Syracuse fraternity says not involved in member death
U-WIRE

SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Zeta Beta Tau at Syracuse University said it was not involved in the harassment and beating that may have contributed to the death of a member of the Alfred University chapter of the fraternity.

Benjamin Klein, a member of ZBT at Alfred University, was found dead behind his chapter's house Tuesday morning, according to reports from the Alfred Police Department. Klein had been missing since Saturday, according to the reports. Initial coroner's reports have ruled out the possibility of foul play in the student’s death.

Press releases from the Alfred Police Department and Alfred University state Klein received severe beatings while attending a conference in Syracuse, adding this may have been an indirect factor that culminated in his death.

Neither the university nor the local chapter were involved with the planning or implementation of the event, which was organized by the ZBT National Fraternity and held at the Windham Hotel, said SU spokesman Kevin Morrow. Additionally, no members of the SU chapter attended the conference because of rush commitments, Puchalsky said.

“The (Syracuse) chapter is appalled that this happened,” he said.

Local chapters of ZBT were informed of the incident by a press release from the national fraternity, which did not explain fully the circumstances behind Klein’s death, Puchalsky said. The national chapter is investigating the incident and may close down the Alfred chapter, he said.

The members of ZBT are committed to philanthropy and promoting a positive influence, Puchalsky said, stressing past examples of his chapter’s character. These events include fund-raising efforts for the American Cancer Society and the Jason Jacobs Memorial Scholarship, he said. Jason Jacobs is a SU ZBT alumnus who was killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.

“We’re about having a positive influence on the community,” Puchalsky said.
Law enforcement officials have given the university no reason to investigate ZBT at Syracuse University, Morrow said. Recent examples of violence within the greek system, however, have encouraged the administration to look into possible solutions to defuse situations before they become a problem, Morrow added.

Puchalsky said his fraternity should be able to discipline its own members.

“When someone is put at risk, it’s not a positive influence, and ZBT will not stand for it,” he said.

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2002