On behalf of the Grand Council of Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity, we are excited to welcome back our Winter/Spring Semester Leadership Conclaves.  Tau Epsi­lon Phi’s 2013 Leadership Conclaves will be held April 19–21, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Marriott Hotel in CenterCity.

Historically, this event has been held during our the Winter/Spring Semester to bring together Chancellors, Bursars and Emerging Leaders from all Chapters to participate in a weekend full of undergraduate networking, leadership seminars. This weekend provides the special opportunity to meet the 24 men who comprise our newest interest group from Rowan Universityand plus the ability to meet directly with National Staff, Grand Council Members and Distinguished Alumni.

It is our hope that each Chancellor and Bursar will attend on behalf of each chapter. Should the Chan­cel­lor not be able to attend (and approved in advance with the Con­sul), we will ask for the next Senior Board Mem­ber to attend. How­ever, we are ask­ing for each chap­ter to send as many Board Mem­bers and Emerg­ing Lead­ers as pos­si­ble.  To aid our chapter leadership, TEP National will spon­sor up to two lead­ers from each chap­ter at no charge.

This year we are combining our Grand Council Meeting in conjunction with the Leadership Conclave.  To our knowledge, the combination of both events brings about a historic new tradition – the ability for each leadership group to hear directly from and participate together as we move our fraternity forward to the future.  This weekend will provide the ultimate transparency for all parties to interact and participate with the Leadership of Tau Epsilon Phi.  While all Brothers are invited to attend Grand Council Meetings, Alumni and Alumni Club Representatives are also welcome to attend and provide their reports.

As part of the weekend, each chapter will be expected to provide a verbal overview to the Grand Council during the Undergraduate Chapter Reports Section of the Grand Council Meeting.  For the remainder of the weekend,  Seminars on the National Fraternity, Financial Management, Risk Management, Rush and Recruitment, New Member Education, Brotherhood Development and Alumni Relations will also be provided to aid the undergraduate leadership with its chapter duties and responsibilities as an officer of the organization.

While we will provide amazing speakers on the various topics, it is our hope that many of the themes of the seminars will provide the Undergraduates the ability to share positive information to the group with open forum discussion.  Materials will be provided to allow the officers (or representatives) the opportunity to share the information with the chapter upon the return to campus.

And this year to celebrate our time together following a day of seminars, we have selected to take our entire group to the Philadelphia Phillies Game in conjunction with those Alumni Clubs in the area.   Our conclave will conclude on Sunday with each chapter having an opportunity to meet one on one with our Leadership, an overview of the topics and themes of the weekend and a good and welfare to end our time together on a positive note.

We are honored to have our Rho Chapter at the University of Pennsylvania and our Sigma Epsilon Chapter at Rutgers at Camden serve as Host Chapters for the Weekend.  We are additionally honored to have Rutgers Camden Alumni Club, Drexel Alumni Club, Penn State Alumni Club and Syracuse Alumni also serve as Host Alumni for the Conclave.

Should any Member have any question or request prior to the meeting, please e-mail  tribune@tep.org.

Please fill out the form below to make reservations for any part of this conference.

Pro­mot­ing the ΤΕΦ brand across the coun­try, recon­nect­ing with our alumni and cre­at­ing won­der­ful and last­ing relationships are of the upmost impor­tance for our fra­ter­nity. It is with this per­spec­tive that the Tau Epsi­lon Phi Fra­ter­nity is pleased to announce our First Ever Meet and Greet Event in St. Louis on April 13, 2013 at the St. Louis Ritz Carlton.

Our International Con­sul, Lane Koplon, International Tribune Tim Smith, Member at Large Nathaniel Broughty and Member of the TEΦ Foundation Jesse Cohen will be in St. Louis representing TEΦ at the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) Annual Meeting April 13–15, 2013 at the Ritz Carlton.  This meeting brings together all Executives and National Presidents for Greek Organizations in the United States. It is truly an honor to represent our Fraternity with the numerous leaders of the fraternal movement. (Click Here For More Information about the NIC Conference)

Any and all ΤΕΦ alumni are invited to par­tic­i­pate in a Meet and Greet with at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Saturday Evening at 7pm.  This event will allow Lane and the Representatives of the Grand Council and TEΦ Foundation to pro­vide an update on the National Orga­ni­za­tion and all of us to net­work together as TEΦ’s in the St. Louis Area.

