They’re probably among the most well-known student organizations on campus. Yet they’re one of the organizations the student body knows the least about — the Evans Scholars.

A group of roughly 60 students, the Evans Scholars are all former golf caddies who have received full academic scholarships to Marquette from the Western Golf Association, said the Rev. John Naus, the group’s chaplain and former faculty adviser.

Once approved for the program, students must keep at least a 2.5 GPA and follow the school’s conduct code. Naus said students are given scholarships based on where they live, so almost all of the Evans Scholars at Marquette are from the Chicago area.

According to Evans Scholar Emily Daus, a senior in the College of Nursing, students aren’t usually aware of the academic aspect of the program.

“Students on campus seem to know us as the ‘Caddyshack,’ but that’s not the image we want to portray,” Daus said.

However, Daus said she knows the house will always set the Evans Scholars apart from the rest of the student body, for better or for worse.

“The connection in the house is great,” Daus said. “Everyone is really open.”

Daus said the house gives incoming freshmen a chance to bond with upperclassmen because it is the only place on campus where students from all four grade levels can live.

While she really likes her experiences in the house, Daus said she can see the downside to having the separate building.

“The house can disconnect Evans Scholars from other students,” she said, adding that the nature of the Evans Scholars house causes some scholars to be very close with each other, but not with other students.

Fellow scholar Nicole Brander, a senior in the College of Business Administration, said she agrees the house can separate scholars from the rest of the student body.

“It’s definitely different from everywhere else here,” Brander said.

However, Brander said she likes the sense of living in a place where everyone is there for the same reason, with a focus on academics.

“People in the house want to help you … they’re a resource,” Brander said.

Being an Evans Scholar is about more than just grades, however. Executive board President Kevin Scott, a senior in the College of Business Administration, said one of the Evans Scholars’ main focuses is on philanthropy and giving back to the community.

“Our goal is to be good as role models and as scholars,” Scott said.

He said the Evans Scholars always participate in Brigg’s & Al’s Run & Walk for Children’s Hospital and Relay for Life and have been recently focusing on helping students in Milwaukee Public Schools. They host an annual haunted house in their basement every October for local students and also plan to have Christmas food drives and a spring egg hunt.

Scott said he thinks the Evans Scholars aren’t as well known for their community service because they like to give back through their own organization rather than the university.

However, faculty adviser Julie Miller said the scholars’ contributions to the university should be recognized.

“They really want to give back to the university,” she said, adding that many Evans Scholars are part of other programs on campus.

Miller said she thinks the Evans Scholars aren’t as appreciated for their community service and philanthropy because students don’t know enough about them.

“The Evans Scholars are all very creative in giving back,” Miller said. “They’re a really positive group at Marquette.”