Syracuse University’s chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity was put on disciplinary probation after SU investigated behavior that included ZBT members spitting into potential members’ mouths, Dean of Students Robert Hradsky confirmed in an email to The Daily Orange on Sunday.

In a separate email sent to The D.O. and several SU administrators just before 5:45 p.m. Saturday, an individual claiming to be a former ZBT member attached an eight-second video that shows a person laying on a wet floor while another person covers their face with a mop. That person in the video twists the mop on the other person’s face before removing it. Then, the person holding the mop appears to spit into the open mouth of the person laying on the floor while other people talk, yell and laugh in the background.

Near the end of the video, another person lies down on the floor. The clothes of both people laying on the floor appear to be soaked with liquid.

In a statement to The D.O. on Sunday, Hradsky said it’s believed that the video is from spring 2015. The video was first brought to the university’s attention in spring 2018, Hradsky said.

The individual who sent the email and video Saturday had the username “David Tesher.”

“Membersof (sic) the house ask pledges to ‘open up’ as they forcibly spit in potential members mouths,” said “David Tesher” in the message.

David Tescher, whose name is spelled differently than the username of the individual who sent the Saturday email, is a current ZBT member and SU student, according to his LinkedIn profile. In an Instagram message to The D.O. on Sunday, Tescher said he did not send the Saturday email.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Tescher wrote.

The Saturday email from “David Tesher” was sent to The D.O., Chancellor Kent Syverud, an email account linked to the “Syracuse University IFC Fraternity Recruitment” page and six officials in the university’s Board of Trustees office.

“I am afraid someone will get hospitalized or die within the next year if this major infraction of the Syracuse University Student Conduct Code is not addressed,” said the email from “David Tesher.”

Hradsky said SU’s Department of Public Safety investigated the video and “charges were filed for violating the Code of Student Conduct.” ZBT is on disciplinary probation through December 2018 as a result of that investigation, Hradsky said.

SU’s chapter of ZBT is on disciplinary probation until December 2018. Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

Matthew Wiener, a junior in the School of Information Studies and ZBT’s president, acknowledged in a Monday text message to The D.O. that the video was shown to SU, but said “we have been dropped of charges from it.”

“That video was from an investigation last year where we were found innocent,” Wiener said in another set of text messages. “the (sic) information is false , (sic) proven false by the university (OSRR).”

Hradsky confirmed in an email Monday that the video led to ZBT’s disciplinary probation.

In a Saturday night email from Hradsky, responding to the initial email from “David Tesher,” the dean also said “similar alleged behavior” has since been brought to the university’s attention and ZBT has been placed under “investigative status,” a sanction separate from the disciplinary probation. Alleged conduct that occurred “last week” led to that investigation, Hradsky said Sunday in the statement to The D.O.

The recent investigative status change at ZBT was not related to the video, Hradsky added.

Wiener, in a text message, said the investigative status “is due to a physical altercation by a member prior to school even starting and has NOTHING to do with any sort of ‘hazing’ activity.”

While on investigative status, ZBT is prohibited from hosting activities and cannot recruit new members during the investigation or disciplinary process, Hradsky said.

Hradsky’s 9:05 p.m. Saturday email to “David Tesher” was sent to The D.O., the email linked to IFC recruitment and the following officials in SU’s Board of Trustees office: Lisa Dolak, Rachel Harms, Ally Mead, Tressa Sobotka, Brooke Wears and James Zullo.

The dean’s Sunday statement was sent to The D.O. as a response to questions about the video.

ZBT is prohibited from hosting activities and cannot recruit new members during the investigation or disciplinary process, Hradsky said. Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

The investigation comes as SU conducts a “top to bottom” review of Greek life policies, activities and culture in the wake of the spring 2018 Theta Tau videos controversy. The university permanently expelled Theta Tau in April after videos surfaced showing people at the fraternity’s house participating in behaviors Syverud has called “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities.”

The controversy led to campus-wide protests, days of public forums and two lawsuits filed against the university.

Since the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year, SU has suspended or expelled four fraternities and one sorority because of conduct violations, according to SU’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.

Seven other fraternities, including ZBT, are under investigation or sanctions for conduct violations, according to FASA.

SU has suspended or expelled the following Greek organizations since the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year:

• The Delta Tau Delta fraternity was suspended in fall 2017 for conduct violations that included hazing.
• The Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity was suspended in spring 2018 for behavior that threatened the safety of a person participating in its new member process.
• The Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity was suspended in spring 2018 after a months-long hazing investigation.
• The Theta Tau fraternity was permanently expelled in spring 2018 after videos surfaced showing people participating in behaviors Syverud has called “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities.”
• The Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha sorority was banned from operating at SU in fall 2018, according to FASA. The nature of the conduct violations is currently unclear.

According to FASA, the following SU Greek organizations are being sanctioned for code of conduct violations:

• The Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity is on disciplinary probation through December 2019, and social probation through December 2018, for conduct violations related to hazing.
• The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity is under investigative status. The nature of the possible conduct violations is currently unclear.
• The Sigma Chi fraternity is on disciplinary probation through May 2019. It is also under investigative status for possible conduct violations. The nature of the conduct violations is currently unclear.
• The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity is under investigative status. The nature of the possible conduct violations is currently unclear.
• The Psi Upsilon fraternity is on disciplinary reprimand through October 2018. The nature of the conduct violations is currently unclear.
• The Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity is on disciplinary probation through December 2019. The nature of the conduct violations is currently unclear.
• ZBT is on disciplinary probation through December 2018. It is also under investigative status. The probation stems from an investigation into behavior that included ZBT members spitting into potential members’ mouths, Hradsky confirmed.

— Managing Editor Ali Harford and Asst. News Editor Catherine Leffert contributed reporting to this article.

Published on September 10, 2018 at 7:29 pm

Contact Jordan: jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18