AEPi chapter disaffiliates from National Organization

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I had never heard of a chapter disaffiliating from the national organization before but it says it happened before on this campus.

The Tufts chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) has voted to disaffiliate from its national organization due to a difference of opinion, the brothers wrote in a statement.

“Our long-term goals do not align with those of our national organization,” the brothers wrote in an open letter emailed to the Daily.

The chapter, which was founded on Tufts campus in 1940, voted unanimously to disaffiliate and brought the decision to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life yesterday, according to Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Su McGlone.

“The fraternity came forward as a whole,” she said.

McGlone said the university stands by the former AEPi brothers as they make this transition.

“They’ve decided to cut ties with the national organization,” McGlone said. “The university supports their right to affiliate as an independent organization.”

A Tufts chapter disaffiliating from a national fraternity is not unprecedented, according to McGlone.

“ATO had a similar situation,” she said. In 1974, the fraternity separated from the national Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) organization in order to accept both men and women, according to the ATO of Massachusetts website.

The former brothers of AEPi can continue to live on campus, because the house they occupy is owned by the university, according to McGlone. They plan to transition to either an independent social organization or a chapter of a different national fraternity, according to their announcement.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what they decide to do. They have a lot of options,” McGlone said. “I really don’t know how it’s going to pan out.”

Source: http://tuftsdaily.com/news/2015/01/3...-organization/

Dear the Tufts University Community,

Recently the Alpha Epsilon Pi Chapter on campus has made some very important decisions regarding the future of our fraternity and we wanted to let you know about them.

As a chapter, we pride ourselves on developing leaders within our community and the world. We hold our members to an extremely high standard and expect them to represent our chapter well. We welcome any individuals willing to commit to our mission of giving back to the community and our ethos of brotherhood.

We strongly believe in diversity of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, background and beliefs. This diversity provides individuals with the tools necessary to succeed as leaders in the modern world.

Recently we have come to realize our long-term goals do not align with those of our national organization. In a unanimous vote our chapter decided to disaffiliate ourselves from Alpha Epsilon Pi’s International Headquarters. We are excited to move forward and continue our mission of developing future leaders on campus.

We are transitioning to become a Tufts-based fraternity, with a new name, with the goal of re-affiliating with a different national fraternity or maintaining our independent status. We are proud of our members and thankful for the Tufts administration and many leaders in the community who have fully supported our right to be recognized as an independent organization.

Sincerely,

The Former Members of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity

Source: http://tuftsdaily.com/opinion/2015/0...pi-fraternity/