Despite national bankruptcy, TEP unaffected

Although the Tau Epsilon Phi national organization filed for bankruptcy last month, Penn’s chapter has remained unaffected.

TEP’s national organization filed for bankruptcy on Jan. 24., citing chapters not paying their dues as a primary reason, according to an article in the New York Times.

However, as far as the Penn chapter is concerned, Office of Student Affairs/Fraternity Sorority Life director Scott Reikofski said that “every time I’ve checked, they’ve paid their bills.”

Fraternity dues typically pay for a national office’s staff, liability insurance and recruitment, among other necessities, Reikofski said.

Both Reikofski and TEP’s chapter president, Wharton junior Aaron Rosenson, assert that the issues surrounding TEP on a national level have little impact on Penn’s campus.

“It’s not affecting TEP whatsoever,” Rosenson said.

In September, a group of TEP members and alumni filed a lawsuit against the organization following a debate about the legitimacy of TEP’s national leadership. The lawsuit accused TEP Executive Director George Hasenberg and National President Glenn Linder of running the fraternity for profit.

TEP national filed for bankruptcy “less than one week” after a judge ordered elections to take place within the national organization, according to TEP.org.

Filing bankruptcy puts the civil suit against the fraternity and the election on hold, according to the NYT. Elections for national officials have not taken place in more than ten years.

“In 28 years of working with fraternities, this is the first time I’ve ever seen something like this,” Reikofski said.

Steps to avoid bankruptcy are TEP’s first priority, Rosenson added. He said that TEP national will come under new ownership with the effort of alumni and others working behind the scenes.

“We’ll see how this shakes out from the top,” Reikofski said, adding that OSA/FSL’s main concern for the time being is “making sure our students are taken care of.”

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