New Fraternity Aims to Build Community & Leadership
Photo by Amelia Rehrman '26.
Chapter of historically Jewish organization launches on campus
by Tony Moore
A new fraternity has joined the Dickinson community, bringing with it a fresh perspective on student life, leadership and inclusivity. Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), a historically Jewish fraternity, was officially established on campus this year, thanks to the efforts of a committed group of students determined to create space for connection, identity and growth.
Campus Community
The initiative to start the fraternity began with Dan Goncalves ’26 (biochemistry & molecular biology), who was working as an engagement intern with Rabbi Marley Weiner, director of the Asbell Center for Jewish Life. While Dickinson’s Jewish life community continues to offer a variety of programming and support, Goncalves saw room to expand how men connect with each other and with campus.
“Having this sense of community allows Jewish and non-Jewish men to engage with Jewish life here at Dickinson in new ways,” he says, noting that while he saw it as a campus initiative, he found a personal need for the organization as well. “I also started the fraternity to address these same issues for me—since its founding, I have made lifelong friends and engaged with and participated in Jewish life, and campus culture more generally in ways I never otherwise would have.”
Vice President Max Rimler ’26 (biochemistry & molecular biology) emphasizes that AEPi’s programming is designed to bring people together—and through its foundational Jewish principles, AEPi is open to all men looking to bond with others.
“The fraternity offers a new way for students at Dickinson to impact and be impacted by the campus,” he says. “We care very strongly about toeing the line between loving and embracing our Jewish heritage and origins as a fraternity and uplifting the Jewish community with which we associate, while also serving and appealing to the greater, non-Jewish Dickinson community.”
Uplift & Inspire
Philanthropy also plays a central role in AEPi’s identity, and in its first semester, the fraternity organized a successful bake sale to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and co-hosted a campus swab drive with Pi Beta Phi for Gift of Life, a bone marrow and stem cell donor registry.
“These events hit home to all of the brothers,” Rimler says, “and we can’t wait to continue to do them in the future.”
The fraternity—now the fourth on campus, joining six sororities—has already begun to make its mark beyond its founding group, participating in major campus events like Greek Week and Take Back the Night. And members are committed to working with other Greek organizations and campus offices to contribute positively to student life.
“We add visibility to our Jewish community and uplift and inspire its members,” says Rimler. “We’re also an exciting addition to Greek life, and we’re actively working with campus life and the other Greek organizations at Dickinson to uplift Greek life culture here.”
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published April 21, 2025