Should you have any inter­est in attend­ing, please complete the form below! We look forward to seeing you in St. Louis.

To anyone attending the General Assembly of The Jewish Federation of North America, please visit us at Booth 723 or contact our International Consul, Lane Koplon at consul@tep.org or lkoplon@lanekoplon.com.

Promoting the ΤΕΦ brand across the country, reconnecting with our alumni and creating wonderful and lasting partnerships are of the upmost importance for our fraternity. It is with this perspective that the Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity is pleased to announce its partnership for the second time this year with the Jewish Federations of North America for their upcoming event titled “General Assembly 2012”. This event will take place this weekend November 11 – 13, 2012 at the Convention Center in Baltimore Maryland. The event is scheduled to have over 3,500 Jewish community leaders from across North America.

As a valued partner, TEΦ will now join the Federation’s national marketing effort, having its name prominently displayed on all marketing and promotional materials. It is with tremendous honor and excitement that we will have a booth at the conference displaying and marketing the ΤΕΦ Brand while providing information to all attendees about the exciting programs and services that we are providing to our undergraduates and alumni. Most importantly, this will provide us an opportunity to show that our brand is strong, vibrant and successful while sharing our story over 3,500 leaders who will then take our message back to their communities, friends and fellow ΤΕΦ’s.

Should you be in attendance, live in the Baltimore Area or know of any alumni in the area, please contact our International Consul, Lane Koplon at consul@tep.org or lkoplon@lanekoplon.com. We look forward to seeing you in Baltimore.

To the Membership of Tau Epsilon Phi,

As quoted by Executive Director Sidney S. Suntag (who served our fraternity from 1946–1979) in The History of Tau Epsilon Phi, 102 years ago today “eight men in all, met during the lunch hour on October 10, 1910 in a deserted lecture hall and sealed their amalgamation as a fraternity. Time was short during this lunch-hour meeting for any real progress to be made and the eight men agreed to meet at 5 o’clock that same afternoon in Central Park, at the foot of West 68th Street, a favorite for College of Pharmacy Students”. While this day was the first official meeting of these eight (8) men, they agreed to meet the following week with the entire group of Founding Fathers. Therefore, after receiving permission from the Chairman of the Property Committee, the entire group of Founding Fathers met for the first official meeting on October 17, 1910 in the College library.

While we celebrate the first meeting of the fraternity on this special and historic day, we ask you to take a moment to reflect on what TEP has meant to you during your time in college and the place it remains with each of you as you continue through life. Please keep this memory in your mind as you continue to read below.

Since our inception this organization has initiated more than 45,000 members from 135 chapters across the United States and Canada. Throughout our history, TEP has provided countless stories that will be told and re-told over and over again recounting those days at the chapter and the fraternity house. TEP has created lifelong friendships and lasting memories that will be celebrated at weddings and at funerals.

While each one of you have your own story and experiences of your undergraduate days in the fraternity, we all share a common bond of brotherhood in Tau Epsilon Phi both as a member of a local chapter and of a national organization. And when you think your days in college, many of you will immediately quote the last sentence of our Creed…“To Practice each day, friendship—chivalry—service, thus keeping true to these—the three ideals of the founders of our Fraternity—this is the Creed of Tau Epsilon Phi.

Last year, our organization had a time where the Creed and the name Tau Epsilon Phi were almost silenced forever. Led by a passionate group of volunteers committed to the ultimate goal of ensuring the continuation of the fraternity, I am proud to inform you that the organization is back on a positive path to the future. For the first time in our history, we have a full functioning National Website (www.tep.org), we have undergraduates excited and passionate to be a member of TEP and have opportunities for Expansion to new Colleges and Universities. And to welcome back Alumni, we have organized Alumni Events in seven (7) cities through the Meet and Greet Series. And with the numerous accomplishments too many to note, please understand and appreciate that these efforts have been due to the efforts by a 100% volunteer group, our twenty-two (22) members of our Grand Council.

