With an all-house gpa of 3.30, we took first place in grades among all fraternitites on campus. This is also our highest all-house gpa in the last ten years! Congratulations to everyone on all the hard work, keep it up!

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In April, the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) awarded the Iowa State University FarmHouse Fraternity Chapter with the 2011 Chapter Award of Distinction. FarmHouse was one of only four chapters nationwide to be honored with this prestigious recognition. Chapter leaders were invited to accept the award in Washington, D.C. along with the other NIC award recipients from April 10-12. Jordan Uthoff, Andy Pringnitz, Jake Kolker, Drew Brown and Matt Skarshaug represented the chapter at the awards ceremony. The NIC’s Award of Distinction recognizes an excellent fraternity chapter based on their values and relationship with their national organization. The recipients of this award are chapters that are very well functioning and educate other chapters in their community on the benefits of a values based Greek experience.

“We model ourselves to strive to be the best we can be,” said FarmHouse president Jordan Uthoff. “We always try to be gentlemen, philanthropists, service members and do all of this while being good students.”

In addition to the prestigious Award of Distinction, FarmHouse alumnus Rick Barnes of the Texas Tech chapter was the recipient of the Gold Medal Award, which is one of the oldest traditions of the NIC and the highest honor the NIC gives to fraternity members. Barnes currently serves on the Board of the Association for Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) Foundation and the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values (AFLV) Foundation and is the president of the Texas Tech FarmHouse Alumni Association. Barnes also does is a Risk Management speaker and keynote speaker for fraternities and sororities across the country. Uthoff said that Barnes has always been a strong supporter of the fraternity movement and of FarmHouse. “I believe these awards will be a great recruiting tool,” Uthoff said. “I hope it will improve the idea that Greek chapters can be a positive experience in young people’s lives.” 

From Left: Matt Skarshaugh, Andy Pringnitz, Jake Kolker, Jordan Uthoff, Drew Brown

March 8, 2011

Serenading is a long tradition in the Greek community.  FarmHouse has continued to keep this tradition alive with great vocal serenades.  These serenades are songs performed by the men of FarmHouse for sororities, chapter member's dates, various campus organizations, and of course mothers.    Donations for our serenades are raised and given to our local philanthropy.

At the beginning of every year the fraternities at Iowa State will serenade the soroities' new initiates.  But for FarmHouse the serenades don't stop there.  FarmHouse is asked by many soroities to sing at their Mom's Weekends.  Our men get dressed up in blue blazers and slacks and proceed to melt mothers' hearts.  These serenades include vocal solos, holding mother's hands, and of course some great dancing.  There are always smiles, laughs and sometimes with mothers... crying.  Mothers love men who can sing.  Each year we will perform at anywhere from 4-8 mother's weekend events besides our own for various soroities.  It is not required to be a great singer to be in FarmHouse, but we have always been fortunate enough to have a great deal of talented individuals that as a whole make us sound great!

March 7, 2011

With our chapter's recent and past success the pressure is on now more than ever to win Greek Week 2011.  Thankfully, we've got ourselves paired with two of the top houses on campus with the women of Pi Beta Phi and the men of Phi Kappa Theta.  Now Greek Week isn't for another three weeks, but already we've got ourselves in the drivers seat for another Greek Week win by doing the things our house is known to do well in.  We're right on track for beating the all-time record for number or redeemable cans and bottles donated set by our pairing last year of 49,000+ cans.  We've got some of our more musically gifted members putting together a karaoke skit that will have people dancing in the aisles or on the floor in tears of laughter, not really sure which one.  Finally, we've got our goals set high by looking to finish in the top 3 this year for lip sync, which hasn't been done or seen by any of our current members in the house.  Now is definitely not the time to get complacent.  It's time to put the pedal to the metal, to break records, to make history with back-to-back sweeps, and to make memories that'll last a life time.  It's going to take a FULL house effort!

