Alpha Phi: Visitors

History of Zeta Phi Chapter at MIT

The process of forming the Zeta Phi Chapter of Alpha Phi began in 1981 when a small group of women from McCormick Hall, a women's dormitory on campus, presented the idea of forming a sorority to the MIT administration. Club Amherst was formed shortly afterward, and on February 11, 1984 the Zeta Phi chapter of the Alpha Phi International Fraternity was chartered, marking the creation of the first Panhellenic sorority at MIT. Sixty-four women were initiated that day, making them the first new member class of the Zeta Phi Chapter.

Social

At Alpha Phi, we thrive on a healthy dosage of social activities to balance MIT’s rigorous schoolwork. We mix at least once a month with many of the twenty-nine fraternities at MIT. We also have date events, like our popular “Find a Mister for Your Sister,” in which the entire sorority is set up on blind dates for a night on the town.

We also have several Alpha Phi only internal events. The year starts with a weekend-long retreat to reconnect after a summer away. Last year, the retreat was on picturesque Cape Cod, with sisters staying in beach hotels. This year we rented cabins in New Hampshire. We have monthly themed study breaks during the school week, and during major Red Sox or Patriots games we order in tons of pizza and snacks and spend the evening supporting our city's teams. Texas football is also very popular with our sisters.

The culmination to every semester, however, is the formal held before finals week. The formals are open to all sisters and their dates, and are ridiculous amounts of fun. Two years ago the fall semi-formal was held at the luxurious Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge, and was filmed for TLC’s A Makeover Story, which was subsequently televised in February. Every May, the spring formal features a multiple-course dinner and a slideshow of the school year, followed by a DJ and dancing for the rest of the night. We also say goodbye to our graduating class at this formal, making the night unforgettable.

Academics

Despite being formed to provide an environment outside of schoolwork, academics are important to Alpha Phi. A walk through the house on any weekday night proves this – sisters can be found studying in their rooms or with groups in the dining room or study. Still others are relaxing in the TV room, enjoying a night off from the work that MIT loads on.

MIT’s workload is not the lightest or the easiest, so Alpha Phi has developed means to combat this. A Director of Scholarship is elected each year, and is in charge of reminding sisters of registration dates and deadlines. The DoS also sets up a house-wide textbook exchange for sisters to sell used textbooks to each other, and compiles an in-house list of class and TA recommendations, so that sisters have a better idea of what classes they might enjoy.

Many sisters in the house also serve as undergraduate TAs and tutors. Last year, one sister was a TA for 7.02, a biology lab required of all undergraduate biology majors. Two years ago, two sisters TA’d for 8.02, or Electricity and Magnetism, an undergraduate requirement for all students. A great benefit of having a TA live a floor above or below you is the ease with which you can have your questions answered – rather than waiting until your recitation or office hours, a knock on a nearby door at any hours will suffice. The chapter room cabinets are full of “bibles,” or compilations of class material that often serve as useful study guides and sources of a wealth of practice problems, for sister use.

Sisters also provide valuable contacts and information. UROPs or other internships can be difficult to find, but a recommendation from a sister can help. Alumni share advice, especially with pre-professional advising, and can help sisters get internships or jobs. Recent Alpha Phi alums attend excellent graduate schools, such as UC Berkeley, the Northwestern School of Medicine, and Harvard Medical School, and help current sisters through the application process, offering invaluable suggestions.