Living @ tΞp — Frequently Questioned Answers
Rush
What is Rush?
Rush is a week at the beginning of the spring and fall semester where we host a bunch of fun events, and you get to come by, get to know us, tour the house, and eat free food. It’s a chance for both of us to figure out if you’d be a good fit for living in the house.
What is the rush process?
If you’ve shown up to a couple rush events and gotten to know us a bit, and we think you’d fit in with our community, we’ll extend you a bid. For Spring 2024, if we’ve voted to give you a bid, you will hear from us during the week immediately following rush. A bid means we think you’re cool and want to spend more time with you! If you accept your bid, you become a peldge — you’ll have all of the rights of a full member and a few additional benefits. You then have until the next fall semester to decide if you want to move in. (We use the word “peldge” in intentional contrast to the traditional fraternity notion of “pledge” to indicate that peldges are in no way lesser members than initXialized members. InitXialization is the formal ceremony around early February during which you lose your peldge status and become an initXialized member and is required within two semesters of being a peldge.
What if I missed rush?
If you missed rush or weren’t able to show up to many events and thus didn’t get a bid, but are interested in getting to know us, we’d love to see you at our weekly social events or haus dinner. Or fill out our quick application. We do continuous rush which means we are able to give bids throughout the semester, not just during the official rush week.
Culture
What are your social events like?
We have frequent small social gatherings, like our weekly “hot cocoa”, with a few alumni and friends of the house joining all the members of tΞp. Larger parties happen 2 or 3 times per semester and often have unusual themes, such as the “Bubble Ball” (think bubble wrap, bubble tea, and bubble machines) and the “Semi-Formal” (only the left half of your body gets dressed up).
What is the tΞp community like?
Xi culture has typically been east-side affiliated, although we come from all sorts of dorm backgrounds, both east and west campus. We are a very open, accepting, and quite queer group, and something many of us appreciate is being able to exist and figure ourselves out here without judgments or assumptions being made. This is a place of learning be it how to build a floor, wire a custom doorbell, organize people together for large projects, make dinner, clean a bathroom, canoe on the Charles, and support each other. We learn from each other, from our alums, and from our mistakes (which are often very silly in hindsight). What makes a community is always the people. We don't all have a common unified interest or identity; there is no "standard Xi", but we like to laugh and don't take ourselves too seriously, we ridiculously over-engineer some things and hack together other things that are meant to be temporary, but end up sticking around for a decade, we say "yes, and". We're just some kids struggling through MIT, trying to figure out how to be an adult.
How is tΞp different from all of the other living groups at MIT?
Every living group at MIT is unique. Some of the factors that differentiate tΞp are our independence (residents take on a high degree of responsibility and control), strong alumni community, coedity (most of the fraternities and sororities are single-gender), sense of humor, and values. We encourage potential new members to explore the wide variety of living options available at MIT.
What are your favorite parts about tΞp?
Living in a mansion, complete with secret passageways, in the fanciest neighborhood of Boston. Forging new friendships across generations of MIT students. Going on midnight cannoli excursions to the 24 hour Italian bakery. Learning how to cook, how to fix a hole in the wall, how to write a budget, how to make a homemade beam steering radar. Being welcomed into this chosen family with open arms.
What are your least favorite parts about tΞp?
You only get a few years here before you have to graduate and move out. Oh, and it gets pretty cold and snowy in the winter.
Logistics
Who can join tΞp?
All MIT students are eligible to join tΞp. We are open to all students, regardless of gender, sexual identity, body type, race, religion, creed, or preferred text editor. tΞp is mostly an undergraduate community, but graduate students are also eligible and do join from time to time (we currently have one now!).
What are the membership requirements?
tΞp is a residential community, and all members are expected to live in our Back Bay mansion while studying at MIT. Members are expected to actively participate in the community, including communal cooking/meals, house cleaning/maintenance, general management, and house governance.
What if I’m not an MIT student right now?
Only MIT students are permitted to live in our house during academic semesters. Other friends of the house (“froth”) are welcome to attend social events, participate in our meal program, and/or live at tΞp over the summer.
How do I join tΞp?
