"It doesn't usually happen at a fraternity house," Gerakaris said.
But board members and the new Beta interest group, made up of 19 upperclassmen and 17 members of the Class of 2011, are hoping that the house will prove to be unlike any other fraternity at Dartmouth in several ways. Some are even hoping that what they are calling the "Beta Renaissance" could spark a rebirth of the whole sorority and fraternity system at Dartmouth, Gerakaris said.
"Because we have a bunch of men willing to be in a dry house for at least a couple terms, this will be a place where women of the Dartmouth community will feel safe, comfortable and welcomed," he said. "Guys are committed to the idea that this is something that should be continued even after the dry period."
Weekly meetings will be organized around meals instead of a keg, according to Gerakaris, and brothers will continue to gather around the table in a civilized manner, even after the fraternity is permitted to serve alcohol.
"We have guys who want to see the quality of social life improve, and maybe the social scene can become more like this across campus," he added. "I can tell you, there are some good party people in there, people who enjoy life, but there's a big difference between partying and raging."
The new face of Beta, discussed at an upperclassmen focus group, inspired Joe Huston '10 to join the fraternity, Huston said.
"We can make a house that's a little different, where girls feel comfortable, where it's not all about getting trashed," he said.
Many new members cited diversity as an important factor in their decision to join Beta. While Huston searched for a group he could always go back to, he said he wanted to get to know people he would not otherwise meet who could challenge him.
Although the fraternity's recruitment efforts consisted only of a few information sessions, the new Beta members represent organizations including the African American Society, Student Assembly, business organizations and athletic teams. Beta president Andrew von Kuhn '09 said his goal is to create an organization for members from all different organizations, clubs and activities.
"The exciting part for me would be to have a house full of leaders that would represent the diversified interests of the College," von Kuhn said. "I want to create a place for guys who may have never met their fraternity brothers before, where they can meet guys with different interests but similar character."
New Beta member Matt Oh '11 said that the Beta's historical reputation as a house of leaders and captains influenced his decision to join the organization.
"I want to be involved in a house like that," he said. "I want to branch off into the rest of the community at Dartmouth and make connections with other groups on campus."
Beta member Tony Pastoors '10 said the return of nearly 60 alumni to the rush event spoke volumes about the house and influenced his decision to join the organization.
"The turnout shows that these will be guys who will be friends for the rest of your life," Pastoors said. "It's something that we're going to try to live up to."
When asked how the organization could prevent the misconduct that caused its decline in the 1990s, both board members and current Beta members said they are confident that they will avoid a similar breakdown.
"I don't have any worries at all," Gerakaris said. "They're coming in with a commitment to be in a dry house and are all self-disciplined men, the cream of the crop. The real challenge is a few years down the road, keeping this from happening again. We have to admit that alum oversight in the mid-1990s got too lax. We will literally and figuratively be their brothers' keepers, and we will enforce upon these guys that we will not just look the other way."
Beta faces less risk of misconduct than any other fraternity on campus, Huston said, because of the stringent selection process and the hand-picked group of upperclassmen members. Each member of the interest group met with at least two members of the board for interviews, and the board referred to members' family friends, teachers, relatives and coaches before approval, according to von Kuhn.
"We have very exciting possibilities," Gerakaris said. "One thing that people had first thought was a handicap turned out to be a great blessing."