Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/917841
52 December 21 • 2017 jn for college students by college students WSU AEPi Colony members: Alex McInnis, David Sable, Jeremy Rosenberg, Scott Cohon, Nisim Nesimov, Evan Cohen and Adam Weinbaum. December 21, 2017/3 Kislev 5778 O n Oct. 26, something happened at Wayne State University that has not happened in a while: A group of Jewish men were inducted as found- ing fathers of the Xi Colony of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. A Jewish presence is becoming visible once again at WSU, not just in the medical school or the law school, but with undergraduate students. That's right, Jewish undergraduate students are coming back to Wayne State. Not only that, the Jewish stu- dents here want to be involved in the Jewish com- munity and want to have a place they can be with other Jewish students. I'm one of those students. That's why, when I got an email from AEPi back in June to congratulate me on graduating high school, I decided to give them a call and see what it would take to get a chapter back at this school. I figured that with the history of Jewish attendance, there had to have been a chapter at some point and, sure enough, there had been. It was the 14th chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi, as a matter of fact. Alpha Epsilon Pi is the "world's Jewish college fraternity," operating chapters and colonies on 190 campuses in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Austria, Australia and Israel. The fraternity's stated mission is to develop the future leaders of the Jewish community. After I called, I was given the numbers of a few different guys who could help set up the chapter here, and I finally met Doug Steinman, the educa- tional leadership consultant for the Great Lakes Region of AEPi. Since this summer, Doug has worked incredibly hard to get guys together and get this colony on its feet and, thanks to him, it's now been officially recognized once again. As the colony begins to grow, we look forward to becoming a part of the WSU community, the Detroit community and the Jewish community once again. The Xi colony has a long history of great people, great events, great service to the community and much more, and the newest members are looking to contribute to that history even more. To maximize participation, the colony is open to Metro Detroit universities as well, such as University of Michigan-Dearborn, Oakland University and Oakland Community College. So, if you're a guy in high school who loves Judaism, loves Detroit and is considering Wayne State University or any other Metro Detroit school, then you've officially got a community here, and we look forward to meeting you. @ Jeremy Rosenberg of West Bloomfield is a freshman at Wayne State University. He is the president of the Wayne State University AEPi chapter and an active member of Hillel of Metro Detroit. New Beginning Jeremy Rosenberg } jewish@edu writer AEPi Colony chartered at Wayne State University. T he University of Michigan-Dearborn Jewish Student Organization (JSO) has always been cautious about having a strictly pro-Israel event. Thanks to the JSO, Hillel of Metro Detroit and the Office of the Vice Chancellor, I can now say with confidence there will be future pro-Israel themed events. For the first time, the JSO, co-sponsoring with the Student Veterans Association, presented Artists 4 Israel. Popular among many universities, Artists 4 Israel brings professional graffiti artists and uses their talents for pro-Israel activism. At my campus, students were able to create graffiti T-shirts with whatever they wanted on them. Individuals could express their own activism (pro-choice, pro-life), advocate for their own student organizations, make an Israeli flag or write Free Palestine — whatever they wanted. Every scenario is welcomed because people are partici- pating and expressing themselves in an open and peaceful environment. Artists 4 Israel was successful because it allowed students to be themselves. The event united different student groups to learn about themselves, each other and Israel and to create artwork in support of peace and unity. The incentive of receiving a T-shirt with whatever you wanted on it was entic- ing. We had more than 100 students attend. While waiting in line, we received questions like, "What's happening in Israel?", "I hate Netanyahu … why is he so divisive?" and "Israel is not alone." One particular comment stays with me: "I don't understand why Israel receives all the attention. My own country has similar border issues." While I was happy to address these questions the best I could, it is nice to know you have the support of your fellow Jewish students. I try to keep updated on Israeli politics, but when speaking to a diverse student body, you appreciate how one person can better communicate certain topics. This, and among many other rea- sons, is why I am grateful to my peers in the JSO. For me, the best thing that came out of Artists 4 Israel was that the pro-Israel community is not alone. Students, faculty and administration alike came out to get T-shirts. Pro-Israel events at my university can be scary. With harsh critics far and wide, the pro-Israel voice tends to be stifled. Seemingly, the unspoken rule was, "Be pro-Israel silently." This event proved you can be open, present and peaceful. Students all over campus came, exceeding my own expectations on turnout. Jews, gentiles and the Zionist community are not alone in their support for Israel. I look forward to subsequent pro-Israel events on my campus. I am grate- ful to the Jewish Student Organization, Hillel of Metro Detroit and the University of Michigan-Dearborn for letting our voices be heard. @ David Solomon of West Bloomfield is a senior at University of Michigan-Dearborn. He is treasurer of the UM-Dearborn Jewish Student Organization and an active member of Hillel of Metro Detroit. Engaging Students UM-Dearborn JSO gets support for its pro-Israel programming. David Solomon } jewish@edu writer UM-Dearborn students with T-shirts from the Artists 4 Israel event