Summer brings needed renovations for some greek houses

With the late 1970's and early 1980's uprising of Hollywood's coverage of college greek life came a certain stereotype of an endless nightlife and an everlasting party. \nBluto Blutarski, one of the main characters from "Animal House," could always be found working on a new scam or buried beneath a mountain of empty beer cans. And who could forget Steve Sanders of the Kappa Epsilon Gamma house, who was also portrayed as a party hearty frat guy that hosted some of the best parties "Beverly Hills 90210" had ever seen?\nAlthough the stereotypes that Hollywood shaped for the college greek lifestyle have since died down to a lesser extreme, fraternities and sororities still thrive with member involvement.\nBut with the completion of the fall and spring semesters, many of the greeks here at IU choose to move out of their chapter houses and onto other things. So what happens to the greek houses of IU over the summer? For some, the lazy Bloomington summers bring welcome interior and exterior face-lifts.\nPhi Delta Theta, Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Delta Gamma, are among many of the Greek houses that are now undertaking major renovation projects.\nPhi Delt junior Matthew Ewing said the summer renovation brings a welcome change. \n"Towards the end of the spring semester we completely ripped up all of the carpet from the hallways, library, and great room," Ewing said. "At the start of the summer we removed all the original wallpaper from the first floor lobby and great room that had been hanging for the last 15 years."\nEwing also said with the employment of some of the Phi Delta Theta brothers came a heightened sense of pride and the hope that these summer renovations would last for many years to come.\n"Because we are doing all the work ourselves, we can make sure the job is done right," Ewing said. "We have taken complete advantage of this opportunity to restore both the inside and outside of our house, and everyone in the house appreciates the work we are doing."\nDelta Gamma is also going through renovations of their own. Senior Delta Gamma member Courtney Lorenz explains.\n"Currently we are having the wallpaper, furniture, and carpeting replaced in our informal and formal rooms, plus most of the first floor," Lorenz said. "It has been between five and ten years since all of this has been replaced, and we are fortunate enough to have something new every year to come back to."\nLorenz said previous years have brought about changes and renovations to their second and third floors in their new wing, but little has been done to update the style and condition of the original wing of the house.\nDelta Tau Delta member Nate Brown, a senior, said the Delts will have a centrally cooled paradise to relax in once the late summer heat sets in. \n"The house was comparable to an oven before, but since we are having central air conditioning installed this summer, we no longer have to come into a house where it is hotter than it is outside," Brown said. "Plus, we are having new doors put on every room and the carpet throughout the hallways will be replaced as well."\nSimilarly, the Kappa Kappa Gamma house will now be air conditioned in approximately 70 rooms once the summer construction is complete. Kappa Kappa Gamma Financial Advisor Sarah Fischer said Kappa is undergoing the major task of completely redoing their heating and cooling systems, not to mention putting in a fire prevention system. \n"Before these renovations, many of the rooms, especially in the old wing, would be either very hot or very cold," Fischer said. "Now that around 70 of the rooms will have air conditioning and central heating, we can regulate a more consistent temperature throughout the house."\nMuch like Delta Gamma, Kappa Kappa Gamma is fortunate enough to have renovations and improvements done every summer.\n"Typical improvements can range anywhere from redecorating various rec-rooms to replacing windows and roofing," Fischer said. "However this particular project is a major one and will take about 20 years to pay for."\nFor some greek houses at IU, the summer does not bring about major renovations. But this does not mean that their lots stay vacant. \nSigma Chi charges a $2 per day fee to park in their lot located on the corner of Indiana Avenue and 7th Street. At the beginning of the summer, Phi Gamma Delta offered a $25 summer-long parking pass for their lot. Since the Fiji house is located adjacent to Swain Hall West, this parking pass turned out to be a convenient and worthwhile purchase for many I-CORE students. \nFor those houses fortunate enough to have received summer "face-lifts," an increased sense of appreciation and gratitude towards the work the renovations took is sure to ensue. \n"All of the improvements done instill a sense of pride into the members," Ewing said. "When we work this hard to achieve the results we have achieved, members are going to make sure the house stays in the highest condition possible"