Kingston fraternity comes of age

Kingston’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi   [AEPi] has become a man. Metaphorically speaking.

Kingston’s Alpha Epsilon Pi colony, a Jewish fraternity, officially became a chapter last week. The group supports Jewish students on campus.

Kingston’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi   [AEPi] has become a man. Metaphorically speaking.

Kingston’s Alpha Epsilon Pi colony, a Jewish fraternity, officially became a chapter last week. The group supports Jewish students on campus.

Kingston’s Alpha Epsilon Pi colony, a Jewish fraternity, officially
became a chapter last week. The group supports Jewish students on
campus.

Kingston’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi   [AEPi] has become a man. Metaphorically speaking.

On March 15, at a charter ceremony, the Jewish fraternity recognized Kingston’s AEPi colony, which is located at Queen’s University and incorporates St. Lawrence College and Royal Military College, as an official chapter of the international organization.

Kingston’s fraternity, called Kappa Phi, was originally started in 2006 as a colony, the first step toward becoming an AEPi chapter, with some 10 founding members. This year, the group, which supports Jewish events and life on campus, will have about 43 members.

“[The charter ceremony] is akin to a bar mitzvah,” said Andrew Borans, the executive director of AEPi International. “It’s a coming of age… they’re stable. They’re no longer having their hands held by [the international organization].”

In order to become a full-fledged chapter, each colony must prove it’s sustainable and that it’s involved in social, athletic, philanthropic and Jewish/Israel programming on campus.

“We provide [guidance] to all colonies, but this particular one has been very good… they have excellent leadership, excellent commitment to wanting to do the right thing, to wanting to be strong on campus,” Borans said. “I believe Jewish kids are now coming to Queen’s University because they know there’s a strong AEPi there.”

As an official chapter, Kingston’s AEPi will be allowed to vote on international issues and will have more independence in its day-to-day operations.

When the AEPi colony was originally established in Kingston, Jewish presence on campus wasn’t very strong. This, according to Borans, could have acted as a deterrent for prospective students.

“The issue is that sometimes Jewish families feel that if Jewish life is weak, it won’t be a good experience for their son or daughter,” he said. “Now [students] can have a chance to socialize. I see [the fraternity] becoming much stronger because now, after being chartered, they will grow considerably and more Jews will come to Queen’s.”

David Warshafsky, a first-year commerce student at Queen’s and AEPi’s charter chair, saw this first-hand when his older brother considered going to Queen’s.

“My brother, he had friends who wanted to come to Queen’s, but there [was] no Jewish community out here. My cousin wanted to come, but his parents wanted him to go to [the University of Western Ontario],” Warshafsky said, adding that the fraternity has helped lure Jewish students to Kingston.

“The [Jewish] community’s gotten a lot bigger. I’ve spoken to people in Grade 12 who now seem more interested to  come to Queen’s. The frat helped because… it  gives [Jewish students] a comfort level.”

The fraternity’s goal is to foster a sense of community and Jewish values through social and philanthropic events such as barbecues, rush football games and initiatives such as selling roses on Valentine’s Day for charity.

While the group has partnered with Hillel in the past for various events, it also offers Jewish students an alternative to Hillel, said Daniel Zimmerman, the chapter’s president.

“[AEPi] presents another face of the Jewish community in Kingston. A lot of people that go to Hillel are from Toronto, from specific schools. There’s kind of a Hillel crowd,” Zimmerman said. “AEPi is a little more diverse. It helps… people who might feel uncomfortable going to Hillel because they’re not in that crowd.”

For Borans, having a group like AEPi is essential in cities with smaller Jewish populations.

“It’s a lot more important than in a place that has thousands and thousands of Jewish kids,” he said. “In smaller places, there’s very few Jewish outlets. We’re a major… reason why Jewish kids feel comfortable at Queen’s.”

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