About Beta Epsilon
History at MIT
Seven women founded AEPhi, so it is fitting that seven women at MIT sought to bring a chapter to this campus. These women petitioned the campus Panhellenic on March 31, 1993 for permission to bring a new national sorority to MIT - AEPhi. The request was denied, but the group's spirit was not extinguished. They formed a local sorority, Sigma Iota Phi, and made it flourish as a sorority with its own ritual, symbols, and ideals.
Under the green and purple of their new banner, these sisters held their first rush in the Fall of 1993, and four enthusiastic new women joined the sisterhood. Together they hosted the first annual "Night at the Improv" on April 23, 1994. The fundraiser raised a lot of money for the local sorority's philanthropy, the General Israel Orphans' Home for Girls. By the end of the year, the sorority had its first alumna.
In 1995, Sigma Iota Phi was finally granted permission to go national. The sisters chose to become part of the sorority that the founders had wanted from the beginning - AEPhi. As the MIT colony, they adopted AEPhi's ritual and symbols, but kept their same traditions of sisterhood, strength, and dedication. Their second annual "Night at the Improv" raised money for both the local philanthropy and the new national one, the Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel. Their initiation, the first AEPhi initiation held on the MIT campus, was conducted on April 9, 1995. By the end of the semester two more members had joined the group.
A successful rush in the Fall of 1995 brought ten new sisters, eager to become involved in every aspect of the young colony. Together with their older sisters, they signed the charter for the Beta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Phi, and continued to strengthen the chapter and support its goals and ideals.
Today the chapter is comprised of an outstanding group of women involved in various extracurricular activities and fields of study. We continue to support the ideals and traditions of both the national sorority and our local chapter.
National Awards
| Shirley Mintz Greenfield Achievement & Excellence Award for the Best AEPhi Chapter of the Year | 1999-2000 |
| Academic Performance Award for the Highest GPA of any AEPhi Chapter | 2004-2005 2002-2003 1999-2000 |
| Beth Kersten Saul Panhellenic Award for Overall Excellence | 2002-2003 1998-1999 |
| Honorable Mention for Panhellenic Involvement | 2004-2005 |
| Small Chapter Activities Award for Greek Involvement | 1999-2000 |
| Philanthropy Award - Honorable Mention, 3rd Place | 2002-2003 1997-1998 |
| Edith Hirsch Miller Memorial Scholarship - Heather Fireman | 2002-2003 |
FSILG Awards
| #1 GPA on Campus | 2004-2005 1997-2000 |
| Exceeded All-Sorority GPA | 2004-2005 1995-2003 |
| Greek Woman of the Year - Robin Davis | 2004-2005 |
