New Jewish Fraternity Considered

By Kale S. Bongers | Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Dartmouth could soon add a fifteenth fraternity to its storied Greek system if a newly-formed group of students has its way. Approximately twenty students have joined an interest group aimed at forming a Dartmouth chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), a national Jewish fraternity founded at New York University in 1913. AEPi currently has chapters or colonies on over 120 campuses nation-wide.

Patrick Karas '08, recently elected president of the new chapter, was optimistic for the group's success. In particular, he cited the recent lifting of the College's ban on new residential fraternities as a major catalyst in the formation of the new chapter. In addition to cultivating support within the College's administration, the fledgling AEPi chapter is busily working to build strong bonds among the members of the interest group, the other necessary component for the creation and maintenance of a viable fraternity. Karas pointed to initial successes in forming a cohesive brotherhood, saying, "We are having meetings, hanging out together, and are working on planning events for the future."

What remains for the new AEPi chapter is to make it through the College's recognition process, which entails meeting the multitude of requirements outlined in Dartmouth's Coed, Fraternity, and Sorority Handbook. Karas is hopeful that AEPi, can be recognized winter term, believing that "Recognition will boost the legitimacy of AEPi and I think that more people will be willing to give it a try." Already, the chapter is talking with Deb Carney, the Director of Co-ed, Fraternity and Sorority (CFS) Administration at the College, and Terry Cunningham, the Inter-fraternity Council president, about the recognition process. Once the hurdle of obtaining the College's approval has been cleared, the chapter will work on taking the next big step toward establishing a major presence on campus—getting its own house. The AEPi national has promised that, once certain membership numbers and other criteria are met, it will provide a down payment for a structure. Dartmouth has also been supportive in these efforts; in the discussions with Carney, Karas noted, "The dean said that we could either buy or build this house on campus, depending on house/land availability." The house, when obtained, will cement AEPi's existence and help ensure its continued viability by making it more appealing to prospective members.

The interest group hopes to quickly develop a niche on campus. Though the AEPi national works to shape "leadership for the future of the American Jewish community," Karas stressed, "There is no requirement that the members be Jewish," and, in fact, there are no religious requirements at all. The Dartmouth chapter, when recognized, hopes to supplement Chabad and Hillel, the two Jewish student organizations on campus, with its own social offerings. Karas added, "as far as Hillel and Chabad are concerned, both organization's events are religious in nature; since AEPi is strictly a social organization, I don't see any conflict with existing programs at either institution."

There is at least one past legacy the new AEPi group should strive to avoid. In the spring of 2003, there was a previous effort to start an AEPi chapter at Dartmouth. However, the attempt quickly became a quagmire, as accusations were leveled that six members had been inducted against College policy and before receiving recognition. The allegations were never conclusively proven; nevertheless, within a year, the ten members of the original interest group fell away, leaving Matthew Feinstein '04 as the sole remaining member.

This year, however, with a larger interest group and support from the College (through both the lifting of the ban on new residential Greek houses and assistance in gaining recognition), many hold high expectations for a strong AEPi chapter at Dartmouth. Hopefully, it can live up to them and create another strong brotherhood that not only thrives on campus, but extends to the world beyond.

New Jewish Fraternity Considered

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