About Us

Epsilon Theta is more than just a residence; it is a community of men and women who live with and depend on each other. There are many benefits to life at Epsilon Theta.

259 Saint Paul Street

Our house at 259 Saint Paul Street is an elegant colonial-revival mansion. Its yellow color brightens the block and provides a welcoming atmosphere in the neighborhood. Recent renovations have brought modern commodities to the historic building, making it an ideal place for students to live.

Hutch, a personal room for 2-3 peoplePersonal rooms offer privacy and are perfect for working on a long problem set. Each room has its own unique attributes. Some are big, allowing up to four thetans to share the space, while others are small, allotting the room to a single individual. Some have impressive windows overlooking the park, others have a porch just out the window.

While personal rooms are a haven for the thetan who needs some solitude, one lives at Epsilon Theta to be with other people. Our various common rooms serve to bring our resident together. Whether it is to collaborate on homework, to play a board game, or simply to enjoy each other's company, residents will often have a reason to meet in a social space. From the chapter room's formal atmosphere with a fireplace and grand piano to pit proper's projector and video games, there is a place at Epsilon Theta for any occasion.

A pantry in the kitchenAnd our restaurant-grade kitchen is one of the most valuable spaces at the house. Its many refrigerators, pots, pans, sinks, and stovetops allow our residents and our cook to prepare delicious meals. These meals are enjoyed after classes when everyone comes home and sits down at the dining room table together.

Brookline

Our home is located in the beautiful Town of Brookline, a small suburb of Boston. The house's location outside the big city is a daily relief from the pressures of campus and city life. The parks and trees surrounding our home are enjoyed by our residents. And though Brookline is an independent town, its proximity to MIT allows thetans to travel almost effortlessly between home and campus.

Brookline not only is a lovely place to live, but it also offers our residents a degree of safety and security not found in Cambridge or Boston. The Brookline Police Department and MIT Police Department keep crime levels low and can often be seen patrolling the neighborhood. Thetans feel safe walking in the area at any hour and there hasn't been a robbery at the house in years.

Coolidge CornerAnd the area's entertainment offerings never cease to provide our residents with enjoyable activities. Nearby Coolidge Corner is home to a number of restaurants, used book stores, coffee shops, and an independent movie theatre. Thetans will often be found happily patronizing the local shops on Fridays.

Getting to campus from Brookline is a fairly easy task, given Boston's unique infrastructure. Our big and silver fifteen-passenger van, known creatively as the Big Silver Van, makes the two-mile trip to campus five times daily. MIT's shuttle service, SafeRide, stops in front of our house every half hour in the evening. Additionally, our house is only three blocks away from two branches of Boston's subway system, which makes getting around the city very easy. For those who are less motor-vehicle-inclined, a pleasant thirty-minute walk or ten-minute bike ride along the Charles River are other approaches to getting to campus. It is worth noting that travelling to main campus via the Big Silver Van, SafeRide, or bicycle is faster than walking from most west campus residence halls. Additionally, the house provides a locked shed to protect bicycles.

Community

Though we live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, it is our community of people that makes up Epsilon Theta. We all have our own unique academic interests, religious beliefs, and career aspirations that we share to enrich each others' lives. Each one of us is a very different person, but we all trust and depend on one another everyday.

A typical meal at Epsilon ThetaDinner at Epsilon Theta is like a dinner at home, where everyone comes to the table and shares their day's experiences over a home cooked meal. Our cook, Karen, prepares seven meals a week, with vegetarian options and can accomodate almost any dietary restriction. Our daily meals are part of what makes the community at our home so strong, as they unite us on a regular basis.

Since each of us came to MIT primarily for an education, studying is an important part of life at Epsilon Theta. And after dinner, we create an atmosphere conducive to tooling by observing "Study Conditions". Much of the house is kept quite out of consideration for those housemates working on homework. Of course, we find it productive to work together whenever possible and upperclassmen are always happy to abandon their problem sets to help freshmen with their classes. Though a wide variety of majors are represented in the house, it is usually easy to find someone who can help with a tough problem.

Our library is well stocked with all sorts of books, from science fiction to Jean-Paul Sartre, not to mention Calvin and Hobbes. We also have the accumulated textbooks of eighty-five years of MIT students. There's always someone around, even at four in the morning, who's willing to engage in a spirited debate about the definition of science or the merits of liquid over powder detergent.

A popular board game at Epsilon ThetaOf course, there's more to MIT life than studying. Planned social events help us get to know each other as a house and as individuals, while having a fun time. Every year we organize weekend retreats (past destinations have included Vermont and Cape Cod), a Halloween costume party, a spring brunch in the park across the street, and other random parties. All of our parties are alcohol-free. Spontaneous trips to movies, plays, concerts, dinner, and ice cream occur often. If you're in the mood to go out, it's usually easy to find people to go along.

Pledging

Become a part of Epsilon Theta is often one of the best things our residents look back on at their time at MIT. Joining Epsilon Theta happens through pledging, making a commitment to participate in house affairs, living by our ideals, and getting to know the people at the house. The Pledge Program at Epsilon Theta lasts one term. New members (pledges) have full voting rights at house meetings and have no house duties beyond those of any other member. There is no hazing and pledges are treated as equals.

Each new member of the house is assigned an upperclassman to be a "big sibling." The big sibling serves as a special friend who individually orients the pledge to MIT life and life at Epsilon Theta. Friendships that began as big sib-little sib pairings have been known to last long after their time at the house.

A pledge paints a mural for Help WeekDuring their first term at the house, pledges attend about half a dozen meetings to learn about house history and traditions. Pledges are also responsible for planning the annual Halloween party. For Help Week, which takes place during Independent Activities Period, pledges spend one weekend carrying out projects around the house and bonding with their pledge class, after which they are initiated into the fraternity.

We hope that this description has given you some idea of what Epsilon Theta is like. If you have any questions about us, MIT, Boston, or whatever, don't hesitate to write or call us. Or, visit our home in person and we will show you around and treat you to one of Karen's meals.