About TEP EI

A Message From Our Chancellor

Welcome to the official website for the Epsilon Iota chapter of Tau Epsilon Phi.

Tau Epsilon Phi boasts a very tight-knit group of brothers and close group of house friends from other Greek houses, RPI's campus, and even other Capital District colleges. TEP's brothers come from a large variety of majors and backgrounds, with an even broader spectrum of interests. The brotherhood currently consists of 23 active brothers who are all dedicated to upholding our ideals of Friendship, Chivalry, and Service.

The chapter house is located at 1991 15th Street and has a long, rich history. Currently, the house provides boarding for twelve, but has frequent visitors. Some notable rooms in the house include the living room equipped with stadium seating, a gamer’s lounge, a furnished balcony, and a brand new industrial kitchen to be first broken in this fall with many house dinners and rush events. Check out the TEP Dream House Blog for pictures of the house and the ongoing Dream House kitchen construction.

TEP was founded at Columbia University on October 19, 1910 by ten Jewish men seeking a brotherhood free from exclusion based on race, religion, or creed. TEP was first founded at RPI in 1957 and was re-founded in 1988 after a struggle with membership numbers felt by many fraternities in the 1970s. Due to events in the mid-1990s and 2000s the Epsilon Iota chapter broke away from the national organization. Tau Epsilon Pi was founded on October 19, 2009 to preserve the customs, traditions, and ideals of the fraternity the chapter loves. Following the removal of a corrupt national officer in 2010, Tau Epsilon Phi is now back on in the fold. On June 1, 2011 the Epsilon Iota chapter rejoined the ranks of our fellow Tau Boys. An extended history and more information on the national fraternity can be found at the TEP National website.

For more information on the members, rush, and contact information be sure to check out the rest of the site and feel free to come by the house any time. TEPS are TOPS!

Gregory "Spock" Braddock
Chancellor

Photos

Brother Retreat 2010
Brother retreat 2012
miscellaneous
Everyday TEP Life

Recruitment

Everything you need to know to rush TEP

Throughout America, there’s a horrible stigma surrounding fraternity life. With hazing lawsuits popping up around the nation, poor movie depictions (you may have seen Animal House), and concerns about academics falling behind, it’s not surprising that many incoming college students would be hesitant to join Greek life. It’s even less surprising that even more parents are hesitant to let them. However, Tau Epsilon Phi boasts a long line of dedicated men, bonded by our three ideals of friendship, chivalry, and service.

As a past Interfraternity Council member, I’ve seen the pros and cons of Greek Life at Rensselaer and can say with conviction that our school gives a whole new meaning to being a ‘frat guy’. Between deep alumni networks, a strong Greek and college community, and a GPA that consistently matches or surpasses the RPI average, any young man can easily find a promising home with a lifelong group of friends he can rightfully call ‘brothers’.

But why choose TEP? With nearly thirty other fraternities, what makes Tau Epsilon Phi the best? Well, although clichéd, we’re not like other fraternities. Throughout the house, brothers have many diverse interests. They range from motorcycles to video games, cooking to crafts. We also have many brothers participate on our chapter’s intramural sports team, the heaving Spleens. In addition to this, our alumni network extends back to 1958, with many brothers and alumni in the engineering and computer science fields. Academically, each brother pursues their discipline to a full, comprehensive knowledge, in both class and in real-world contexts.

However, the defining trait of Tau Epsilon Phi that makes us stand out is the closeness our brotherhood has. Many brothers will say the reason they decided to join TEP was the closeness they saw throughout the fraternity, despite very different personalities. Because of the proximity to campus, being just past the Student Union, many brothers are by the house on a regular, if not daily basis. In my personal experience as a brother, I can recount only great times spent with this fraternity, and I’m proud to say that I am a Tau Boy. TEPs are Tops!

Dave "Dan Queed" Cass
Recruitment Chairman