Phi Epsilon Pi

Phi Epsilon Pi
Phi Epsilon Pi
ΦΕΠ
Founded	November 23, 1904; 116 years ago; City College of New York, New York, NY
Type	Social
Affiliation	NIC (former)
Scope	International
Colors	Purple and Gold
Chapters	79 chartered; Includes 17 from ΚΝ merger
Members	26,811 (1967) collegiate

The Phi Epsilon Pi (ΦΕΠ) 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[2]

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 Φ, Ε and Π 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.^[2]

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.^[2]^[4]^[5]

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:^[6]^[4]^[2]

(Chapters beginning with Kappa prepended were absorbed in the merger with Kappa Nu)^[5]

Alpha - 1904 - City College of New York
Beta - 1905 - Columbia University (inactive 1928-1958)
Kappa Alpha - 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)
Kappa Beta - 1915 - New York University (Heights)^[7]
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)
Kappa Zeta - 1917 - University of Buffalo
Kappa Iota - 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)
Kappa Omicron - 1921 - University of Chicago (inactive 1934)
Kappa Pi - 1921 - University of Alabama
Kappa Nu - 1921 - University of California, Berkeley
Kappa Sigma - 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)
Kappa Phi - 1933 - Alfred University (inactive 1956)
Alpha Lambda - 19xx - University of California, Los Angeles
Alpha Mu - 1930 - George Washington University (inactive 1952)
Kappa Upsilon - 1932 - University of Arkansas (inactive 1941)
Alpha Nu - 1932 - Muhlenberg College^[8]
Alpha Xi - 1932 - Boston University^[8]
Alpha Omicron - 1932 - Ohio State University (inactive 1964) ^[8]
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 - ?
Kappa Alpha Delta - 1952 - University of California, Los Angeles^[9]
Kappa Alpha Gamma - 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 - May 16, 1968 - Bryant University^[10]
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

References[]

^ “History and Purpose of Phi Epsilon Pi,” 1925-1941; Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records; I-76; Box 1, Folder 5; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VIII-14–15. ISBN 978-0963715906.
^ “Pledge Manuals,” 1934-1955; Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records; I-76; Box 47, Folder 5-6; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b See ΖΒΤ article, Our antecedent groups - Phi Epsilon Pi, accessed 10 Nov 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Sanua, Marianne Rachel (2003), Going Greek: Jewish College Fraternities in the United States, 1895–1945, Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0-8143-2857-1
^ Guide to the Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records, 1912-1969; Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records; I-76; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.
^ This campus closed in 1973, and was repurposed as CUNY's Bronx Community College.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c This chapter was gained during the merger with Sigma Lambda Pi in 1932.
^ Baird's notes a Kappa Alpha Delta chapter (and Kappa Alpha Gamma chapter), names coming from the Kappa Nu merger. Yet another chapter list shows a previous Alpha Lambda chapter at UCLA. Had it gone dormant?
^ 1969 Bryant Yearbook

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.

[1] “History and Purpose of Phi Epsilon Pi,” 1925-1941; Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records; I-76; Box 1, Folder 5; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

[Baird's-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VIII-14–15. ISBN 978-0963715906.

[3] “Pledge Manuals,” 1934-1955; Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records; I-76; Box 47, Folder 5-6; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

[Antecedent-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b See ΖΒΤ article, Our antecedent groups - Phi Epsilon Pi, accessed 10 Nov 2020.

[Sanua_GG-5] Jump up to: ^a ^b Sanua, Marianne Rachel (2003), Going Greek: Jewish College Fraternities in the United States, 1895–1945, Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0-8143-2857-1

[6] Guide to the Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records, 1912-1969; Phi Epsilon Pi Fraternity Records; I-76; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

[7] This campus closed in 1973, and was repurposed as CUNY's Bronx Community College.

[SigLamPi-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c This chapter was gained during the merger with Sigma Lambda Pi in 1932.

[9] Baird's notes a Kappa Alpha Delta chapter (and Kappa Alpha Gamma chapter), names coming from the Kappa Nu merger. Yet another chapter list shows a previous Alpha Lambda chapter at UCLA. Had it gone dormant?

[10] 1969 Bryant Yearbook

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