Unhoused Chapter Ideas
 

My chapter finally convinced itself to give an enormous boost to our previously almost non-existent social budget. However, as an unhoused fraternity, it's not possible to host the typical exchange.

I'm wondering what ideas you all may have in regards to "houseless" events.

Bowling, ice skating, rent out a local karaoke bar, etc. Anything which could ordinarily be a first date sort of activity can probably also be a good mixer

Do you have any alumni who live in nearby suburbs, with big houses?

Can you host a sorority exchange at the sorority house itself?

OT - Have you looked int renting that house on Haste? Halfway between Piedmont and College?

If they have it at a sorority house alcohol is out (even with a 3rd party vendor).

Rather than trashing the alums' houses - are there brothers who live together in off-campus housing? Just have it there. Mixers don't have to be P. Diddy-esque parties. If a sorority turns thumbs down on you because of that, they're not a sorority you want to hang out with.

Great ideas so far!

We do have an unofficial house off-campus, but because of vastly different noise ordinances on Greek Row and the rest of the city, it's very problematic in terms of risk management to hold most events. Not to mention, it's so far off campus that most people don't have any clue where the major cross streets are.

33girl: you bring up an interesting point. Does that mean that if an exchange is non-alcoholic, it can actually be done at a sorority house? Hmm...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't exchanges at fraternity houses also have to be non-alcoholic? I thought virtually every NPC group had passed a resolution like that in 2000 to support the NIC groups that had gone dry.

There are so many options and resources available where you go to school it is ridiculous.

Bay Cruises
Tilden or other parks for picnic or camping
Outdoor Recreation does custom trips
City of Berkeley Pool Rental
Museums...lots of them
Tour the USS Hornet then have a 1940s theme party with swing dance lesson http://uss-hornet.org/groups/corporate/index.shtml
Lake Merritt for Gondola Rides
Chocolate tasting at Bittersweet, Chocolatier Blue, etc.
Golden Skate in San Ramon, disco theme costumes of course

If the sororities have chapter houses, you can set up a dessert mixer with them. After their dinner, your brothers would bring a variety of desserts to them. Then both groups ca eat the desserts together and get to know each other. We had a new fraternity back when I was in school do that. They picked 5 or 6 chapters and it went over pretty well.