Only four years ago, what used to be considered the Jew frat at Ohio University had only 29 members. Now, with almost 70 members, Alpha Epsilon Pi is making a name for itself for its philanthropic efforts in the OU Greek world.
The social fraternity AEPi is OU's only religious-interest fraternity and was established at OU 30 years ago on a Jewish foundation. Although the fraternity is still based on the Jewish faith, not all of the members practice Judaism - about 20 percent are of other faiths.
If you want to survive on this campus with only 300 Jewish men out of 20
000 people on campus you have to expand outside your religion. Judaism doesn't guide us but it's part of our foundation and we don't push any ideas onto the non-Jewish members
said Max Resnik, the president of Alpha Epsilon Pi and a junior studying journalism.
Michael Pryor, an OU sophomore studying business, joined AEPi fall quarter of his freshman year and is now the philanthropy chair. However, Pryor is Presbyterian, not Jewish.
My hometown was about 60 percent Jewish
40 percent Christian ... I call myself 'Jewish by association
' Pryor said.
Pryor and other non-Jewish members are what qualify AEPi as a Jewish-interest group.
The group expects their members to help fulfill their values and needs and work with their service opportunities
typically which have to do with the Jewish community. If (the members) are not Jewish
they join because they enjoy being with the people in that organization
said Carol Preston, assistant director of Campus Life for Greek Life.
Alpha Epsilon Pi members also set themselves apart by having the highest GPA of all fraternities on the OU campus and by their collaboration with other student organizations in philanthropic events.
The fraternity hosts at least one larger philanthropic event each quarter to raise at least $1,000 for a particular cause, in addition to several smaller projects. The current project is Got Swabbed
which begins Feb. 25 and will test people to find bone marrow matches for a leukemia patient.
The fraternity will see a need for something and they will jump on it to help with that need. Max's leadership has helped a lot
but many of the members already realize that we should be looking at things outside of ourselves
