UF Student Conduct Hearing: Sealing the Fate of ZBT

The University of Florida Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Office held its first and only trial to dispute the three charges filed against former brothers of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity on Monday, July 13.

Chris Loschiavo, associate dean and director of the Student Conduct and Conflict office, has not yet issued a decision based on the trial.

Two veterans, a woman present with the Warrior Beach Retreat, and two former members of the fraternity testified at trial.

Another former fraternity member was responsible for cross-examining the five witnesses. Only students are allowed to represent at SCCR trials.

“We’re fairly confident there wasn’t enough evidence to support the charges,” said Lee Tiechner, an attorney who helped prep the fraternity member who cross-examined the witnesses.

Tiechner received his law degree from UF and has a son who was a former member of ZBT. He is a partner at Holland and Knight law offices in Miami.

The fraternity members are charged with violating student conduct code 4(i) of public intoxication, code 4(a)(i) of causing physical or other harm to another person and code 4(b) of obscene behavior involving public exposure of sexual organs or voyeurism.

ZBT members accepted the first charge of public intoxication and are fighting the two latter charges.

“The student tried to point out inconsistences of the witnesses on the stand,” Tiechner said. “The evidence of the violation of the other two conduct charges is woefully short of what would be required to find the fraternity at fault.”

Initially, the UF SCCR and Panama City Beach Police Department opened investigations into the accusations that ZBT fraternity members from UF and Emory University disrespected a group of veterans while the groups were vacationing at the same hotel.

The Emory chapter never confirmed nor denied the accusations, and never lost their charter. Maybe UF ZBT’s should have done the same.

The Panama City Police Department never conclusively charged either fraternity group.

“They were really heinous accusations that came from the regular things that college kids do on a spring break weekend,” said Jared Blinderman, 19-year-old former member of UF ZBT.

UF and ZBT International pulled the Gainesville chapter, however.  The former members are allowed to join other fraternities on campus, and will in the fall semester. Could be worse.

So, what are we to expect from the ZBT disbandment and the trial? What does this mean to University of Florida’s Greek life? What does this mean to the former fraternity members?

In a sticky situation where both sides say very different things occurred in the same weekend, it’s hard to make any absolute statements.

It was certainly a perfect storm (or maybe a curse on whatever fraternity moves into that house — RIP SigEp) that shafted the brothers of ZBT.

In no case is it ever okay to make a service member uncomfortable in any way. But, based on the fact that the PCB police never actually took legal action against ZBT after investigation, it’s also safe to say that UF jumped the gun to punish the chapter in order to look the part in the face of national media coverage.

From what I’ve gathered, the former brothers have had doors closed in their faces because of the scandal, but they found a window.

About 40 will be moving into the same floor of a new apartment complex in Gainesville, so they can call that their new fraternity house. They will all also pledge to a new fraternity.

This debacle raises questions as to whether Greek life at UF has overstayed its welcome.

With almost every fraternity under some type of scrutiny from the University, I feel with some certainty that my children, should they attend UF, won’t be able to pledge any type of house.

Featured image courtesy of WUFT News

---