History of the Rho Nu Chapter
of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity
In the fall of 1998 the Rho Nu Chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at the University of Rochester was reconstituted as the Rho Nu Colony. Russell N. Kenner contacted Andrew S. Borans, the director of Chapter Affairs of Alpha Epsilon Pi. A correspondence began and Andrew S. Borans came up to Rochester. Brother Kenner was inquisitive about beginning a chapter but was not sure what it would entail and not certain whether to attempt to create a chapter. The fact that his brother was a founder at Case Western Reserve University (Tau Deuteron) influenced him greatly. Peter L. Cohen, a chapter consultant, visited Brother Kenner and some of the other potential founding fathers and they began discussion about forming a new colony. These first discussions led to a further push through flyers and other means of communication to get people interested in starting a chapter.
In the Middle of October the founding fathers were decided upon, restarting the colony. The founders were inducted at the end of October by the executive committee of the Beta Chapter(Cornell). At the induction the potential founding fathers elected executive officers. Russell N. Kenner was elected Master, Adam Kotkin was elected Lieutenant Master, and Rickey Moore was elected Exchequer.
On December 3rd of 1998 the founding fathers were initiated at the University of Toronto by the Tau Omega chapter. The founding fathers were Russell Kenner, Adam Lazer, David Ruskin, Brian Kolstad, David Odesser, Adam Kotkin, and Ricky Moore. The seven founding fathers would begin to expand and define the fraternity.
In the spring of 1999, the colony went looking for University recognition and was invited to speak at a Fraternity President’s Council meeting on its behalf. John Pierce, the Supreme Scribe, talked to the colony about what to present in front of the Fraternity President’s Council. The colony made its case and by an 8-2 vote was granted colony status. The first rush took place and Evan Gaines, another legacy, was initiated late that spring. Brother Ruskin was elected Master and Brother Lazer was elected Lieutenant Master. This semester saw our first community service event, as six of the brothers went to help on a habitat for humanity site.
The 1999-2000 school year saw the beginning of housing for the colony. While not officially recognized as housing by the university, Slater 210 became the living quarters of Alpha Epsilon Pi. It housed Brothers Ruskin, Kolstad, Odesser, Kenner and Lazer. This allowed the brothers a common meeting place, and the room to grow a brotherhood. Before long, five new brothers were introduced into the ranks. Brothers Aaron B. Moss, Jonathan H. Sommer, Michael F. Aronson, Igor Kotlyar and Robert A. Kamen were initiated on December 14th of 1999. Elections were held and Russell N. Kenner was elected Master, David I. Ruskin was elected Lieutenant Master, Evan B. Gaines was elected Exchequer, David Odesser was elected Scribe, and Robert A. Kamen was elected Sentinel. Michael A. Breitbart was initiated into the colony on April 7th of 2000. David Ruskin became Master and in a special election Robert Kamen was elected Lt. Master and Aaron Moss Sentinel.
In the 2000-2001 school year the colony continued to grow and prosper. The colony became far more active. The colony’s reputation on campus continued to evolve. The Colony was living in unofficial housing in Wilder 440. David I. Ruskin was Master, Robert A. Kamen was Lieutenant Master, Evan B. Gaines was the Exchequer, Michael F. Aronson was the Scribe, and Aaron B. Moss was the Sentinel. The colony had another very successful rush and pledge program and five new members were initiated into the colony. Peter D. Fabricant, David M. Klueger, Liraz Kolnik, Sean R. Martell, and Alexander W. Safian, were initiated on December 10th of 2000. At the end of the fall semester new elections were held and Michael A. Breitbart was elected Master, Brian E. Kolstad was elected Lieutenant Master, Evan B. Gaines was re-elected as Exchequer, Sean R. Martell was elected as Scribe, and Peter D. Fabricant was elected as Sentinel. During the spring semester the Colony began to take on a more solid form. Committees began to meet on a more regular basis and, in general, the brotherhood became more comfortable with parliamentary procedure at chapter meetings. Approximately half way through the semester Alexander W. Safian became Exchequer. Finally, Daniel J. Mishel and Bernard J. Braun were initiated into the chapter on April 22nd of 2001.
The Rho Nu Colony of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity attained officially recognized housing for the first time in the 2001-2002 school year. The colony residence was in Hollister 1 in the Susan B. Anthony dormitory. The colony continued its excellence in community service, academics, and social activities. Additionally, the colony received its first annual composite. Lee Frankel-Goldwater and Jeffrey S. Klein were initiated on December 7th of 2001. In addition, new officers were elected at the end of the fall semester. Peter D. Fabricant was elected Master, Robert A. Kamen was elected Lieutenant Master, Alexander W. Safian was elected Exchequer, Sean R. Martell was elected Scribe, and Igor Kotlyar was elected Sentinel. In the spring semester the colony’s activities grew in leaps and bounds. The colony attended conclave, held its first annual semi-formal event, and held its first broomball tournament raising money for the national philanthropy. Robert M. Brooks, Daniel J. Cramer, and Mordechai D. Harris were initiated on April 20th of 2002. Finally, the colony held its first ever brotherhood retreat at which we said goodbye to a number of graduating seniors. The graduating seniors were Michael Allen Breitbart, Evan B. Gaines, and Adam S. Lazer.
