Frat accused of spitting on vets, peeing on American flag shut down by university

Taylor Maycan | USA TODAY

The University of Florida’s Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) chapter has been shut down after allegations emerged last week that its members spat at veterans and urinated on the American flag while recently in Panama City Beach.

“I continue to be saddened and disappointed by the reported mistreatment and disrespect of our military veterans,” UF President Kent Fuchs said in the April 28 press release. “Our university has always honored, and will always honor, the service of veterans."



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Matthew J. Rubins, the international president of ZBT, shared Fuchs' sentiments, adding that he is "absolutely disgusted" by the allegations.

"ZBT has a long history of serving our country, with brothers currently serving in all ranks of the military,” Rubins said. “ZBT will work diligently to demonstrate that the alleged behavior of a few does not represent the values of the many."

The Zeta Beta Tau students from UF and Emory University were in Panama City Beach for their spring formal. They were staying in the same hotel as veterans attending Warrior Beach Retreat, according to Linda Cope, founder of the retreat.

The weeklong event brought wounded combat veterans together and featured a parade on April 16 where between 8,000 and 10,000 people lined the streets.

Cope said the following day, April 17, the Zeta Beta Tau members 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, adding that the women accompanying the fraternity men were behaving with an equal lack of respect.

The University of Florida suspended Zeta Beta Tau on April 24. And while the UF chapter of the fraternity is effectively shut down, according to the April 28 press release, both ZBT and the University of Florida said they intend to further investigate the incident to “fully understand what happened.”



Contributing coverage by WUFT News and Nicole Wiesenthal, a spring 2015 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.