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FarmHouse
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Chouse on UNL's East Campus has the lights on at all hours
of the day and night. Few cars drive by the house, which is
surrounded by blue spruce trees. At a small park across the street,
men and women play Frisbee, football and other games. The
two-story, tan brick house, at 3601 Apple St., is FarmHouse
Fraternity.
FarmHouse originally was founded in 1905 by three men at the
University of Missouri in Columbia. The name, FarmHouse the
only non-Greek fraternity name was chosen because many of
the original members were farmagriculture majors. The UNL
chapter was founded in 1911.
Today, 74 years later, FarmHouse's members have changed.
They no longer major only in agriculture, but in business,
engineering and teaching, as well as many other colleges. But one
thing the house's high Grade Point Average hasn't changed
FarmHouse has maintained the top fraternity CPA, except for three
semesters, since 1911.
How does the house maintain high GPA's?
"It's kind of the way it's always been," Brian Peterson,
FarmHouse scholarship chairman, said "Vie try to say scholarship
is one of the most important things. We want people who are
serious about school."
To maintain the high caliber of students, Peterson said, Farm
House members try to recruit students wiio have done well in high
school. They often rush students who make high school scholarship
lifts, as well as those referred through alumni.
But getting men to pledge to FarmHouse is only the beginning.
Good grades in high school don't necessarily mean good grades in
college, Peterson said. So to help the men develop good study
habits, the house strives for a "studious atmosphere."
Fraternity members have no mandatory study hours, but "quiet
hours," are strictly enforced. From 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3
p.m., Monday through Friday, and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through
ontmues si
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Thursday, "the stereo shouldn't be heard next door," Peterson
said.
In the basement of FarmHouse, the Chapter Room serves as a
study area that is as quiet as the library, Peterson said.
The cafeteria is used by students who want to study together or
get help from another fraternity member.
FarmHouse also encourages members to help each other. As
scholarship chairman, Peterson keeps a file of previous classes that
each member has had. When a student is having trouble in a certain
course, he can use the file to get help from another member.
Another important rule, Peterson says, is no alcohol. FarmHouse
'We try to say scholarship is one of
the most important things. We want
people who are serious about school. '
cnolarship tradition
JL
allows no alcohol on its property at any time.
"You can't have a drinking atmosphere and study atmosphere at
the same time," Peterson said. "The two don't go together."
Rush chairman Rod Penner says the alcohol ban is "not valiant
in any way. It's just the rules."
During rush, FarmHouse looks for "dynamic" people, Penner
said And scholastics is only half of the goal involvement in
school activities, communication and personality also are important
FarmHouse members also take pride in the high number of
members involved in activities at UNL and other organizations.
"1 just think it's basic," Penner said. "Everything in the house is
pro-choice."
The members are encouraged to go to church, to be social and to
get good grades, he said
"There's just a level of expectation," Penner said. "We don't say
it when everyone is doing it, we don't need to."
By setting an example, members encourage the pledges to do
the same (get good grades . . . ), Larry Miller, president of
FarmHouse, said
"I would never tell them (members), 'You're expected to do
this,' " Miller said "All we can expect is a person to try hard."
"We all have a lot more respect for a person who uses his
potential," Miller said.
Miller thinks quiet hours, the alcohol policy and high standards
help maintain the tradition at FarmHouse.
"That's part of the reason I came here," Miller said. "You can
come home and you're home."
FarmHouse alumnus and Lincoln attorney Don Stenberg agrees
that the rush program helps select students who care about
scholarship. He also thinks the FarmHouse atmosphere ensures the
tradition of good scholarship.
"There's a work ethic that I think carries over to study;'
Stenberg said "When you're living with peole who are doing well
and achieving I think that makes it easier (to keep up grades)."
Stenberg, a 1970 graduate, was house president his senior year
and also participated in many other activities throughout his
college years.
"I think for someone who sees studies as an important part of
their college career and would like a leadership position,
FarmHouse would be a good experience."
But Stenberg and the current fraternity members say FarmHouse
is not all business.
"We do have a good tine," Peterson said "We're not all
bookworms." Lisa Nstdn
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