The active brothers in the house have enjoyed many years living under a common roof. Despite recent MIT rule changes, the house is still growing. However, while the chapter as a whole expands and the brotherhood strengthens, the physical house is deteriorating. The house is getting old.

One responsibility of the Alumni Corporation is to provide funds for upkeep and maintenance. Currently, the rent charged to active brothers living in the house comprises over 90% of the Alumni Corporation’s annual revenue. For many years, this revenue has covered annual expenses of the Corporation, such as property tax and minor repairs to the house, but has left little money to save for larger repairs, upkeep expenses, and the replacement of older equipment.

The Corporation recently adjusted their budget to reserve additional funds for these purposes. But during the last two years, the funds intended for long-term savings had to be spent on urgent projects such as the boiler replacement and the oil tank removal. Though ‘work weeks’ usually make light improvements, the facility’s structural elements and large equipment (e.g., roof, electrical wiring, windows) have been neglected. Many elements are nearing or have exceeded their design lifetimes.

Traditionally, Corporation expense increases were covered by proportional increases in the rent charged to the active brothers. Though undergraduate dues are currently competitive with other houses, the chapter has been forced to make significant cuts in its own budget and programs to account for rent increases.

If maintenance funds are continued to be collected solely from rent increases, the financial burden on active brothers will become unmanageable. As a result, this may prevent some brothers from meeting their financial obligations to the chapter and greatly impairing pledge recruitment. These dues should not be so prohibitively expensive as to deny membership to worthy brothers nor threaten the future of the chapter. Where, then, should the Alumni Corporation look for a flow of continuous upkeep funds?