The University of Florida’s Zeta Beta Tau Frat Under Investigation After Members Spit On Wounded Vets and Pissed on American Flag (Update: UF Suspends ZBT)

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA ZETA BETA TAU FRAT SPIT AT WOUNDED VETS AND URINATED ON AMERICAN FLAG …

The University of Florida’s Zeta Beta Tau frat is under investigation after it was reported that members of their fraternity spit on wounded veterans and their service dogs and urinated on American flags. WTF is wrong with kids these days? The incident occurred at Panama Beach, gee what a shocker, when Zeta Beta Tau students from UF and Emory University were in Panama City Beach for their spring formal and wounded vets and their families were in town as well as part of the Warrior Beach Retreat. Panama City, FL gets another black eye. Is there any semblance of decorum in this town anymore? The University of Florida and Emory University should be embarrassed and ashamed of the actions of there frats. Personally, I believe they should be booted off campus and eliminated. This kind of conduct should never be tolerated. The UF ZBT frat was already on probation prior to this disgusting act. Sorry, they need to be gone, they obviously serve no functional purpose and have such contempt for wounded American heroes that have defended America’s freedom’s, including theirs.

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.

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.

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.

Linda Cope then received an email apology from UF President W. Kent Fuchs, Executive Director of the National Zeta Beta Tau Laurence A. Bolotin, but nothing from Emory University.

“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.”

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.

UPDATE I: The University of Florida has Suspended ZBT.

The University of Florida suspended one of its fraternities on Friday after allegations that its members hurled drunken insults and spat at a group of disabled military veterans at a Panama City Beach resort.

The school said on Friday that it is charging the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity with obscene behavior, public intoxication, theft, causing physical or other harm, and damage to property.

The suspension came after the fraternity had already suspended operations itself and expelled three of its members after finding they had behaved inappropriately.

“I am personally offended and disappointed by the behavior that has been described to me,” Dave Kratzer, the school’s student affairs vice president and retired U.S. Army major general, said in a statement.

UPDATE II: Emory University claims their Frat were angels.

CBS46 News

Emory officials said they are investigating but so far there’s no evidence to implicate their students in the incident. Emory’s Zeta Beta Tau fraternity told CBS 46 in Atlanta they were shocked to learn of what they call “atrocious acts.”

But Cope told the station: “There were too many students from Emory for none of them to be involved. It is hard for me to believe that no Emory student was a part of this. This denial is a slap in the face of veterans.”

About 60 veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan were also attending a retreat that has been held twice a year for the past six years at the resort. Cope started the event in honor of her son Joshua, who lost both legs in Baghdad in 2006 when a roadside bomb exploded under his Humvee.

One letter to Fuchs described students spitting on veterans, throwing beer bottles over a balcony and ripping flags off their cars.

Cope said hotel security got the situation under control and the fraternity members were evicted the next morning. The fraternity sent a letter of apology to Cope.