U. of Florida frat accused of spitting on veterans, peeing on American flag

mrken12

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It's a Jewish frat just for those who want some background info.



http://college.usatoday.com/2015/04...-accused-of-spitting-peeing-on-american-flag/

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.

“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.

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.”
 

Truth200

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the cac mamba

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

:dead::dead::dead:
 

Whooty Chaser

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I don't agree with spitting on vets, spitting on people is never cool. But I don't give a fukk about the peeing on the flag part, it's a just a fukkin piece of cloth.
 

mrken12

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Notice how "non-racial" the comments were (Call them "liberals" or "entitled" but that's about all ). :skip:

Tried to blame it on AAs a couple of times :skip:

Another wanted to know what race the victims were :skip:

:what: :snoop: So I guess to white people spitting on people from the military is cool as long as they're not white. :aicmon:
 

mrken12

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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/25/zeta-beta-tau-fraternity-from-university-of-florid/

Fraternity expels 3 for allegedly spitting on wounded vets at Florida retreat

A University of Florida fraternity expelled three of its members Friday after reports revealed that the students spat on disabled military veterans at a Panama City resort.

Zeta Beta Tau Executive Director Laurence Bolotin said that the fraternity chose to expel the students after finding that they behaved inappropriately while they were in Panama City for a spring formal, CBS news reported Friday.

"I am deeply saddened that the actions of our members ruined this special event and failed to show the respect our military and their families so deserve," Mr. Bolotin said, CBSreported.

The veterans were at the beach for the Warrior Beach Retreat at the Laketown Wharf Resort last weekend when the fraternity had its social event.

The fraternity members were drunk and hurled insults at the veterans, spat on them, and stole their American flags.

"They were urinating off of balconies, vomiting off of balconies. They could see the men and women below were there with the retreat. They had on hats and shirts with logos," Linda Cope, founder of Warrior Beach Retreat said, CBS reported.

University of Florida President Kent Fuchs called the students' behavior unacceptable. In a letter to Ms. Cope, Mr. Fuchs said the school is making every effort to learn what happened at the resort and take appropriate action.

Zeta Beta Tau is already on conduct probation for a hazing incident that took place in the fall semester, CBS reported. It has suspended operations and is cooperating with the school's investigation and has hired its own independent investigator to determine what happened at the resort.
 
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