Delta Phi Epsilon moves into Boston house
Members of MIT’s newest sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon, have moved into their recently-acquired brownstone house at 515 Beacon Street in Boston.
The house is owned by the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and was secured for Delta Phi Epsilon by the sorority’s national headquarters. It is reportedly being rented at $55,000 per year.
Eleven members currently live in the house, populating nine single occupancy rooms and one double. “We’re a smaller sorority, so we all know each other and we’re pretty happy to be living with each other,” said Vice President of House Management Aasavari Phanse ’18.
The chapter conducted formal recruitment for the first time this fall, gaining about 20 new members, Phanse said. Recruitment last year was run by Delta Phi Epsilon headquarters staff along with area volunteers, after other sororities had completed their formal recruitment periods.
This year, members prepared for the events with a recruitment boot camp held in the house.
“It was … a little bit stressful over the summer,” said Phanse. “We didn’t get to see as much of [the house] as we wanted to.” The house was continuously occupied by individual tenants until the sorority moved in for the start of the school year.
However, Phanse has found 515 Beacon pleasant so far. “It’s actually really pretty. There’s a lot of really nice woodwork and so I’m really excited about it,” she said.
Phanse noted the diversity in the members’ backgrounds and interests as features that may draw in new chapter members. “We understand how at first sororities might seem a little scary,” she said. “We understand everyone has a different community, we just want everyone to feel at home while they’re here.” Most of the current members of Delta Phi Epsilon joined as sophomores and juniors.
Looking to the future, Phanse said that members are excited about a gala the chapter will be hosting in early December to raise money for cystic fibrosis treatment, along with other events planned for new members.