zbt-house-300x158Members of the University of Florida chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity are under investigation after spitting on and taking flags from wounded veterans. The students and veterans were in Panama City Beach when the incident occurred. (Photo courtesy of Adriana Yurizza / WUFT News)

UPDATE: The University of Florida suspended its Zeta Beta Tau chapter April 24 on an interim basis while investigating allegations that its members disrespected U.S. veterans — spitting on them and urinating on American flags.

Dave Kratzer — a retired U.S. Army major general, combat veteran and standing UF vice president of student affairs — wrote in a press release, “I am personally offended and disappointed by the behavior that has been described to me. This is not representative of our students or of the university.”

Three ZBT members have since been expelled from the UF chapter, according to a statement from Laurence Bolotin, executive director of the fraternity at large. Bolotin says the fraternity has contacted Warrior Beach Retreat and hopes to “work together in the future to support our nation’s brave veterans.”

The University of Florida’s chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity is under investigation after members spit on and took flags from wounded veterans.

Last weekend, Zeta Beta Tau students from UF and Emory University were in Panama City Beach for their spring formal. They were staying at the Laketown Wharf Resort where veterans were also staying for the Warrior Beach Retreat, according to Linda Cope, founder of the retreat.

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For the past six years, the Warrior Beach Retreat has been hosted by Panama City Beach twice a year to bring in wounded veterans and their families.

Cope honors her son, Joshua, at the retreat — he lost both legs and his right hand after his vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Iraq, according to the retreat site.

“In all of my years, I’ve never seen such debauchery and disrespect.”

“We focus on the caregiver and strengthening marriages,” Cope said. “That’s our vision.”

The event brought together combat wounded veterans and included a parade on April 16 where between 8,000 and 10,000 people lined the streets. Cope said the students from Emory and UF acted dishonorably the next day.

Members of the University of Florida chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity are under investigation after spitting on and taking flags from wounded veterans. The students and veterans were in Panama City Beach when the incident occurred.

Cope said Zeta Beta Tau students picked on the veterans, spit on them and their service dogs, and urinated on American flags.

“In all of my years, I’ve never seen such debauchery and disrespect,” Cope said.

Cope also said the women accompanying the men were equally as bad.

According to Panama City Beach Police, officers were not called, and there was not an incident report or any arrests.

Janine Sikes, the assistant vice president for media affairs at UF, said UF President W. Kent Fuchs received an email from Linda Cope concerning the incident.

Cope then received an email apology from Fuchs on Wednesday.

“I want to make clear that I am deeply sorry for the affront that our students may have caused,” Fuchs wrote in the email. “I want to assure you that it is not representative of our students or our university, and we will make every effort to learn more, take appropriate action and prevent similar incidents from occurring again.”

“The University of Florida is extremely concerned about allegations, specifically of illegal behavior with our students,” Sikes said. “We’re taking this matter vary seriously and opened an investigation to determined what happened and what we need to do in response.”

Sikes said she is not sure how long the investigation may last.

Executive Director of the National Zeta Beta Tau Laurence A. Bolotin, a University of Florida graduate from 2001, also wrote to Cope, stating Emory, UF and the international headquarters are fully cooperating with investigations and both chapters have placed themselves under suspension.

Members of the University of Florida chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity are under investigation after spitting on and taking flags from wounded veterans. The students and veterans were in Panama City Beach when the incident occurred. (Photo courtesy of Adriana Yurizza / WUFT News)
Members of the University of Florida chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity are under investigation after spitting on and taking flags from wounded veterans. The students and veterans were in Panama City Beach when the incident occurred. (Photo courtesy of Adriana Yurizza / WUFT News)

The UF chapter, which is currently under probationary status until Dec. 19, 2015, wrote to the Warrior Beach Retreat and veterans to offer apologies and to assure those involved would face consequences.

According to the letter, “As a Fraternity, we have a ZERO tolerance policy for such behaviors, and those found guilty will be expelled. The deeds described on both social media and in letters to our University are completely against our Fraternity’s values and ideas and those that have failed to respect those values will not be welcomed anymore.”

The UF chapter also offered financial assistance to the retreat so more veterans can participate in the coming years.

“We’re going to let them do that,” Cope said. “I’m thinking of different ideas because we could really use some fundraisers.”

Both the national and UF chapters were contacted for comment but did not return phone calls; however, they released their written statements.

Emory has not yet contacted Cope.

“We’ve gotten nothing from Emory,” she said, “not one word.”

Expulsion may not be the only punishment students involved may face. Gainesville attorney Geoffrey Mason said this could qualify as a hate crime with additional battery charges.

Mason said someone could make the argument that the veterans’ national origin — the fact that they are Americans — was a factor.

“I would say especially if they were over 65,” he continues, “then that would absolutely be a hate crime, if it’s related to age.”

Prejudice towards physical disabilities or limitations can also be regarded as a hate crime.

“If they spit on a person, that’s absolutely battery,” Mason said.

Mason said Florida has provisions dealing with battery of the elderly, which would be classified as a higher level crime. The maximum legal sentence would be five years in prison and up to a $5,000-fine.

Penalties from UF have yet to be determined.

“I can’t talk about individual students, but I can tell you that the Zeta Beta Tau chapter certainly faces sanctions,” Sikes said.

It is Cope’s hope that students can learn a lesson in respect and responsibility from the incident.

“To every action, there is a reaction and a consequence,” Cope said. “They don’t need to take in vain the sacrifice these men and women have given for them to have the freedoms they have.”

This story originally appeared on WUFT News with contributing coverage by Nicole Wiesenthal, a spring 2015 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent.

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FRom the comments section:

FYI, search Zeta Beta Tau the frat accused of doing this, it’s Jewish. As in we hate the military and you non Jew whites. Just saying, you can ignore it and the media will not spell it out, but there it is again and again and again. Not with frat houses solely but with politics folks. As in Democrat politics. These are the young Democrat activists taking over the country, fact. Update, they conveniently admit all faiths now so maybe they were not Jewish, or maybe they most likely are since that’s their frat heritage since the 1800’s.

 

 

U. of Florida Frat Accused of Spitting on Veterans, Peeing on American Flag