JIO begins probe of ZBT incident

Judicial Inquiry Officer Constance Goodman said last week that she is investigating an incident at the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house, but would not say if it was the alleged attempted rape at ZBT that University Police are currently looking into. Goodman declined to comment on the details of the investigation, saying only that her investigation is in conjunction with University Police. The JIO said the complaint is not against the fraternity, but rather against an individual. Last week, University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said University Police were investigating a report of an attempted rape on January 26 of a student from another university in ZBT's Superblock house. The student reported the alleged incident to her school's police department, who in turn reported it to University Police earlier this month. Kuprevich said the victim has filed a criminal complaint and is cooperating with police in the investigation. Neither the commissioner nor the JIO would release the names of any suspects involved in the cases, nor would they predict when the investigations would be completed. ZBT President Matthew Feinsod has not returned repeated phone calls placed to the fraternity's house since the middle of last week. Goodman would only say that "the complaint is very serious, and I will investigate it methodically and properly." ZBT has been on probation since the fall of 1989 as a result of a 1988 incident in which brothers hired two strippers for a rush event. During the strip show, several spectators performed sexual acts upon the women with cucumbers and ketchup. The incident lead to an 18-month suspension of the fraternity. Goodman said if she determines that the fraternity is collectively responsible for the alleged incident she is currently investigating, ZBT's probationary status would "weigh heavily" upon any punishment handed down by the Fraternity and Sorority Advisory Board.