Man enough to be 'Mom'

Varney Venal, 25, graduated from IU with a degree in history in 2011. Now, two years later, he is “mom” to the 60 men that have been his brothers since 2008. He is the house mom of Phi Kappa Sigma — the only male at IU with the title.

“I went to one housing director meeting and saw the average age was about 50,” Venal said. “I didn’t go back.”

Venal said he found out he got the job to be the house mom on Mother’s Day, and many of the brothers wished him a happy Mother’s Day. Still, most of them just call him Varney.

“I still consider myself a brother,” Venal said.

Although, Venal’s main job is to take care of the house, Venal does a lot beyond just that, said Phi Kappa Sigma Vice President of Public Relations William Vuylsteke. Venal is growing out and hopes to donate his shoulder-length, black hair.

“He always participates in our philanthropies,” Vuylsteke said. “He will sometimes even make an appearance at our socials. People who come here know who he is. He still has a presence on campus. He’s had influence beyond the house mom role.”

Vuylsteke said Venal really embodies philanthropy, which inspired him to get involved. Vuylsteke said he joined College Mentors for Kids because of Venal and became more involved in the chapter’s philanthropies, too.

“It is really encouraging to know he still does philanthropy even when he doesn’t have to,” Vuylsteke said. “Being active is something I look up to.”

Venal said his days are never typical. He works at Kilroy’s Sports Bar checking IDs, sleeps in until about 2 p.m. and does maintenance on the house. He also runs errands and has replaced doors, windows, doorknobs and piping.

The old house has given Venal some problems.

During the winter the pipes froze and the house did not have warm water or heat for about a week. The chapter had to temporarily live in a hotel.

“I try and keep the house from breaking down,” Venal said.

The most common problem is having keys made when brothers lose their copy. He said he has to take the whole doorknob in sometimes. However, men occasionally lose their keys and come home late at night and sometimes they decide to kick the door in.

“I try to keep costs low,” Venal said. “If it is a communal need or a key made, I try to do it as soon as I can.”

Vuylsteke said Venal gets stuff done and can lay down the law.

“I am pretty lenient,” Venal said. “I try and keep things under control. I used to be the risk manager for the house, so saying ‘no’ isn’t a big deal.”

Venal said he has a healthy relationship with the brothers of Phi Kappa Sigma. He said they have a good system of checks and balances where everyone holds each another accountable.

“I think being house mom is easy,” Venal said. “They don’t want to destroy the house. A lot of guys take their own initiative to keep up the house.”

Venal said he’s not sure for how long he will be the house mom. He is waiting to hear back from a couple of paramedic or nursing schools and will make a decision from there.

“I’d be sad if he was replaced,” Vuylsteke said.