Due to this historic week which begins today and concludes on the 17th, in honor of celebrating TEP and welcoming you back to the organization, we will be posting specific and targeted requests and needs of you, our TEP Alumni and various accomplishments we wish to share. Please take a moment to read and spend a moment to respond. We would greatly appreciate it!

Again, please think of TEP today and celebrate with me in wishing Tau Epsilon Phi a Happy 102nd Birthday Week. On behalf of our entire organization, we thank you again for your membership in Tau Epsilon Phi

Fraternally,

Lane B. Koplon
International Consul
Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity

The Tau Omega (University of Rhode Island) Chapter of TEP charity golf outing is coming up on September 15th. This year marks the 4th annual tournament and we’re excited to open up the registration to area alumni of other chapters. We’re hoping to have 75+ guys out this year and blow away our donation amount last year.

For those not aware, we started this tournament 4 years ago and have turned it into a fundraiser for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America — New England division. Back in 2010 we had a brother taken by this disease and we’ve focused efforts ever since to do anything we can to help.

The tournament details are as follows:

What: 4th Annual TEP Charity Golf Classic
Where: Beaver River Golf Club, Richmond RI
When: September, 15, 2012 12PM registration, 1PM shotgun start
Cost: $100 per person

Other: 4-man Scramble. Closest to the pin, longest drive contest and awards, TEP Golf giveaway, 18 holes, cart, and dinner included. Great raffle and auction items available after dinner. The chapter house is only a few miles down the road and will be open for house tours starting at 10:00 am for anyone interested.

Please use the link under the “Events” tab on www.tep-uri.com to register and pre-pay with PayPal.

The registration form for the 2012 National Presidents’ leadership conference has been posted.

The Grand Council of Tau Epsilon Phi will meet in Philadelphia on August 3, 2012 – August 5, 2012. This meeting shall be open to all Grand Council and Foundation Members as well as our entire undergraduate and alumni membership of Tau Epsilon Phi.

All attendees must adhere to strict rules provided and shall be respectful and cooperative during the meetings. I will post this message on the National Website, thereby notifying our membership about the meeting.

I have just received confirmation from the hotel that we have been approved for our $99.00 room rate and complementary meeting space. Once I provide the signed contract back to the hotel, they reservations department will release the Room Reservation Portal for us to use to register for your rooms. I will send out to the group the link when provided from the hotel.

The Agenda and the Dress for the Meeting will be under the same format as our first meeting in January and will begin on Friday Night for Dinner and shall conclude on Sunday by Noon. Due to a tremendous amount of material to cover, we may adjust the agenda to incorporate additional hours to complete our tasks. I will send out a more formalized Agenda and instructions prior to the meeting.

For all members, please try to arrive prior to Friday Dinner and depart late Sunday evening. For those members traveling via plane, please do not hesitate to call with any questions regarding shuttle service or taxi service. For those members traveling via car, please note the hotel has a daily parking rate charge which we can confirm. Should you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to call myself of Ted for assistance.

I have also been informed from our Foundation President Brother Don Anspaugh that he has scheduled the TEP Foundation Meeting for 2:00 PM on Friday Afternoon. It is my assumption that all members of the Fraternity are welcome to attend and will need to follow the proper rules for this meeting. The location of this meeting is yet to be determined.

Hotel Accommodations and Meeting Facility – Marriott Center City – Philadelphia

We are again returning to the Marriott Center City as the location for our Grand Council Host Hotel and Meeting Facility. As a reminder, the Hotel is located at 1201 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107. The Phone is 215–625-2900, The Fax is 215–625-6000 and The Toll-free Number is: 800–320-5744. We have again negotiated a $99.00 room rate (tax to be determined) for those of our Alumni Representatives staying at the hotel. Again, we ask you to not call the hotel directly, please use the link when provided.

Our Undergraduate Representatives will be reimbursed for their travel expenses and will be sharing a room with another Undergraduate Representative. We will coordinate the rooms for the Undergraduates. We are asking each alumni attendee to visit the link to the hotel (provided shortly) and book their individual room. Should any Alumni Representative wish to share a room, please inform me and I will help coordinate arrangements.

