Dartmouth students looking for something to do on the weekend have a new option on their plates: virtual frat-hopping.
Several Greek houses have designed homepages on the World Wide Web, which most houses say are helping to build stronger ties with alumni.
Phi Tau coed fraternity constructed a Web page in the winter of 1994, said Carla Emmons '97, a Phi Tau member.
Emmons said the page was first started by Andy Williams '94, who now works for the Kiewit Computation Center.
She said Phi Tau established the website for two reasons -- to help alumni to keep in touch with Phi Tau and to publish the coed house's social calendar.
But Eammons said the page is now "primarily just a showcase of Phi Tau."
Eammons said every year someone new takes over maintaining the house's website. She said the pages, which she has renovated, were passed down to her after the previous person who maintained the site graduated.
She said the website contains a few photo galleries of random and composite pictures as well as a section of wedding pictures of alumni and recent graduates, "especially if they are marrying within the Phi Tau lineages, which happens more than we thought it would."
According to Emmons, Phi Tau has good alumni relations already, but the website "certainly makes them smile," because home pages of other alumni are linked to the main site.
Emmons said in terms of interest, the Phi Tau website is geared towards alumni, but in terms of the information it contains, it is geared towards people interested in learning about the house.
Mark Zanatta '98 said he created a website for Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in February.
Zanatta said the website allows SAE to "show off a lot of things we think are positive aspects of the house," including a picture of the house and formal and casual pictures its members.
A major advantage to having a website for the house is to further alumni relations, he said.
"People who we haven't really seen or heard from in a long time come across the page and get in touch with us," Zanatta said.
He said the house receives e-mail from Dartmouth SAE alumni as well as alumni from other chapters.
Alpha Theta coed fraternity President Robert Puckett '97 said Alpha Theta has a Web page maintained by the house advisor, Geoff Bronner '91.
Puckett said the page contains a list of e-mail addresses and home pages of current Alpha Theta members as well as alumni, a page on the history of Greek houses at Dartmouth and a membership composite picture.
Zeta Psi fraternity is in the beginning stages of creating a website. Tom Millett '98 said he was asked to put up the page because he has the necessary computer skills.
He said he plans to begin working on the page this week and will "probably have something up by next week."
Millett said the website will contain a picture of the house and a composite picture of the brothers.
He said he also plans to publish the Zete alumni newsletter on the Web.
Bones Gate fraternity brother Marty Dengler '97 said a website for Bones Gate has been started, but he is "pretty much going to get it going next term."
Dengler said the page will have an alumni registry as well as a brother registry because "the alumni are really interested in keeping in touch with brothers and themselves."
He said the Bones Gate website will also contain schedules of upcoming Bones Gate events for members and others.
"Everyone kind of knows how to use the World Wide Web these days," Dengler said.
Several houses express no interest in creating a website.
Alpha Delta fraternity brother Robert Leathern '97 wrote in an e-mail message AD "has seen no good reason to establish any kind of presence on the Web" and "has shown little interest in exploring this strange and bewildering new medium and will probably remain that way at least right now."