Attend any of our rush events or social events and mention to any current member that you are interested in joining! Or submit your contact information at our website. Once you get to know the current members, you can expect to receive a formal invitation to join (a bid). Upon acceptance of your invitation, you immediately become a full and equal member of tΞp, assuming all the rights and responsibilities of membership. Until InitXialization in the spring, you’ll be a peldge (our silly little twist on the traditional idea of pledges) which in fact gives you additional rights and fewer responsibilities. tΞp has absolutely no “hazing” practices.
For Spring 2024, we also have an online application!
When do I have to commit to moving in?
After peldging, you have until the next fall semester to decide to move in (though we’d be excited if you moved in sooner!). Choosing to join tΞp is a commitment to live here as residential life is a major part of our community. If necessary, we can usually cover cancellation fees for existing housing arrangements.
How far are you from MIT?
We are located at 253 Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. From tΞp, it is just under 1 mile to the front door of MIT at 77 Massachusetts Avenue. It takes about 6 minutes to bicycle to MIT or 22 minutes to walk (slowly) there. There are also MIT shuttles and public transit available, although most members prefer to walk. We take full advantage of our location in the heart of one of the most vibrant and beautiful neighborhoods of Boston.
How much does it cost to live at Xi?
The cost of lodging at tΞp is typically a bit cheaper than living on campus. For Fall 2023, the cost of lodging will be $4600 for the semester. Our shared grocery program is considerably cheaper than a campus meal plan because we buy in bulk and cook for ourselves. For Fall 2023, the cost for meals will be an additional $900 for the semester. If you receive financial aid from MIT, your room and board aid will cover the full cost of living at Xi.
Is there a meal plan? Am I required to join?
All residents are required to participate in the shared grocery program. For a very modest cost (about $7 per day), the house purchases bulk groceries and supplies for everyone to use. Residents may use shared groceries for as many meals as they wish. The shared cooking program utilizes these groceries and requires a time commitment of 2.2 hours per week in exchange for home-cooked meals every weeknight. Participation in the shared cooking program is one of the best parts of living at tΞp! Many a tΞp have learned to cook in our kitchens, so no experience is necessary. You may choose to opt out of the shared cooking program if you need to, though typically very few residents choose to do this. We strive to make our shared cooking program as accommodating as possible. Depending on the needs of residents each semester, we can offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and other allergen-free meal options.
Can I live in a single room?
Our house has a mixture of room sizes. In any given semester, about a quarter of residents will live in single rooms and the remainder will live in multiple-occupancy rooms. We manage our own room assignments, so we have a lot of flexibility to pick roommates and rooms to maximize everyone’s happiness. Room assignments are made at a house meeting in a collaborative and fully transparent process. We choose rooms based on a points system in which points are accumulated based on how many semesters you’ve lived in the house and how many roommates you have had. Because of this, most residents live in multiple-occupancy rooms at first but are able to move into singles as upperclassmen if they wish.
What is the house like?
Our house has many great amenities, including an industrial kitchen, easy-access indoor bicycle storage, free laundry, central air conditioning, a roof deck with a city view, and a well-equipped shop. We have seven single-occupancy bathrooms which are typically shared by 3-5 residents each. The building is 5 stories plus a basement and roof deck, and we do not have an elevator. Because we own the house, residents are given great freedom to customize the house to their liking. To find out more, go on the virtual house tour!
Is tΞp a fraternity?
Historically, tΞp was founded as a chapter of Tau Epsilon Phi National Fraternity. We drifted apart as tΞp became fully co-ed and Tau Epsilon Phi continued to insist that only men could join. We are recognized by MIT as a coed and independent local fraternity which is not affiliated with a national fraternity (we disaffiliated Summer 2023!). Our independent organization is a member of the MIT Interfraternity Council.
What’s the difference between “TEP”, “tEp/Xi”, “tΞp”, and “Xi”?
“TEP” refers to Tau Epsilon Phi National Fraternity. “Xi” refers to Xi Fellowship, which is our local coed organization that’s officially recognized by MIT. “tEp”, “tΞp”, or “tEp/Xi” are historic and/or colloquial names for Xi Fellowship.