At the present time, I have reserved 10 rooms for Friday and for Saturday Night. I will need all members to confirm their arrival and their confirmation of the need for a room on Friday and Saturday Night as soon as possible. We are also allowed to book the rate for Thursday night if we have any interested parties. Again, once we confirm the details, the link will be provided by the hotel and sent to you for your reservation booking.

Fraternally,

Lane B. Koplon
International Consul
Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Over the recent years, many of you have heard me discuss the importance of welcoming back our Alumni to the Fraternity and to our Foundation. The opportunity to tell the TEP Story has now come in many forms. For the moment, let’s focus on the Meet and Greet’s. The creation of our Meet and Greet’s across the country has been a tremendous opportunity to reconnect to our membership. I am proud to note that I have just concluded the Los Angeles Meet and Greet prior to my return to Atlanta.

Beginning with the FEA Meeting last year in Chicago, I made it my goal to try and connect with as many alumni as possible in every city where a meeting was being held. We could “Rush” Alumni to TEP by telling them the story and welcoming them back to the organization. After the conclusion of each meeting, it is the goal for the attendees to serve as the future Host Committee for the second and third events.

Our success to welcome back our alumni will come from first, the opportunity to tell our story “in person”, second the opportunity to repeat our story “in person”, third, the ability to communicate our story via the internet and social media and most importantly, the ability for TEP’s to meet other TEP’s through social and business interaction. For the interim period of time and with the limited data we do have, much effort is put into completing these tasks via telling the story on the phone. And regardless of the attendance, telling the TEP Story in person has been one of the most rewarding aspects of rebuilding the organization and will be the link we will need to rebuild the TEP Name in communities across the country.

Noting this, how could I pass up the opportunity to have a get together in Los Angeles? I researched as many names off of the Internet and Google, called a majority of these men, left voice-mails and sent e-mail blasts two weeks before the event. While the FEA event was in Palm Springs, I flew into Los Angeles, rented a car to make the two hour drive each way and was successful in negotiating a “comp” hotel room for one night and the second at a discounted rate and set up our event in the main restaurant in the hotel with the assistance of our contact at the Four Points Sheraton at LAX.

So, how did we do? I am happy to inform you that we have made tremendous advances in California and welcomed attendees from The University of Delaware and Rochester Institute of Technology. Thank you to Brother Tim Smith for his attendance fresh off the plane from Sweden. I will defer to Tim to note the set-up of our Banners, the 75 Years of Friendship, Portals, Landyards, Decals and other items all to promote TEP. One attendee has already submitted his comments on Linkedin and shortly we will post the pictures. Unfortunately we did miss Brother Don Anspaugh was on vacation in Spain; however, we have his commitment to help with the next one. Tim and Don, we look forward to returning to LA.

Just as in Los Angeles, we have organized Meet and Greet’s in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Silver Spring Maryland, Providence Rhode Island, Indianapolis, Washington DC and two (2) in Las Vegas. I would like to thank Brother Glen Dewar for his assistance with the New York Meet and Greet, Brother DJ Jones with his assistance with the Providence Meet and Greet and Brother Keith Depazza with his assistance with the Las Vegas Meet and Greet. And yes, we would not have met Brother Charlie Wolf without the New York Meet and Greet.

So, what can you do? For anyone interested in assisting with a Meet and Greet in your area, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail me. It is my goal to return to these cities again this year for the second round of attendees. Keep on the lookout for the nearest Meet and Greet heading to your area. Again, thank you for a wonderful year!

Fraternally,

Lane

Lane B. Koplon
International Consul
Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity

Our Consul of Tau Epsilon Phi, Lane Koplon is currently in Los Angeles and would like to have a Meet and Greet for any TEP’s living in the LA Area. Please join Lane at the Four Points Sheraton at the LAX Airport this Thursday July 12th at 7:00 pm at Brusters Bar and Grill. Appetizers will be provided. Lane has been working diligently to restore our National Fraternity and would to meet as many TEPs as possible.