Sleep Porches

[khlkcca]

My house had a warm air dorm (windows closed) and a cold air dorm (windows open). Most of the problems with illness came in the warm air dorm.
I agree with others that sleeping in the cold air dorm was a great sleep. My bed was right next to the window, but I was never cold. Everyone had electric blankets in the winter. I would liken it to getting in a hot tub in the winter. You are warm, but still have the cool fresh air to breathe.
We had wake duty so alarm clocks were not an issue. You also did not have to fight with your roommate about what time the lights went out.
Lastly, were were not allowed to have guys above the first floor so shacking up, not an issue.

[SigKapCoug]

I loved the sleeping porch until I had a single room - and then I slept in there (even though I wasn't supposed to).

Though I think the last straw was when someone threw up on the porch - I was not amused (though she did apologize for waking me up...)

[Elephant Walk]

How many people sleep in these things?

I mean, we don't have sleeping porches...but several of the houses have rooms with ALOT of people in 'em. Tri-Delt (I believe) has a 9 girl room.

[Tex1899]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

How many people sleep in these things?

I mean, we don't have sleeping porches...but several of the houses have rooms with ALOT of people in 'em. Tri-Delt (I believe) has a 9 girl room.

I've seen them primarily in the midwest (old Big 8 schools) where a fraternity is a living option as much as a social one. Capacities ranged from 50's-70's. And you'll probably see the fraternities recruit the same number of men each year +/- 1 or 2 men. Beds need to be filled. And they usually have a good summer rush program.

[banditone]

Seems like the fraternity houses at Indiana (and other Big 10 schools have them). I know the Sigma Nu house at IU houses 70. No way that have that many rooms in that house.

[BigRedBeta]

Yeah, several of the old Big 8 schools definitely have them. At Nebraska they've fallen decidedly out of favor, and I can only think of one sorority that still uses theirs. There might be one or two fraternities that do, but I doubt it.

I've been in open airs at Iowa State (Beta), K-state and Kansas (several different chapters).
When I went to UIFI, the ADPi house at Indiana had an open air. I'd assume the others did too.

An ex-gf of mine went to UWashington in Seattle and quit recruitment when she found out about the open airs, so at least several of the sororities up there have them.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by BigRedBeta

Yeah, several of the old Big 8 schools definitely have them. At Nebraska they've fallen decidedly out of favor, and I can only think of one sorority that still uses theirs. There might be one or two fraternities that do, but I doubt it.

I've been in open airs at Iowa State (Beta), K-state and Kansas (several different chapters).
When I went to UIFI, the ADPi house at Indiana had an open air. I'd assume the others did too.

An ex-gf of mine went to UWashington in Seattle and quit recruitment when she found out about the open airs, so at least several of the sororities up there have them.

Yes, several of the sororities and fraternities have sleeping porches at UW. A friend of mine that attended school in Oregon also had a sleeping porch in her house. Everyone I've known that had them grew to love them.

[BigRedBeta]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Yes, several of the sororities and fraternities have sleeping porches at UW. A friend of mine that attended school in Oregon also had a sleeping porch in her house. Everyone I've known that had them grew to love them.

Well, this girl was a princess to the nth degree...there's absolutely no way she would have grown to love them.

[couggirl]

most sororities at Washington State had them as well. I know one house that was built in the early 90's doesn't and that another house remodled and now have a number of rooms with about 10 people each instead of one big room. Fraternaties, I think most have them, but I did not go into all the fraternaty houses, at least not the sleeping part.

[Sister Havana]

Almost all the sororities at Indiana have cold dorms. I can only think of a few that don't - or didn't at the time I rushed. (Chi O, DZ, KD, ZTA, AEPhi, and I think the new AOPi house)

The only IU fraternities I know of that have them are Acacia, Sigma Chi, Fiji, and Pi Kappa Phi (which is in the former Sigma Kappa house).

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by BigRedBeta

Well, this girl was a princess to the nth degree...there's absolutely no way she would have grown to love them.

Sleeping porches are not uncommon in houses (and I mean private homes) built in the 1880s through, oh, the 1940s. This was before air conditioning. The sleeping porch was a screened porch furnished with what we might call daybeds. In the summer, you'd go out there where it was cooler to sleep.
Older Greek houses in the South often have them. I loved ours, which was on the 3rd floor where there were no rooms. We kept the windows open year round. Always quiet, always kinda dim. Great place to nap, or sleep late, without music and yelling etc. Daughter's sorority house had 2 on each floor, and they were a lot noisier. The rooms in both our houses had closets, twin dressers (all built in), a day bed and 2 desks.

[Kedzman]

I traveled for Sigma Nu as a Field Consultant in 1992-1993 and visited a couple dozen chapters. The only chapter house where I remembered a sleeping porch was at Oregon State.

[bluefish81]

My chapter had cold airs. I loved them. The only thing I didn't like was that I would occassionally get snowed on in the wintertime, because my bed was by a window. (But then I'd just close it.) Our cold air dorm slept around 50some women. We had a small section that was supposed to be for the heavy snorers/talkers. We didn't do wake-ups, so we had alarm clocks. Then we had rooms that housed 2-5 women to keep all their stuff. Each of those also had a daybed in it.

As far as decorations - all I can remember is that the walls were dark blue. Sometime during my undergrad we also installed 3 air conditioners so that for the first month or so when it's still hot in Iowa, you can sleep comfortably.

No men allowed obviously. For the fraternities on campus that had cold airs, I remember my college boyfriend's fraternity just hung the "shacker sheets."

[OSUGreek08]

I was in a fraternity at Oregon State, and I can confirm what one of the previous posts said about a chapter there having a sleeping porch - because ALL the fraternities and sororities at Oregon State had sleeping porches.

I personally did not like our sleeping porch - I don't like open air while I sleep and our mattresses were crap. In terms of shacking we discouraged people from doing it on the porch; every study room had a futon or couch, and so people would do it in their rooms. Of course it happened once in awhile on the porch, sometimes on other peoples bunks, and that just made it more entertaining.

[kreich]

I was a Zeta at Indiana 88-91. We had a cold dorm on the 3rd floor.

The summer before my senior year (I think) they added on to the house, doubling its size. The "new wing"--had doubles, and everyone with enough seniority jumped at the chance to have a room in the new wing. Many of us were surprised at how much we missed the cold dorm, though.

For the person who thought Sigma Nu at IU must have cold or warm dorms...I don't know about now, but back then, the guys had "suites"--often two larger rooms (desk couches etc) with a very small "rack room" built into the suite (with just build-in bunks and a narrow space with enough room to get to their bed). No large dorms, though.