Farmhouse, Ceres construction changes the face of Greek Village

Makenzie Huber News Editor

Greek Village saw a transformation over the summer as two Greek organizations started to upgrade their living spaces.

 Farmhouse fraternity is building a new house in the organization’s lot, while Ceres women’s fraternity will place the top half of Farmhouse’s old house on top of its lot. Both houses are planned to be completed in this academic year.

 Ceres

 Construction on the Ceres’ house started last April with the foundation. Since then, construction gradually slowed to a halt. According to James Weiss, director of grounds and maintenance, construction workers are finishing the main floor concrete. Once this is completed, the top half of Farmhouse’s former house plans to be placed on top of the foundation within a couple weeks.

 According to Molly Reiffenberger, president of Ceres, the house was originally supposed to be finished close to finals week in December. Because of the delay, construction was promised to be finished with the house by February at the latest. Reiffenberger still hopes for the house to be finished by the original date.

 Weiss said there were a “multitude of things” that went into the delay of construction on the house. He said the house had to be moved by May 10 otherwise it had to be torn down, so the house was moved before the deadline and nothing else happened with construction until recently.

The South Dakota State University College Development Association is assisting in the development of the housing cite for Ceres. The association works through a master ground lease approved by the South Dakota Board of Regents in 2010 “to assist in developing a housing site for fraternities and sororities.”

For now, members of Ceres are in a state of transition between the organization’s old house and moving into the new house on Greek Village. Members are residing in transition houses on 7th street and 14th avenue.

Ceres’ former house is located near the Brookings High School and housed up to eight members. Reiffenberger said that the move will increase the number of members able to live in the house. The new house will have 20 single rooms, and once the chapter grows, the rooms can be changed to doubles to accommodate up to 40 members.

 “It will benefit us by having possible new members see the house and get excited about living on Greek Village and living next to Farmhouse and other chapters and getting involved in something bigger than they think,” Reiffenberger said.

Farmhouse

 Construction on Farmhouse contrasts with that of Ceres as the building’s construction is only a week behind according to the fraternity’s president, Taylor Thooft. Construction workers started laying brick last week and the house’s parking lot is planned to be paved by Hobo Day.

 The house is still planned for completion by Dec. 3 so that furniture can be installed over winter break and members can move into the house at the start of spring semester. Members of Farmhouse are residing in Hanson Hall until then.

 “We were concerned about the spirit of the chapter, but it’s just like the old house,” Thooft said about living in Hanson Hall. “There are people hanging out in the hallways. The brotherhood’s still intact.”

 Farmhouse members take up almost an entire floor in the hall with 36 members residing there. Those members will move into the new house once construction is complete along with a few other members living off campus. Altogether, the new house can hold 48 members.

 Thooft said he is excited about the new opportunities afforded to the chapter with the new house.

 “Besides the obvious of letting more people experience living in the house, it’s just really a whole different ball game,” Thooft said. “[Living in the house] allows you to meet everyone else and get to know them on a much more frequent occasion.”

 The new house also has added features such as individual study spaces, two separate conference rooms, another chapter office and a general increase in space for residents.