Trouble in the Brotherhood

The brothers of the University of Miami chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity have found themselves under intense scrutiny this week for their failure to show brotherhood with the Arab community. The largely Jewish fraternity is facing serious allegations of anti-Arab sentiment in the wake of Sept. 11. The accusations stem from a video circulating on campus which allegedly recorded the drunken rantings of a pledge screaming into the camera, “What are we going to do about these goddamned Arabs?”

The university subsequently launched an investigation into alleged discriminatory admissions practices and hazing activities of the fraternity. Three brothers of the fraternity then allegedly stole 9,000 copies of the campus newspaper, which had published a negative story about the chapter as a result of the investigation. The value of the papers totaled a cool $5,000.

The full consequences of the alleged slur and burglary are still uncertain. The three brothers accused of the burglary have been placed on academic probation and the fate of the chapter is shaky, as it faces possible suspension by the national headquarters of the organization. Incredibly, some members of the fraternity seemed more concerned with criticizing the newspaper that printed the negative story rather than refuting the charges of burglary.

The fact that the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper was an ex-brother of the fraternity raised the ire of many within the group. Fraternity member Travis Caldaro was quoted in the Miami Herald as complaining that “I’m more embarrassed about the fact that a brother on the editorial board of the Miami Hurricane decided to print a story about his own fraternity.”

Unsurprisingly, the Harvard chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi is quick to play down the ugly specter of ethnic antagonism in their own chapter. Eliot J. Rushovich ’03, president of the Harvard chapter, says that he was “personally shocked” to hear of the troubles in the Miami chapter and states that he “didn’t even hear about it until the article was printed.”

Rushovich stresses that “it’s definitely an isolated occurrence, and not at all representative of our fraternity or what we stand for.” While the Harvard chapter does not include any members of an Arab background at present, Rushovich argues that this is simply because few, if any, Arab students apply in the first place. Rushovich is at pains to point out that “Our chapter is comprised of students representing multiple cultures, not all Jewish”, and that “we are completely non-discriminatory and do not haze.”

The national executive of Alpha Epsilon Pi declined to comment.