Evans Scholars take the track

Chris Williams and Dan McCarthy live in the mystery house on Jordan Avenue.

This house draws questions like: What is the Evans Scholars frat? How smart do you have to be to live there? And what’s it like inside?

Evans Scholars isn’t a fraternity — it’s a house of former golf caddies, who caddied in high school for at least two years.

The criteria of an Evans Scholars lies within academics, financial need and a good caddy record by the Western Golf Association. They do not have to be caddies currently, nor do they caddy for the IU golf team or even in Bloomington.

Evan Scholars receive a full scholarship and live in the Evans Scholars House at 1075 N. Jordan Ave. for all four years of college.

McCarthy said the Evans Scholars selection process is holistic, looking at several aspects of a candidate.

“You have to be top 25 of your class,” McCarthy said. “You have to have a good ACT or SAT score, based on all the other candidates, and you have to demonstrate leadership in your community.”

As for their house, it is self-governed with no house directors. It’s also coed, with 13 girls and 37 guys currently living in the house.

Since they aren’t a fraternity, Evans Scholars is an independent cycling team. They could recruit riders from outside their house to ride for them or they could ride for other independent teams — but that’s not the Evans Scholar way.

“A big thing with the Evans Scholars is house unity — everyone living together all four years,” McCarthy said. “Obviously nobody is going to ride with a different team or train with a different team.”

Each year, the Western Golf Association selects the new Evans Scholars and places them at one of the 14 schools around the nation. Williams and McCarthy never know if their new house members will want to train for the Little 500.

They have managed to put a team together since 1970 — with multiple four-year breaks in between.

“Little 500 ties into the Evans Scholarship,” Williams said. “Caddying is not easy. It’s pretty grueling. You spend eight to 10 hours a day in the beating sun. In Little Five, you have to work hard. You have to manage your time, especially with us because we have a commitment academically and to the house.”

In 2010, Evans Scholars qualified in 10th and — after a few crashes — finished 22nd on race day. This year, they qualified 11th.

McCarthy said that although his team is unable to really pick from a large pool of potential riders like a fraternity is, it’s a motivating force for race day.

“We want to be just as a good as the Betas and the Sigma Chis and the Cutters,” he said. “So we have to make do with what we have, which is exactly what the Evans Scholarship is all about, making do with what you have and making the best of it.”