123 renovating house, brotherhood

No parties for now, but the Tufts chapter of Theta Delta Chi -- commonly known as 123 -- will be reinvigorating both its house and image this semester. Along with physical renovations to the building, the brotherhood will scrap the existing new member pledging process in favor of a hazing-free Pledge Education Program.

The renovations are part of a greater plan to "reinvigorate the chapter," said Tufts Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Todd Sullivan.

"We're basically gutting the inside of the house," Theta Delta Chi president Peter Markus said. "We're doing the floors, the walls, the bathrooms, even the sound system. It'll be like a new house." Fraternity brothers will still occupy the house as it is renovated, despite the extent of the work.

During the construction there will be no social functions according to Adam McCready, a representative of the fraternity's national headquarters. The house still expects to have a fall pledge class and is aiming to host parties by Dec. 1.

Both Markus and McCready said that the changes are "well overdue." The house has stood at its current location since 1930 and renovations have been relatively minor. Theta Delta Chi will be making several internal changes and undergoing a membership review in order to usher in a "new era," Markus said.

The fraternity's new pledge process will be "a hazing-free program designed to prepare and educate new members for the duties of our brotherhood," McCready said. The fraternity also plans to increase its philanthropic and community service efforts.

Part of adopting the new pledge process will entail a meeting between McCready and a group of 123 alumni that will meet with each brother "to evaluate their role in the future of Theta Delta Chi," McCready said.

According to Markus, the meetings will inform each brother of the internal changes so that he can make a personal decision about whether or not to stay in the fraternity. "No one is getting kicked out," he said. "It just may not be what some people signed up for."

"I expect that many of the current members will not continue to participate in the fraternity," McCready said.

Though all Tufts fraternities are prohibited from hazing, 123 will now join other hazing-free fraternities like Tufts chapter of Zeta Beta Tau, in a pledge process that will reduce the likelihood of a hazing incident.

The decisions were made over the summer and were not the result of any disciplinary action by the University. The fraternity's alumni board is financing part of the renovations, and the national office is assisting the implementation of the new pledge process.