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Interesting comments:

They're disaffiliating from the national organization because a rep from nationals came and told them that they were only allowed to accept jewish members in their newest class. Obviously their newest class isn't entirely jewish, hence the conflict.

The national won't let them consider non-Jewish members. They recently got pressured to turn down a Black pledge and Asian pledge, and they refused. I can't argue with their decision.

Allegedly, a national rep came to check out the under-representation of jewish brothers in their house (their national organization is billed as a *jewish* fraternity after all) but supposedly things got a little nasty about just how important that goal is and what kind of people the brothers were for undervaluing that goal.

So they realized that the house and the national organization had differing viewpoints and they chose to split.

That's the gossip anyway. Cant' speak to it's veracity.

Hope that helps

The mission statement of Alpha Epsilon Pi states: "our basic purpose is to provide the opportunity for a Jewish man to be able to join a Jewish organization whose purpose is not specifically religious, but rather social and cultural in nature. Alpha Epsilon Pi is a Jewish fraternity, though non-discriminatory and open to all who are willing to espouse its purpose and values." The chapter deciding to disaffiliate would be due to years of moving in a different direction from the values (or identity) of the national organization. Throughout the country there are many chapters that have a multitude of races including African American and Asian - the difference is they joined to be a part of a Jewish fraternity. Here at Tufts, it's inevitable that if they joined wanting the Jewish experience - the local chapter would keep intact their Jewish identity. The chapter however would most likely tell students that's our national identity - not here at Tufts. Here at Tufts we do our own thing. The local chapter mislead students looking at joining AEPi and would hide the sole purpose of their existence on campus - to be a Jewish fraternity. That's an unfortunate reality.

There are over 73 national fraternities. Only one is Jewish. If the students had joined for that experience - there would never had been any disparity from the local chapter.

Good luck to these boys. The national will find new members who are willing to espouse its purpose and values - brothers who would love that Jewish Greek experience. This local chapter will have to create a new identity as they move forward. Hopefully the new identity they try to create will make it through the years - or maybe the new identity will change from the values of "giving back to the community and our ethos of brotherhood". Chance are, they will also change from this identity and fall apart, but this time all on their own.

Only time will tell.

Would this last one mean it's possible there will be this AEPi local and an AEPi national on the same campus? The newspaper article sounded like everyone in the chapter was disaffiliating.

And if it's "non-discriminatory and open to all" then why is there a problem? Doesn't make sense.