Image by Anya ulinich

By Josh Nathan-Kazis February 21, 2018

Officials at Syracuse University in upstate New York suspended the school’s chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, citing an unspecified threat to student safety, Syracuse’s student newspaper reported.

“As soon as we were made aware of conduct that threatened the safety of a student participating in the new member process, we took immediate action to halt fraternity activities at Alpha Epsilon Pi,” Sarah Scalese, a spokesperson for the university, told the Daily Orange.

AEPi is a Jewish fraternity with chapters in colleges across the United States. AEPi’s national office is defending the Syracuse chapter, saying that the misconduct was on the part of an individual student.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“Syracuse administrators have taken this unilateral action with little regard to the facts of the case or the possible impacts on many innocent students,” Jonathan Pierce, a spokesperson for the national office, told the Daily Orange.

The Forward reported last summer that two top officers of the national fraternity had resigned over a lack of financial transparency.

At Syracuse University, all three national Jewish fraternities are currently in disciplinary trouble. According to the Daily Orange, the local chapter of Zeta Beta Tau is “on disciplinary reprimand,” while the local chapter Sigma Alpha Mu is under investigation for hazing.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount