Phi Epsilon Pi

The Phi Epsilon Pi () fraternity, active between 1904 and 1970 with a predominantly Jewish membership, was founded in New York City and eventually opened at least 48 chapters on college campuses across the United States and one in Canada. After several mergers it consolidated into Zeta Beta Tau in 1970.

Founding

The Phi Epsilon Pi (PEP) fraternity was established on November 23, 1904 at the City College of New York, CCNY (CCNY). Phi Epsilon Pi was incorporated in New York State on February 9, 1914 and became a member of the National Interfraternity Conference in 1921. The fraternity was founded on non-sectarian principles, but throughout the organization’s history, the membership was largely Jewish. Its Founders were:
*Max Shlivek
*Alvin P. Bloch
*Arthur Hamburger
*Siegfried F. Hartman
*Arthur Hirschberg
*William A. Hannig
*Abraham E. Horn

The fraternity’s first chapters were founded at the City College of New York, CCNY (''Alpha'', 1904), Columbia University (''Beta'', 1905), and Cornell University (''Epsilon'', 1911).

Expansion

By 1913, the fraternity started to expand outside of New York State. Much of this next wave of expansion came through absorption of local fraternities; many of these were older than the national fraternity itself. For example, ''Mu chapter'' at the University of Georgia (1915) came from the E.D.S Society, founded in 1895, which had been the oldest Jewish local fraternity in continuous existence.

In 1930 Phi Epsilon Pi absorbed the Syracuse University chapter of Omicron Alpha Tau, a smaller Jewish fraternity that would disperse by 1934. This chapter, formed in 1920 either merged with the existing and older Phi Epsilon Pi chapter on the campus, or re-established it. Four of ΟΑΤ's other chapters went to Tau Delta Phi.

By 1933, Phi Epsilon Pi’s total membership stood at 3,600. During World War II approximately 2,000 fraternity members served in the military, and most chapters closed. After the war, many chapters were reactivated, and new chapters opened as well, including one at McGill University in Canada, making ΦΕΠ an international fraternity. In 1954, the membership of the fraternity reached 11,132.

The Fraternity was the first fraternity to appropriate funds for activities outside of its own organization, with the endowment of $10,000 in 1925 to fund scholarships at the National Agricultural College in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The interest from this fund paid the annual expenses for young men interested in agriculture.

The Phi Epsilon Pi Foundation was created in 1945.

Symbols

The Fraternity's colors were purple and gold.

Its badge was a concave rectangle with ''couped'' ends, domed and with the three Greek letters , and shown ''bendwise'' (angled to the lower right) in gold against a black background. The base was jeweled with sixteen pearls, four on each side around the perimeter.

The pledge pin was an elongated concave rectangle with its corners also ''couped'', with a gold beveled border. Its center was filled with purple enamel, with the symbols of a ducal coronet, a scimitar piercing it in a bendwise direction, and curved toward an open eye in the base.

The coat of arms is described as follows:

Arms: Argent, on a fess ''purpure'' (purple) a rising sun resplendent ''or'' (gold). In middle chief, a Phoenician galley under sail and power on a conventionalized ocean all proper, guided by a mullet on the second ''in dexter'', and in base a scimitar piercing the field ''palewise'' emerging in the center of a single loop of rope knotted with ends ''couped'' at top, all proper. Crest: a sword fesswise surmounted by a ducal coronet all proper under three mullets ''or''. Below, a motto in Greek.

Mergers

In 1932 three of the five existing chapters of Sigma Lambda Pi merged into Phi Epsilon Pi. These became the ''Alpha Nu chapter'' at Muhlenberg, the ''Alpha Omicron chapter'' at Ohio State and the ''Alpha Xi chapter'' at Boston University. Meanwhile, ΣΛΠ's Columbia chapter dissolved and its Rider College chapter continued as a local.

Kappa Nu merged into Phi Epsilon Pi on October 14, 1961. In this second national merger, Kappa Nu brought 17 chapters into the combined fraternity, while Phi Epsilon Pi added its 38 chapters. The Fraternity kept the Phi Epsilon Pi name through both of these mergers.

In March 1970, in a third national merger, Phi Epsilon Pi was absorbed by the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.

Chapters

Chapters of Phi Epsilon Phi:See ΖΒΤ article, ''Our antecedent groups - Phi Epsilon Pi''
accessed 10 Nov 2020.

