Beta Theta Pi - MIT

BACK BAY BETA Beta Upsilon Chapter of Beta Theta Pi at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology SPRING 2021 A Return to Normalcy Beta Upsilon Chapter Reopens Chapter House with Limited Capacity for Spring Semester A s I am writing this, Beta Upsilon Chapter is wrapping up its first virtual recruitment week at the start of the spring semester. As with so much during the past 12 strange months, things are quite different this year for the MIT Betas. Freshmen arrived at campus for the first time in the spring, rather than the fall semester. Upon arrival, students were required to quarantine for one week. During this quarantine, the Chapter held virtual recruitment events in an attempt to recruit a freshman pledge class. The freshmen have to decide if they want to join a fraternity without meeting anyone in person or seeing the Chapter House first-hand. The Chapter has never faced so many first-time challenges at once! Most MIT fraternity houses remain empty this semester. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, MIT has required the students who are on campus to live in the dorms where they can control interactions. MIT had a successful fall semester in terms of COVID-19 cases. With few exceptions, only seniors were allowed on campus in the fall, and the number of positive tests on campus was about 0.25%. For the spring, MIT is allowing freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to come to campus, as well as some seniors. In order to both alleviate some of the density in the dorms and to determine if their protocols could scale to a larger group, MIT selected three off-campus organizations to run housing pilots with reduced density. Beta Theta Pi was selected for this, along with No. 6 Club and WILG. We are currently housing 15 Betas and our graduate resident advisor in our two buildings. Everyone gets a single! While home, they are considered a household and can interact freely. However, food is catered and brought in pre-packaged, the facility is being professionally cleaned three times per week, and no outside guests or group events are allowed. It is a vastly different experience, but at least our young men get to enjoy their home off campus where they can interact together. We are following MIT's protocols for this pilot and collaborating with MIT to share any learnings with the broader community. We are optimistic that the students will remain safe and happy! MIT is generously providing financial support for this pilot program to keep the costs neutral for the students and for our Association. Our House Corporation and advisors are providing a higher level of support for the students so they can navigate through all these new challenges. We'd love to have you join us if you are interested. There are tasks which can be done locally or remote. Email me at mike_feinstein@ yahoo.com if you are interested in volunteering for a role on our House Corporation Board or on the Chapter Advisory Team. We could not maintain our success without your support! Yours in _kai_, Mike Feinstein '82 (781) 454-5710 mike_feinstein@yahoo.com Brothers at the Beta House in September 1962. Far left, behind the tree: Bill Roeseler '65. Left, in the yard under the window: Tom Gerrity '63. Sitting in the window: Jerry Burnett '64 (not sure). Sitting on the steps: left, John Elder '65; center, Jon Burkhardt '64. Playing four-square: left with ball in his hands, Kent Groninger '63; right back, Bob Chinchillo '64; right front, pointing, Rich Carpenter '64; far right in blue shirt, Bob Grant '64.

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