Former fraternity house will be second IEP house

09/16/05 - For eight years the International Engineering Program has called their house, on Upper College Road, home. Formerly the SAE Fraternity house, IEP currently uses the space for offices, a full working kitchen, dining area and dormitories. However, IEP is growing and more space will be needed."It has worked well so far," Executive Director of IEP, John M. Grandin said. "In fact it has worked so well that we need to expand."

Currently the IEP house holds a handful of URI students and 6 foreign students.

IEP will be expanding its program into the house next door. IEP will transform the house formerly known as Chi Phi, from a frat house to a state of the art facility that will cost slightly less to live in than the dorms. The house will be called, the Texas Instruments House.

"The Texas Instruments Company supports IEP and is donating $250,000 towards renovations," Grandin Said. "The rest of the funds are private donations and mortgages. This project will be of little cost to the university which is a plus for them."

URI supports this project since they are trying to rebuild Upper College Road.

The house is expected to be finished this summer and will start housing students in the fall of 2006.

"We are very excited but frustrated. There is too much bureaucracy." Grandin said.

Construction will begin in a few weeks and will be open for intensive language programs in German this year. Grandin is also a professor of German at URI.