A Letter from our President:

Dear visitor,

It is my distinct honor to welcome you to Zeta Beta Tau’s website. I invite you to take some time to browse and explore to get a flavor for our chapter. ZBT has existed at MIT for over 100 years, and spent the last 50 of those nestled away at our home in Brookline. We are a brotherhood of over 50 members from across the United States and various foreign countries, representing a diverse array of majors at MIT and a broad range of on campus activities.

Fraternity is much more than a place to live or a social outlet for our brothers during their four years at MIT. We remain dedicated to our reasons for being here, earning consistently high GPAs (4.48 in 2012-2013), doing over 1000 hours of community service, and raising over $1500 for Children's Miracle Network. But more importantly, our brotherhood lets us form bonds together that will last a lifetime. Whether it's staying up late studying, playing intramural sports or hanging out at our chapter house, there are always memorable events we can point to that were made better because they were done with brothers. This is a strong factor in why we remain connected to alumni. We have alumni from over 40 years ago who continue to support the chapter by serving as trustees, attending events, and providing networking opportunities because their time at ZBT was important enough to them that they want future generations to have that same memorable experience.

Our chapter has been recognized many times for our successes both at the MIT and National levels. In 2009 we were the runner-up for ZBT National’s Brummer Cup for most outstanding undergraduate chapter, putting us in the top 3 of over 85 chapters across North America. We were also recognized with the Lee Dover Award for best overall chapter programming. At the MIT level, we have been recognized with being on the academic honor roll for consistently high GPAs and as MIT’s fraternity chapter of the year twice in the last five years. In 2013, ZBT was the runner-up in the Institute-wide living group and dorm service challenge. We’re incredibly proud of our achievements, but continually treat them as a challenge to drive ourselves further each year to continue to enjoy and enrich our lives through ZBT at MIT.

Our individual brothers have also had great success on campus and at ZBT, being recognized with a variety of awards and fellowships over the past years, including MIT’s Frederick G. Fassett, Jr. award for Greek Man of the Year in 2009, the Jerome Heffer Award from ZBT National for outstanding chapter leadership, and the prestigious Marshall Scholarship in 2011. Besides these recognitions, our brothers excel in on-campus research, hold numerous leadership roles in student groups, and consistently find jobs and internships across the country in which they are aided by their experiences at ZBT, making them more well-rounded individuals.

When I first came to MIT three years ago, I was ardently against affiliating, but looking back I would have to say deciding to join ZBT was the single most important decision I’ve made since accepting admission at MIT. What I found here was a group of solid college men who I enjoyed spending time with and who pushed me to realize my true potential during my short time at MIT.

Obviously a letter from me can provide only so much information. I encourage you to explore our website, visit our chapter house and get to know our brothers. Regardless of what your opinions of fraternity may currently be, I wager you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you find at ZBT. 

Sincerely,

Jason Liang
2016 President, Xi Chapter of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity
zbt-president@mit.edu

ZBT is one of MIT's only non-pledging fraternities. This means that as soon as you accept your bid, you are made a full brother. Freshmen are never asked to fulfill any requirements that are not demanded of the brotherhood at large. At ZBT, you are always a brother, never a pledge.