By Steve Seepersaud
"It was a simply fabulous weekend of revelry, camaraderie and celebration of the bonds of brotherhood.” said Larry Hollander '78.
Hollander was one of nearly 250 brothers who attended the Tau Alpha Upsilon (TAU) 61st anniversary event, held April 29–May 1, at Binghamton University. The fraternity's largest gathering to date was a belated tribute to TAU's 60th anniversary, which could not be celebrated last year because of the pandemic. Founded in 1961, TAU only exists at Binghamton.
The weekend included some time at the TAU house on Court Street in Binghamton, a banquet and a trip to Binghamton's new baseball stadium for its grand opening and the Bearcats' game against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Though the fraternity's celebration was delayed a year, the excitement level wasn't dampened.
"It was awesome sharing the weekend with everyone once again," said Ryan Mirchin '17. "Our reunion weekends have always been big successes, but I think this one had a lot more excitement and anticipation around it, especially because it was postponed by a year. It really shows the significant connection all of us have to TAU and the University."
"This weekend was absolutely perfect and in many ways represents what we stand for as a fraternity," said Justin Joseph '05, MBA '06. "The past two years have been difficult for all of us, and we weren't sure a reunion of this size would be feasible even a few months ago. It just shows that the lifelong connections to each other, our own chapter and to the University is something we've all missed."
As is common at many TAU alumni events, current brothers were invited to join the celebration. The alumni want the students to feel supported and part of a network they can reach out to during their entire lifetimes.
“The reunion cemented the generational passing of the baton to the overwhelming number of active and young brothers who dominated the event," said Hollander. "TAU’s proud legacy as Binghamton’s oldest fraternity is in good hands and has an even brighter future."
“It was a phenomenal weekend celebrating with brothers of so many eras in Binghamton," said Dr. Geoff "Gerrry" Epstein '89, who took the lead on planning the event. "Having a reunion weekend like this allows all the brothers to remain connected to the bonds of the fraternity as well as Binghamton University."
The desire to pay it forward is driven by a deep level of gratitude for what the TAU alumni experienced during their time as students. They often credit Binghamton University as a place that gave them a start in life.
"In our formative years, TAU and the University provided us opportunities to serve in leadership roles, form incredible friendships and see that anything is possible if you work together toward common goals," said Michael Marcus '87. "We've treasured that opportunity since the day we graduated and have harnessed that spirit in our post-Binghamton years. We come back because we want the opportunities we received to exist for the next generation of TAU brothers and all Binghamton students. We are grateful to the University for allowing us the freedom to make the mistakes we made, so we could figure out the successful paths that we ultimately chose after we graduated."