One University...One Fraternity...One House...FARMHOUSE

This time of year is very busy for the men of FarmHouse, for when we finish up with Greek Week we will be moving our focus to our spring philanthropy; Feed the Need.  Each spring during VEISHEA week, which is April 11-15th this year, our men put out empty bags with letters attached in the Ames community requesting to give non-perishable items to Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) for families in need.  We will be setting these bags out on April 11th and 12th and picking them up on Friday the 15th.  We have collected about 10,000 pounds of food each of the past few years.  To put that into perspective, that amount of food provides the Ames residents in need through the following summer.  We would like to thank the Ames community for their continuous support and look forward to another great spring philanthropy!

(Pictured below are a few in the VEISHEA parade showcasing some of the food collected.)

February 26, 2011

The planning which started in early October and the pratices that began the first week of November all paid off as 'Sunnyville's Shining' was announced as the top skit in this years Varieities show.  Along with the pairing of Pi Beta Phi, ACAICA and FIJI, the men of FarmHouse claimed top awards in Best Plot, Best Set, Best Music, and Best Ensemble as well.  This marks the second straight year of winning Varieties and the 11th in the past 18 years for FarmHouse! This years show included one of the strongest casts vocally we have had in recent past, but we will let you decided that for yourself by checking out the video link below!  Disclaimer; this video was from Second Cuts, we performed even better for Finals!  We look forward to continued success with Varieities in the future and also continued success with the women of Pi Beta Phi as we go back to back for Greek Week!

Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R9PJPQ6kWk

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA4SjLBE_Gs&feature=related

February 18, 2011

The men of FarmHouse posted a 3.18 G.P.A. second only to the men of ACACIA.  The chapter average was well above the university all men's average of 2.86.  The actives beat the new members with a GPA of 3.23 and and 3.03 respectively.  The chapter also supported six 4.0 GPA's and 26 members of the dean's list.  The men have been in the top 2 places five of the last eight semesters.  We look forward to continued academic success and a first place finish this spring!

January 9. 2011

As an old year passes and a new one comes, many of the men look forward to the annual FarmHouse Ski Trip.  The tradition has been around for over a quarter century and has grown quite a bit recently.  Just a few years ago only seven of our brothers made the trip out to Colorado, but on the morning of January 3rd, 25 men left Ames at six in the morning with the great Colorado Mountains looming in our minds.  This year we stayed at the Keystone Resort in our cliff house and drove 40 miles road trip, for four days, to Copper Mountain Resort to hit the slopes.  Those four days flew by so fast it felt like we were back in Iowa the day after we left.   We would like to give a big thanks to our alumni, Chris Gebhards, for helping with getting discounted life tickets and finding the best lodging that we have had in recent years!  Whether you have gone on ski trip one or five times we will always have the memories of this trip to help take our minds off school for a while and just hang out with our brothers.

January 6, 2011

    In 1931 students started Varieties with the goal to increase the use of the, at that time, new Memorial Union.  80 years later, Varieities is still going strong, especially in the Greek community.  Varieities is a show that consists of 18-20 minute “mini-musicals” that are performed with original lyrics and choreography.  Each year FarmHouse pairs with other fraternities and sororities to compete providing all their own performers, band members and tech crew.  This year we a fortunate to be paired with the women of Pi Beta Phi and the men of ACACIA and FIJI. 

    We have been fortunate enough to have our hard work pay off in recent years, having won the competion 10 of the past 17 years including last year, (Special thanks to the 6-peat in the late 90’s).  This semester we will be performing at second cuts on Saturday, February 12^th, shows at 6 pm and 9pm, and hopefully at Swepstakes on Friday and Saturday February 25^th & 26^th.  I hope you have the opportunity to come see why “Sunnyville's Shining”.

October 30th, 2010

     With a fun night of Yell-Like-Hell finals and Lawn Display followed by a Cyclone victory, Homecoming 2010 certainly was the "Highlight of the Year" for many FarmHouse men. The pairing of Gamma Phi Beta, FarmHouse, and Theta Chi placed first in banner and storefront window, second in Yell-Like-Hell and Tournaments and third in Lawn Display. Overall, the pairing had success, placing first overall for Homecoming 2010. After countless hours of work over the past month and a half, the work was worth it. More importantly than the hardware, the countless hours created and strengthened bonds between brothers and created friendships between houses.

 Yell Like Hell:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0KRg1FqlSI

Lawn Display:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MCj4fnQsDk

October 23, 2010

As the leaves start falling and the mornings become crisp, the men of FarmHouse can only think of one thing - Barn Party.  This annual tradition is a favorite of men in the house no matter their background.  "Barn Party is one of my favorite FarmHouse events.  It's a great excuse to throw on some flannel and cowboy boots and have some fun swing dancing," said Innocent Ndayinzeye, a senior in construction engineering and chair of the Barn Party committee.  From the Farmer's Frolic to Barn Party, FarmHousers have enjoyed this gathering for generations. (Pictured: Seniors enjoying their final Barn Party.) 

    On Wednesday September 15th we hosted our fourth annual Burritoville. Burritovile is our fall

Philanthropy that is an all you can eat burrito buffet with all the fixings and some ice cream on the side. All of the proceeds this year went to the Iowa Children’s Cancer Connection. This organization is a local charity that holds summer camps for kids with cancer and their siblings.

This year we worked with many local businesses and received some great support.  Panchero’s of Ames was generous enough to give us most of the fixings as well as some steak. We also served Cold Stone ice cream; which was a big hit. Many businesses donated gift cards and other items that we gave away as door prizes. With all of the sponsors on board we went out and promoted Burritoville as best we could.

    We hung flyers around campus and gave announcements to all of the Greek houses. The increase in advertising led to a great turnout. Before the event we had planned to serve 600 people.  When the event kicked off at 5 p.m. we had a line stretching out of the front door and to our driveway. At 5:30 the line had been pushed back to the Kappa Sigma house. At this point it looked like we would not have enough food. A few guys had to make an emergency run to the grocery store to buy more tortillas. Pancheros was even nice enough to cook us up some more chicken. By the end of the night the men of FarmHouse had served 835 people. It was a great night and the fact we were able to donate over $4,400 to the Children’s Cancer Connection made it even better. This was the most successful Burritoville we have had to date and look forward to improving and expanding this philanthropy in the future.

 August 17, 2010

    On August 4th, 17 FarmHouse men from the Iowa chapter began their journey to the 46th Biannual Conclave meeting in Columbus, Ohio. The week was packed full of events; from socials to seminars, there was not a moment unplanned.  Beginning on Wednesday night, we were given an opportunity to interact with our peers from other chapters, and trade chapter t�]shirts (as is tradition at these FarmHouse meetings). 

   The remainder of our time at Conclave consisted of motivational and informational seminars, the traditional business meeting discussing FarmHouse International policy, the chartering ceremony of the Ohio State Chapter of FarmHouse, to name a few of the activities. However, the highlight of the weekend for the Iowa Chapter of FarmHouse was the awards banquet on Friday morning. At the banquet, many awards were presented including the coveted Ruby Cup Trophy, which is given to the best FarmHouse Chapter. Our chapter was presented with many program awards throughout the morning, including top honors New Member Recruitment, Risk Management, Intellectual Development, Spiritual Development, Financial Management, and Social/Moral Development. 

    Finally the Ruby Cup was presented to the Iowa Chapter of FarmHouse at the end of the program.  I can honestly say that this point of pride has been an aspiration for the chapter for quite some time and it is truly nice to have it back at Iowa State.  The Ruby Cup has served as a catalyst for our recent goal setting; we are eager to keep it at Iowa State and are looking forward to many successes ahead.

April 11th, 2010

  As Greek Olympics drew to a close and we watched our Greek Getaway guests depart on Sunday morning, there was one thing on everyones' mind: the night's Vespers ceremony. The entire week had led up to that moment as we waited to hear the results of Greek Week 2010; hanging in the balance was another FarmHouse sweep. As we sat through the program, we were delighted to receive the awards for highest all member GPA, highest new member GPA, and the Gold Circle of Excellence but with every announcement the excitement found a greater grip on all of us. Finally as Kevin Peyton took the stage, a Greek Week Co-Chair and our current President, we all knew the time had come and slowly they worked from 3rd to 1st and our pairing of Alpha Chi Omega, FarmHouse, and Sigma NU were announced the victors! Our section of the crowd exploded with joy as I and all my brothers welled up with an incredible amount of pride. We had done it a third time. We had swept the big three (Homecoming, Varieties, and Greek Week).

