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Alumni Home > Clubs, Classes & Groups > Living Groups
Imagine MIT's campus
in the early 20th century with engineering buildings on Boston's
Trinity Place, but no student residences. A 1913 letter from the
Alumni Association Committee on Student Housing documents early support
for campus housing. And, indeed, when MIT relocated in Cambridge
in 1916, student residence options included dormitories and a fraternity.
Senior House, built in 1918, was MIT's first dorm and campus fraternity
house.
After WWII, MIT's campus changed dramatically with major construction
including dormitories such as Baker House designed by Alvar Alto. Institute
studies in the 1950s recommended making undergraduate
student housing an educational priority and continuing the living
groups' practice of legislating and administering their own rules.
Soon the need for new and renovated fraternity and group residences for
independent living groups (ILGs) prompted action from alumni. With MIT's
help, alumni created an endowment fund to provide low-interest loans to
independent living groups. This Independent
Residence Development Fund, established in 1963, helps ILGs acquire,
improve, and maintain their houses. These projects improve the safety
and quality of living so that independent living remains attractive to
incoming students.
Today, students may choose from a multitude of residence options. The complete listing can be found on this living group Web page. These include dozens of fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (FSILG's). This residential alternative is an integral part of the MIT landscape and involves hundreds of alums in another facet of MIT life. The Alumni Association and the Division of Student Life offer a number of special services for this vital and diverse community.
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