Tau Epsilon Phi
| Tau Epsilon Phi | |
|---|---|
| ΤΕΦ | |
 |
|
| Founded | October 10, 1910 Columbia University |
| Type | Social fraternity |
| Motto | Friendship, Chivalry, Service |
| Colors | Lavender and White |
| Flower | Lily of the Mountain and Violets in combination |
| Jewel | Emeralds and Pearls |
| Chapters | 13 |
| Colonies | 4 |
| Homepage | www.tep.org |
Tau Epsilon Phi (ΤΕΦ, commonly pronounced TEP) is an American fraternity with 13 active chapters and 4 active colonies, and 20 official alumni clubs chiefly located at universities and colleges on the East Coast. The national headquarters is located in the New Jersey township of Voorhees and the official colors of the organization are lavender and white (although most chapters use purple instead of lavender).
The organization's creed asserts its governing ideals as "friendship, chivalry, service." TEP attracts and accepts brothers of all religions and ethnicities who agree to be bound by these ideals. Chapters uphold these ideals through participation in various social, academic, athletic and charity events.
The organization was founded on October 10, 1910 by ten Jewish men at Columbia University, as a response to the existence of similar organizations which would not admit Jewish members. The first pledge, Maximillian Nemser, was initiated in 1911 and, in 1912, the first new chapter was founded at New York University. Continued expansion led to the adoption of a national constitution in 1916.
In 1920, the opening of a chapter at McGill University in Canada's then-largest city, Montreal, made TEΦ an international fraternity. The McGill chapter has since been disbanded. The oldest remaining chapter, as of 2015, is the Nu chapter at University of Georgia. Beginning in 1923, the organization has published a nationally distributed magazine, The Plume.
TEΦ began as exclusively Jewish, but began admitting non-Jewish members (predominantly Catholics) in the 1950s. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was inducted as an honorary member during his administration.Washington, D.C. mayor Vincent C. Gray was the first black member of Tau Epsilon Phi and was elected president of his local chapter for two consecutive terms.
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