()

* Alpha - 1904 - City College of New York
* Beta - 1905 - Columbia University (inactive 1928-1958)
* - 1911 - University of Rochester
* Epsilon - 1911 - Cornell University
* Zeta - 1913 - University of Pittsburgh
* Eta - 1914 - University of Pennsylvania
* Theta - 1914 - Pennsylvania State University
* Iota - 1914 - Dickinson College
* Kappa - 1914 - New York University (Washington Sq) (inactive 1922-1949)
* - 1915 - New York University (Heights)
* Lambda - 1915 Rutgers University
* Mu - 1915 - University of Georgia
* Nu - 1915 - University of Virginia
* ''Kappa Delta'' - 1915 - Union College (inactive 1925)
* Xi - 1916 - Georgia Institute of Technology
* Omicron - 1916 - Tufts University
* ''Pi'' - 1916 - University of Maine (inactive 1925)
* ''Rho'' - 1916 - Rhode Island State College (inactive 1922)
* ''Sigma'' - 1916 - Brown University (inactive 1918)
* ''Tau'' - 1916 - Auburn University (inactive 1920)
* ''Upsilon'' - 1916 - University of Connecticut (inactive 1964)
* ''Phi'' - 1916 - Carnegie Institute of Technology (inactive 1922)
* - 1917 - University of Buffalo
* - 1917 - Union College
* Chi - 1917 - Syracuse University
* Gamma - 1920 - Northwestern University
* Delta - 1920 - Washington and Lee University
* Psi - 1920 - University of Illinois
* ''Omega'' - 1920 - University of Cincinnati (inactive 1935)
* ''Alpha Alpha'' - 1920 - Dartmouth College (inactive 1922)
* Alpha Beta - 1920 - University of Iowa
* Alpha Gamma - 1921 - University of Michigan (inactive 1942-1957)
* - 1921 - University of Chicago (inactive 1934)
* - 1921 - University of Alabama
* - 1921 - University of California, Berkeley
* - 1922 - Tulane University (inactive 1956)
* Alpha Delta - 1923 - University of Minnesota
* Alpha Epsilon - 1920 - Johns Hopkins University
* ''Alpha Zeta'' - 1926 - Harvard University (inactive 1935)
* Alpha Eta - 1925 - University of Wisconsin (inactive 1937-1966)
* Alpha Theta - 1928 - University of South Carolina
* Alpha Iota - 1929 - University of Miami
* Alpha Kappa - 1933 - Western Reserve University (inactive 1955-1966)
* - 1933 - Alfred University (inactive 1956)
* Alpha Lambda - 19xx - University of California, Los Angeles
* ''Alpha Mu'' - 1930 - George Washington University (inactive 1952)
* - 1932 - University of Arkansas (inactive 1941)
* Alpha Nu - 1932 - Muhlenberg CollegeThis chapter was gained during the merger with Sigma Lambda Pi in 1932.
* Alpha Xi - 1932 - Boston University
* ''Alpha Omicron'' - 1932 - Ohio State University (inactive 1964)
* ''Alpha Pi'' - 1933 - Louisiana State University (inactive 1958)
* Alpha Rho - 1933 - Ohio University
* Alpha Sigma - 1935 - University of Mississippi
* Alpha Tau - 1948 - Queens College (Long Island)
* ''Alpha Upsilon'' - 1949 - Memphis State College (inactive 1959)
* ''Alpha Phi'' - 1949 - North Carolina State College (inactive 1962)
* ''Alpha Chi'' - 1950 - University of Omaha (inactive 1955)
* Alpha Psi - 1951 - McGill University
* Alpha Omega - ?
* - 1952 - University of California, Los Angeles
* - 1952 - Wayne State University (Detroit) (inactive 1963)
* Beta Alpha - 1956 - University of Houston
* Beta Beta - 1957 - American University
* Beta Gamma - 1958 - Brooklyn College
* Beta Delta - 1959 - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
* Beta Epsilon - 1960 -University of Florida
* Beta Zeta - 1961 - Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science
* Beta Eta - 1961 - Indiana University
* Beta Theta - 1962 - University of Maryland - College Park
* Beta Iota - 1963 - Long Island University
* Beta Kappa - 19xx - California State University - Long Beach
* Beta Lambda - 1965 - Northern Illinois University
* Beta Mu - 1966 - Long Island University-C.W. Post
* Beta Nu - - Bryant University1969 Bryant Yearbook
/ref>
* Beta Xi - 1966 - Baruch College
* Beta Omicron - 1967 - DePaul University
* Beta Pi - 19xx - Western New England College
* Beta Rho - ?
* Beta Sigma - 1967 - Southampton College
* Beta Tau - 19xx - Widener University
* Beta Upsilon - 19xx - Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
* Beta Phi - 19xx - West Chester University
* Beta Chi - 19xx - Hofstra University
* Beta Psi - 19xx - Drake University

See also

* List of Jewish fraternities and sororities

References

Further reading

*

External links

Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity Website

Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Gamma Chapter Records
31/6/3; Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, IL.

Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records
I-76; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

{{Organized Jewish Life in the United States

Student organizations established in 1904
Student societies in the United States
Historically Jewish fraternities in the United States
City College of New York
Zeta Beta Tau
Defunct former members of the North American Interfraternity Conference
1904 establishments in New York City
Jewish organizations established in 1904