Cornell Fraternity Fat-Shaming Sex Contest: Zeta Beta Tau Members Put On Probation

A Cornell fraternity was punished with a two-year probation after members were caught hosting a disturbing sex competition they dubbed the “pig roast,” the university said Tuesday. The game involved the Zeta Beta Tau members who received points by sleeping with overweight women at the Ivy League campus.

According to the game rules, the heavier the woman, the more points awarded to the member. If there was a tie, the winner would be the member who had sex with the heaviest female. School officials said that the fraternity pledges were reportedly asked not to disclose about the contest to the woman.

An investigation was started after school officials received “multiple reports” last year regarding the sickening game, reports said.

“An investigation that concluded in January of 2018 determined that the chapter conducted a contest in which new members could accumulate ‘points’ by engaging in sexual intercourse with women,” the university said in a statement.

The review board completed its investigation last month, saying that the fraternity would be punished, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. The board concluded that the contest allegedly took place in 2017. The names of those involved in the contest were not disclosed.

Apart from the probation, those involved with the fraternity will be required to participate in at least two events during the school’s Sexual Assault Awareness Week, according to a statement issued by the university. They also must hire a live-in adviser for the remainder of the probation period and subject themselves to external reviews. The statement also said that members will have to participate in “ongoing education on sexual violence."

Zeta Beta Tau released a statement condemning the behavior and expressing “mutual disgust along with those who feel hurt or victimized,” adding that the contests were not sanctioned by the Kappa Chapter and claimed brothers were “not aware” they were happening.

“We, too, are in disbelief and even more so that these alleged actions may have been taken by those whom we called brothers,” the statement read. “The Kappa Chapter of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity is horrified at the notion of the degradation and/or objectification of women, and the impact it has had on men and women across the United States, and at Cornell.”

The group was in the process of organizing “multiple educational programs on the topics of healthy relationships and a variety of education that will positively impact our entire brotherhood... 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,” the statement said.

“Our chapter has worked closely with the Zeta Beta Tau International Headquarters to draft and execute an action plan that addresses this alleged behavior,” it added.