ZBT’s national charter revoked following social policies investigation

The University of Miami’s Alpha Omega Chapter of Zeta Beta Tau ceased operations after the fraternity’s national council announced March 18 that it will revoke the organization’s charter. The decision followed an investigation into alleged health and safety violations during ZBT’s social events.

According to a statement from the ZBT national organization, the investigation went on for several months with help from the UM administration.

“The University of Miami consistently communicates a clear set of policies and expectations to all of our Greek organizations that are designed to encourage a safe, healthy and positive experience for UM students,” Patricia Whitely, Vice President of Student Affairs, said in a statement. “During our investigation, it became clear that the ZBT chapter blatantly violated these policies. We value our 73-year partnership with the ZBT fraternity, and we therefore support their decision to close the chapter at this time.”

However, UM and ZBT administrators declined to comment on the reason behind the Alpha Omega chapter’s investigation and subsequent punishment. ZBT is not expected to return to campus for a few years, despite being a part of UM since 1946.

“Zeta Beta Tau values our relationship and long history with the University of Miami and is working closely with the university’s leadership to return to campus in the spring of 2022,” said the ZBT national organization.

The Alpha Omega chapter of ZBT has not yet released a statement, but president Zuhaib Javed said he expects his organization to complete one later this weekend.