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February 3, 2006
After
two years, Jewish frat sees popularity rise
BY
JUDY WANGS
Staff Reporter
The
Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity had nearly double their usual number of
pledges this year, the result of the fraternity's increased visibility
on campus, AEPi brothers said.
AEPi, a Jewish-affiliated fraternity, admitted 10 pledges this spring
after an enormous rush turnout -- usually, the fraternity has six
pledges per semester. The fraternity, which has existed at Yale for just
over two years, had five pledges in the fall semester, bringing this
year's total to 15 new pledges, AEPi President Christopher Crane '07
said.
AEPi Rush Manager Stuart Prenner '07 attributed the increase to the
fraternity's growing popularity on campus, partly due to recent AEPi-hosted
parties such as "Challahback" and "Jewmanji." The
growing interest is a good sign that the new fraternity is becoming a
stable presence in the Yale community, Prenner said.
"AEPi is starting to come into its prime," he said.
Prenner said the spring pledges will bring AEPi's size to 52 members.
Some AEPi brothers had mixed feelings about increasing the size of the
fraternity, Prenner said. But the fraternity is not likely to set limits
on membership numbers in any case, he said.
"The dynamic is great, and it will get better when more people
come," he said. "Everyone who joins brings something new and
interesting."
Other fraternities did not experience a similarly dramatic increase in
pledge numbers, officers said.
The Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity had 18 pledges this year, which DKE
Rush Chairman and Pledge Master Peter Pacelli '07 says is an average
number. Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity had 23 pledges this year, which
has been typical in the past according to SAE President Sam Beutler '07.
Beutler said SAE does not focus on accepting a specific number of new
pledges each year.
"We never aim for a number but rather look for those who add a
variety of qualities to the fraternity," he said.
AEPi pledges said they chose the fraternity because of its unique
flavor.
Jordan Malter '09 said he pledged because the AEPi environment is
different from what people usually associate with stereotypical
fraternities. AEPi hosted a pledge dinner on Monday where fraternity
members explained that new pledges do not have to do anything that makes
them feel uncomfortable, Malter said.
"They told us that pledging is a time to enjoy yourself and get to
know the brothers, and I liked that," he said.
Yotam Barkai '08 pledged this spring as opposed to last year because he
did not want to commit to one time-engrossing activity his freshman
year, he said. Barkai said he agrees that the pledge process was
probably one of the reasons why more people were eager to join AEPi.
"The friendly process attracts those who wouldn't want to be part
of a frat otherwise," he said.
Joseph Babarsky '09 was recently accepted as an AEPi brother and said he
had fun during the pledging process, despite the fact that he was not
Jewish.
"I didn't see not being Jewish as a downside," he said.
"I enjoy their traditions and have a good time at parties, and I
didn't even consider the other fraternities."
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