  If you include last years Greek Week we have pushed our count to four victories, but what does this mean for the Chapter? In my years here I have come to learn it isn't about winning Yell Like Hell, putting together an amazing Varts performance, or who can run a bed racer around sorority circle the fastest. No, these things are only the outer appearance of something greater. I have never seen greater pride and dedication than what I see walking up and down the halls of FarmHouse; these victories are a result of FarmHouse men working with high expectations for themselves and their brothers. I think we can all stand a little taller not only because we swept Greekland in 2009-10 but also because we are FarmHouse men and part of something truly special.

April 9th, 2010

  Possibly you didn't hear but in 2009 FarmHouse, with some help from the ladies at Alpha Gamma Delta, placed 1st and 2nd in the Greek Week karaoke competition. Three of our men took the gold with a great performance of "Single Ladies"....

  This year we had two of the three from Single Ladies return for a little "Party in The USA"....

   Now as we graduate Ben, Joe, and Dustin (the guys who came to party in their cowboy boots above) we realize that we need to start looking long term. That is why we are proud to introduce a new karaoke crew in 2010 with a little bit of "Bad Romance"....

   Great work to all those who put in countless hours for some great performances!

March 22nd, 2010

  This year Iowa State and the City of Ames was excited to be one of the locations for the first round of the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament. The first game played was the team from Green Bay Phoenix vs. our own Cyclones! We were contacted by the City Chamber of Commerce and asked if we would be willing to give a serenade to entertain our visitors (they must have heard how much the Cyclone women enjoyed their serenade after they joined us for dinner a few months ago!). We were happy to take the opportunity for a little bit of fun and brotherhood and the outcome was great!

 February 20th, 2010

  It came down to the final three Varieties groups. Only one of the groups was going to walk out with the first place trophy. The suspense was killing everyone. In the "Best Of" Awards the group of "Camp Ottawanna Be Here" took 8 of them with "Chaos in Candyland" taking the People's Choice Award. After seeing the outcome of those awards it seemed like any of the groups could be crowned champion. Then came the announcement of third to "Chaos in Candyland", The intenseness in the room continued to mount. With the announcement of 2nd place to "Camp Ottawanna Be Here", "Sibling Smackdown" was named the Varieties Champions for 2010! FarmHouse was paired with the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon and FIJI along with the women of Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Gamma Delta, and Phi Beta Chi. 

 January 25th, 2010

  Continuing the spring semester success, the men of FarmHouse earned 1st place scholastic honors amongst Iowa State fraternities for the fall 2009 semester. FarmHouse's 21-member fall recruitment class was recognized as earning the highest new member GPA at 3.26. The Iowa State Greek community overall achieved improvements across the board compared to one year ago. See full report here.

June 12th, 2009

  FarmHouse Fraternity claims the top spot in Spring 2009 grades! In a tie with the men of Acacia, FarmHouse acheived a 3.29 chapter average. They also captured the highest active member average of any fraternity. Iowa State fraternities performed well as a whole, averaging 3.02, nearly 0.30 above the ISU Men's Undergraduate Average. See the official Greek Affairs report.

April 5th, 2009

  

 FarmHouse was awarded 1st Place alongside their counterparts, the men of Alpha Sigma Phi and the ladies of Alpha Gamma Delta, at the closing ceremonies to Greek Week, a week-long celebration of fraternity and sorority life as well as a competition amongst the chapters. The success was due in large part to strong performances in the areas of Community Service, Tournaments, Olympics, and Campus Spirit, including 1st place Karoake award for Ben Schmidt, Sam Schmidt and Dustin Salmons' rendition of "Single Ladies". FarmHouse Greek Week Co-Chairs Dustin Salmons and Ben Ellefson helped add another trophy to FarmHouse's history of Greek Week excellence - the chapter has won the overall competition 4 of the past 6 years.