Jewish Frat Punished For ‘Pig Roast’ Contest To Have Sex With Heaviest Woman
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Aiden Pink February 7, 2018
A historically Jewish fraternity at Cornell University was put on probation for two years after an investigation determined that members competed to have sex with the most women — with the tiebreaker going to the brother who slept with the person weighing the most.
“The contest was referred to as a ‘pig roast,’” Cornell’s Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life wrote in their investigation into Zeta Beta Tau, which took place in January.
“The new members were told not to inform the women of the contest,” the report added. The contest reportedly took place during 2017.
ZBT’s behavior “is abhorrent to me and antithetical to our values as a community. Behavior that degrades and dehumanizes women contributes to a climate and culture of tolerance for sexual violence,” Cornell’s vice president for student and campus life, Ryan Lombardi, said in a statement. “While sanctions have been levied against this fraternity by the Fraternity and Sorority Review Board, the campus community will be watching to see whether the members of ZBT – as individuals and as a group – live up to their public pledge to demonstrate ‘through our actions that this inexcusable behavior will not be tolerated.’”
As part of their punishment, ZBT will have to conduct a full internal review, hire a live-in advisor who reports to the university administration, and participate in at least two events during Cornell’s Sexual Assault Awareness Week, among other requirements.
In a statement on their Facebook page, the chapter claimed that its leadership only found out about the contest in December, and that they were “shocked and appalled” by the allegations.
“The events detailed in [the student newspaper] were neither chapter sanctioned activities, nor ones that brothers were aware of…. The allegations described are contrary to the values that Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity espouses and works in direct conflict with the beliefs and mission of the Kappa Chapter,” they added.
Zeta Beta Tau, founded in 1898, was the world’s first Jewish college fraternity.
Correction, February 8: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Zeta Beta Tau is no longer officially affiliated with Judaism.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
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