Cornell fraternity under fire for 'pig roast' sex contest

Mary Bowerman | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Fraternity at Cornell University in trouble for 'pig roast' contest The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at Cornell University is in hot water for a sex contest they called the “pig roast.”

Note: This story was originally published on Feb. 7, 2018. It was updated on Sept. 5, 2018.

Cornell University's Zeta Beta Tau fraternity was placed on probation in early 2018 after university officials were made aware of an alleged sex contest some fraternity members were conducting called the "pig roast."

An investigation that concluded in January 2018 found that fraternity members held a contest where new members were encouraged to accumulate "points" by sleeping with women. If members tied, the winner was chosen by whoever had sex with a woman who weighed the most.

Following allegations of the behavior, Zeta Beta Tau hired an "independent, third-party investigator" to look into the incident involving its Kappa Chapter at Cornell University, Laurence Bolotin, Zeta Beta Tau's Chief Executive Officer, told USA TODAY in a Sept. 5 statement. Bolotin said the fraternity discussed their findings and their third-party report with the university in the spring, and the administration issued a revised statement on their website.

“While the University held the chapter responsible and imposed sanctions, it became evident that the University’s decision was based upon incomplete information," Bolotin said.

The university placed the fraternity on probationary recognition for two years. In the revised statement, the university said: "The Fraternity and Sorority Chapter Review Board considered all the evidence presented, including two non-anonymous reports, and concluded it was “more likely than not” that the allegation — someone associated with the chapter encouraging new members to participate in the contest — occurred. However, the Review Board did not have evidence and therefore did not find that any individual associated with the chapter had in fact acted on such encouragement or that the contest had actually occurred."

The university conducted "a review of both the Jan. 19, 2018 findings of the Fraternity and Sorority Review Board and the statement of those findings later posted on the hazing.cornell.edu website," according to John Carberry, senior director of Media Relations and News:



"While that review did conclude that some of the statement language mischaracterized the findings of the Review Board, resulting in an updated statement being posted to that site on July 9, that same review concluded the findings, recommendations and the sanctions imposed by the university as a result of the Review Board’s recommendation were appropriate."

Carberry said the university rejects any behavior that "degrades and dehumanizes women...We also will continue to work with the local and national leaders of ZBT to support their repeated public pledge to demonstrate that this type behavior will never be tolerated again."