On Feb. 9, I was made aware of an electronic message dated Jan. 19, 2015, sent some 14 months ago by a student at this university who posted to a Listserv hosted by the Tau Beta chapter of the Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity. The message contained language that was reprehensible, both racially and sexually inappropriate, and in direct contradiction with the values of Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity, its mission statement, the creed of our organization, our teachings, our discrimination policy, our sexual abuse and harassment policy as we follow under the Fraternal Information & Programming banner and our sexual conduct policy. Quite simply, this message was counter to everything Tau Epsilon Phi stands for: friendship, chivalry and service.
At the time of the incident, this individual was an undergraduate member of the Tau Epsilon Phi colony but has since graduated and is no longer a student at the university. The language, intent and action by a single individual is in no way representative of the culture of our Tau Epsilon Phi colony at the university. We are deeply saddened and challenged by the impact this message is having on the entire University of Maryland community, and on women of color in particular. We are prepared to stand at the forefront and work diligently to repair any damage to our organization’s reputation.
Through our collective review of the information with our Grand Council and in conjunction with the members of the university community, we are proposing and committing to taking actions and initiatives that seek to engage not only members of Greek life, but also university undergraduate and graduate students and the community at large, such as a “Dinners with Dialogue” program and a multicultural wall at the university, among other contributions.
Please note that it is our intention to work with university and Greek life officials to champion and implement programs to affect positive change.
Joseph Berman, chancellor of Tau Beta colony, is a sophomore
business student. He can be reached at josephberman150@gmail.com.
