Finished projects revealed By Christy Marx Barber, Alpha Psi Iota Pi House Association President Laurel Biewett Hemmelgarn (Eta Pi Chapter, Wright State University) stood in the empty main floor of the Iota Pi Chapter house at University of Dayton in August. The 10-year-old furniture had been sold. The walls, formerly crimson and gold, had new, neutral paint. The formal drapes were gone and the floors were bare. “It was eerie,” Laurel said. “No furniture, no color, no window treatments, no rugs, no people. Everything was bland. I really didn’t know what to expect the next day. And then, bam!” The next day brought a total transformation. Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity Housing Corporation Directors Karla Lundgren Wheeler and Anne Petro Tamulaitis arrived in Dayton for the unloading of a truck filled with furnishings, accessories, area rugs and art that was selected at Birmingham Wholesale Furniture last spring. (See the summer 2016 issue for more on the selection process.) Over the next two days, the FHC volunteers completely changed the look of the house’s common areas. Laurel’s favorite pieces are the library chairs in light gray, turquoise and lime green, and the large ottoman in the TV
room in orange, raspberry and turquoise. “The results were almost unbelievable,” she said. “The colors just popped. I didn’t doubt it would be fabulous and it was. When the members checked into the house in August, every single one of them was thrilled.” That’s the response the FHC hopes for after months of organizing a project. “From start to finish, we always keep the chapter’s needs and wants in mind,” said FHC President Julia Marthaler Hill. “Our directors take great pride in creating spaces our chapter members will love.” Members of Theta Omicron Chapter (Baylor University) returning to school in August immediately fell in love with their newly redecorated chapter room, transformed from a traditional look to one chapter President Anjelica Rodriguez called “glamorous.” Former FHC Director Kay McCoy McKelvey and Mrs. Hill traveled to Waco, Texas, to complete this project. “You could tell Mrs. McKelvey and Mrs. Hill put thought into every single piece,” Anjelica said. “We wanted something timeless and classy. We honestly couldn’t picture the end result in our minds, but it was so much more than we could have imagined.” Anjelica’s favorite
Theta Omicron Chapter sisters returning to Baylor University after the summer vacation were thrilled to see their newly redecorated chapter room, which was transformed from a traditional space into one chapter President Anjelica Rodriguez called “glamorous.” 36 · THEMIS · Fraternity Housing Corporation News