FAQ

  • What is the Senior House Corporation?
    • The Senior House Corporation is categorized as a social club. A social club is a 501(c)(7) tax exempt organization (as defined by the IRS) that is member based and sponsors social events for its membership and guests. It can receive funds from its membership through donations, fees and event tickets without paying taxes; it cannot raise more that 35% of its revenue from non-member sources (no public events). It is not a charity, and donations are not tax free to the donor.
  •  How does a social club work?
    • It is incorporated in Massachusetts and with tax exempt status
      from the IRS. It has a membership, is run by an elected board of directors, has a bank account, can enter into contracts, and files a report every year.
  • How does the Senior House Corporation work?
    • Members will be Senior House alums, as well as members of the Senior House Dorm undergraduate ASA student group. There will be non-voting associate members who are friends and family of members. The SHC will have a board of 6 directors elected starting in 2020. Veeps will be recommended by the previous Veeps and chosen by the board. A webmaster could be appointed to set up membership services and a website.
  • Who can join?
    • Former Senior House residents and members of the MIT ASA Senior House Dorm student group (as a way of keeping undergraduates in the community).
  • How do I join?
    • Fill out our online membership form or send an email to membership@seniorhousecorp.org with your full name, email address, and the years that you lived in Senior House. The email address you provide will be added to our mailing list. Your membership lasts until you cancel it, and there are no fees. Once a year, you can vote for a new board, or run yourself, if you like.
  • Why should I join?
    • You should join because in order to maintain our 501(c)(7) status, we can only sponsor events which are also attended by our members. Your Steer Roast ticket counts as member income and will be tax-free for the event. Your Steer Roast donation will be tax-free for the event. You can join simply by asking, and we will verify that you actually lived in Senior House.
  • What about privacy?
    • The Articles of Incorporation, filed with Massachusetts, state that
      membership is private and not shared externally. The membership list of names and years can be viewed by the members, but other personal information, if you have sent any in, cannot be viewed by the membership.
  • How does this fit in with the sh-alum@mit.edu mailing list, and with the Senior House Facebook pages, and with the seniorhouse.org website?
    • The Senior House Corporation does not replace anything, it just provides a way to sponsor Steer Roast in the future.