Fraternity Under Fire For Alleged Harassment of Wounded Veterans

A mid-April retreat to Panama City Beach for wounded veterans, their spouses or other loved ones was meant to provide an opportunity for families to get together, relax and have fun.

That retreat, however, turned out to be anything but relaxing when members of the University of Florida’s Zeta Beta Tau fraternity showed up at the same resort for their own spring social. The university students are accused of harassing the wounded veterans, yelling at them and spitting on them.

The brouhaha that erupted drew the attention of the Panama City Beach Police Department. While no arrests were made, the Gainesville Sun reports the students created quite a ruckus at the Laketown Wharf Resort. Members of the UF fraternity are accused of stealing veterans’ flags from cars, throwing beer bottles from balconies, yelling at veterans and spitting on them, among other things.

The students were thrown off the resort’s property by management on April 18, but no official police report was filed. It doesn’t appear as if Emory students were involved in the ruckus.

See Also:

• DC Man Files $2M Hazing Lawsuit Against Fraternity, Police Officer
• Female Victim Alleges Sexual Assault at UC Berkeley Fraternity

News of the incident has gone national and has sparked an investigation at UF and outrage among veterans.

“We are pursuing an investigation of the matter to learn more about the involvement of University of Florida students and whether disciplinary action will be needed,” wrote W. Kent Fuchs, UF president, in an April 22 written response to a mother of one of the wounded vets. “I want to make clear that I am deeply sorry for the affront that our students may have caused. 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.”

UF has officially suspended Zeta Beta Tau as the investigation continues, the Palm Beach Post reported. The fraternity was already on probation following a hazing incident last fall. The Sun noted that three students have been expelled from the fraternity while charges of “causing physical or other harm, obscene behavior, public intoxication, theft and property damage” have been levied by the university against the fraternity.

It is unclear what actions will be taken following completion of UF’s investigation. The campus’ Collegiate Veterans Society, however, has extended an invitation to the fraternity to take part in a “restorative justice meeting,” the Post reported.

The Warrior Beach Retreat is a weeklong event that is meant to serve as “a time that can give them (veterans) hope to carry on … a feeling that their sacrifice was not in vain … and a knowing that we as a nation are truly grateful for their service and sacrifice,” the event’s website states. Veterans and their caregivers are provided access to the retreat at no charge courtesy of fundraising efforts.

Fraternity-related hazing and other incidents have made headlines a number of times this year. In March, a man from Washington, D.C., filed a $2 million lawsuit against a fraternity, alleging he was beaten and forced to do household chores wearing only underwear. In April, a fraternity at the University of California Berkeley was accused of sexual assault.

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