In the fall semester of the 2002-2003 school year the colony found itself in new housing. The colony had moved from Hollister 1 in the Susan B. Anthony Dormitory to Gale 210/240 in Hill Court. The colony had its most successful rush so far, and initiated six new members into the fraternity. Justin L. Berkowitz, Benjamin J. Haberman, Daniel L. Kaplan, David R. Martell, Matthew G. Schultz, and Andrew B. Stuart were initiated on November 23rd of 2002. During the fall semester the colony held many social events including mixers with various sororities. At the end of the fall semester new officers were elected. Peter D. Fabricant was reelected Master, Alexander W. Safian was elected Lieutenant Master, Robert M. Brooks was elected Scribe, Daniel J. Mishel was elected Exchequer, Mordechai D. Harris was elected Sentinel, Jeffrey S. Klein was elected Risk Manager, Daniel J. Cramer was elected Member-at-Large, Sean R. Martell was elected House Manager, and Liraz Kolnik was elected as Historian.
The spring semester of the 2002-2003 school year was a big semester for what was then still a colony. Adam Rosenberg was initiated into the colony and many of the new brothers began to take an active role in the colony. The colony held a significant number of social and community service events. Most notably the colony held its 2nd broomball tournament held at the ESL Sportscentre and as well as its 2nd annual semiformal. These events helped to solidify the colony's position on the University of Rochester campus. David Martell was elected as the new Risk Manager and David Klueger was elected as Member-at-Large. Finally, and most importantly the colony was chartered. From now on this will be known as the history of the RHO NU CHAPTER OF THE ALPHA EPSILON PI FRATERNITY.
In the fall semester of the 2003-2004 school year the Rho Nu Chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity reconvened at the University of Rochester. Robert A. Kamen was appointed Chapter Advisor. The chapter continued to reside in the Gale House 210/240 suites in Hill Court. After a successful rush five new members were initiated into the fraternity on December 6th: Michael J. Hays, Adam D. Rose, Jacob D. Schamp, Michael J. Siegel, and Matthew A. Storch. During the fall semester the chapter participated and helped to organize various community service events such as the Yom Kippur Break Fast, the Big Shabbat, and performed security at the Guster Concert to raise money for Half-Shek. At the end of the fall semester new officers were elected. Daniel L. Kaplan was elected Master, Matthew G. Schultz was elected Lieutenant Master, Michael J. Hays was elected Scribe, Adam J. Rosenberg was elected Exchequer, Robert M. Brooks was elected Sentinel, David R. Martell was elected Risk Manager, Lee Frankel-Goldwater was elected Member-at-Large, Matthew A. Storch was Historian.
The Fall of 2004 saw a renewed relationship between the Chapter and Hillel. As always the Chapter continued its co-sponsorship of Shabbat Hagadol, which brought over 700 students together to celebrate Shabbat. The brothers also began to contribute at weekly Shabbat dinners by cooking and cleaning and were instrumental in making Hillel Hanukkah events possible. David Martell was elected Master, Jacob Schamp Lt. Master, Alex Rowen Scribe, Chris Hancock Excehquer, Dan Kaplan Sentinel, Mike Hays Risk Manager and M.J. Siegel Member-at-Large.
Spring 2005 saw the addition of 5 new brothers: Andrew Alkon, Oren Haymovits, Peter Nicolardi, Igor Mershon and Alex Halperin. The Chapter continued its tradition of strong community service by expanding its role with Hillel and the Jewish Home of Rochester as well as expanding into new areas such as the Open Door Mission Soup Kitchen.
3 new brothers were added to the rolls in the Fall of 2005. Brian Hirsh, Nick James and Ben Sheppard were initiated on November 12th. Jacob Schamp was elected Master, M.J. Siegel Lt. Master, Alex Halperin Scribe, Chris Hancock Exchequer, Mike Hays Sentinel, Ben Sheppard Risk Manager and Andrew Alkon Member-at-Large.
The Chapter began a new phase in community service by sending several brothers to be mentors for local area students in the Spring of 2006. While the effort began with only two brothers it rapidly expanded over the next few semesters. This semester also saw a large pledge class. Jason Albert, Eric Bluestein, Jacob Epstein, David Heaton, Ian Moskowitz and Jeremy Ross all joined the Chapter.
A billiards tournament was held in the Fall of 2006 with proceeds going to Chai Lifeline, Shaare Zedek Hospital and the United States Holocaust Museum. The Chapter expanded its Jewish programming by beginning a weekly Teffilin Club with Chabad. The Chapter also adopted a 4 mile stretch of highway in nearby Penfield. Michael Denson, Michael Sugarman, Tony Amato and Alex Kupperman were added to the Chapter rolls. Oren Haymovits was elected Master, Jeremy Ross Lt. Master, Eric Bluestein Scribe, Jacob Epstein Exchequer, Brian Hirsh Sentinel, Jacob Epstein Risk Manager and Alex Halperin Member-at-Large.
Spring 2007 saw continued cooperation with Chabad as the Chapter hosted a Megillah reading on Purim. Jeremy Fishman, Sam Fishman and Eric Merenstein were initiated. Also Joel Kleinberg, program director for Hillel, was an honorary initiate.
In the Fall of 2007 the Chapter began a new tradition during Sukkot of “Hookah in the Sukkah”. David Nager-Sadoff was initiated. Michael Denson was elected Master, Eric Bluestein Lt. Master, Michael Sugarman Scribe, Jacob Epstein Exchequer, Tony Amato Sentinel, Alex Kupperman Risk Manager and Jeremy Fishman Member-at-Large.
The Chapter continued to expand its programming in the Spring of 2008 by co-sponsoring events with many other campus organizations including URSGA and MASA. Of special note is the Town Hall Meeting with Mayor Duffy co-sponsored with the Urban Explorers Club. Also the Chapter held a pie throwing/eating contest with proceeds going to the national philanthropy. Will Feuerman, Tom Karo and Ben Witten were initiated into the Chapter. At the end of the semester Alex Kupperman was elected as Exchequer for the remainder of Jacob Epstein’s term as Jacob would be going abroad in the fall semester.