding experience.

Although no actual adoptions took place at the event, McCarthy said quite a few people went to the shelter after the event to try to adopt.

“The big thing we did was raise a ton of donations of food and essentials for the humane society, which they really needed,” he said.

This event couldn’t happen without UND students working together in order to make it possible.

President of Sigma Phi Epsilon Mike Cerjance said “we needed to partner up with Kappa Delta to help out with the manpower in setting this all up, but overall it has been successful.”

Previously, the men were involved with another animal shelter in town, but Cerjance said that they will start volunteering with the Circle of Friends on a regular basis throughout the year and hopefully host more Animal House events in the years to come. 

The process of adoption is much simpler than most people think. The humane society just needs to make sure that the people are allowed pets in their home, and that the animals will be living in a safe environment. If interested in adopting a dog or cat, just fill out an adoption form and the humane society workers will look for animals that seem to match your personality. All the dogs and cats at the shelter are spayed and neutered and are up to date on their shots.

Anna Withee, the education director at Circle of Friends, was pleased with the outcome of the adoption day.

“Everyone is doing a good job and this has been a successful experience … Having this event on campus exposes the dogs to both men and women, and it helps bring awareness to the college and the surrounding community about different types of breeds. We have a Pitbull here and Dobermans, but many people couldn’t tell based on their temperament,” Withee said.

There were mostly younger dogs up for adoption, and many cats as well. Cats ran from $30 and dogs up to $200. 

The event was also a fundraiser and donation event. People could drop off pet supplies and food to donate to the humane society as well. 

The Circle of Friends Humane Society is always looking for volunteers to help out or donations to collect for the animals. They can be contacted at  701-775-3732.

Journey Gontjes is a staff writer for  The Dakota Student. She can be reached at

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