Content warning: This article contains mention of sexual assault.

NYU’s chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity has been temporarily suspended amid an ongoing investigation into sexual harassment, hazing and antisemitism allegations. 

Last month, an Instagram account called “The ZBT Files” began posting photographs, videos and screenshots of group chats depicting ZBT members participating in sexual assault and hazing rituals. The anonymous account — which has since shared over 90 pieces of evidence — has garnered over 10,700 followers. 

NYU spokesperson Joseph Tirella said administrators are investigating the chapter “for allegations of serious violations” to student conduct and non-discrimination policies. Suspended on an “interim basis,” the group cannot recruit or host activities until the investigation concludes. 

“NYU takes these charges extremely seriously,” Tirella told WSN. “The NYU’s ZBT chapter has been suspended on an interim basis, pending the outcome of the investigation, and has been informed that they must cease and desist all operations and activities until the conclusion of their conduct proceedings.”

The Instagram account shared detailed testimonies from at least four anonymous women, who said ZBT members sexually assaulted them or their friends at the chapter’s fraternity parties. One student said a ZBT member reached up her friend’s skirt and tried to “put a finger in her,” and after she resisted, the chapter kicked her out of the party for “ruining the vibe.” According to a screenshot of ZBT members’ group chat, members discussed intent to “fingerblast a freshman” again before another party they hosted in 2026. 

The Instagram account’s creator — a former ZBT member and recent NYU alum, who requested anonymity due to fear of the group’s retaliation — said they reported the chapter to the Office of Student Conduct after that incident. When the office did not take action, they began posting on the anonymous Instagram account. 

“A girl reached out to me and basically confirmed that the conversation they had in that group chat literally happened. It wasn’t a joke,” the former ZBT member told WSN. “After me and my friends got kicked out of the group chat for calling out that screenshot, we emailed all our stuff to NYU, including the fingerblasting screenshot. They basically just told us to disengage from the situation and if we don’t like the environment in the fraternity, we should just go away.”

Photographs depicting the chapter’s hazing rituals gained traction on social media. In several posts, ZBT members are laying face down on the floor with their hands behind their backs, which the Instagram user called the chapter’s “most recurring ritual.” The chapter’s members have allegedly taped bottles of alcohol to one’s hands — forcing them to drink it all before unbinding them — and instructed a seemingly lactose-intolerant student to drink a gallon of milk, among other hazing practices.  

As of 2024, NYU is required by federal law to detail student organizations’ hazing violations in an annual report. Most recently, the on-campus chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity was suspended until Aug. 1 for violating the university’s hazing policies. Last year, NYU’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity, was also suspended. 

The Instagram account’s creator also accused the ZBT chapter of antisemitism. In pictures of their presentation for a club meeting, ZBT members stated that Jewish people “worked hard like whites” and “commit genocide (sometimes).” Another slide of their presentation seemingly depicted Ku Klux Klan robes and a Confederate battle flag. ZBT was established as a Jewish fraternity in 1903, and its NYU branch is the fraternity’s oldest active chapter. 

“They know the fact that NYU will do everything to protect its own reputation, which includes protecting them, so they abuse it to do all the things that they do,” the former ZBT member said. “People see ZBT and they think, ‘Oh, this is an on-campus frat, they’re under NYU supervision, there’s no way they would do things like this’ — but that’s exactly the mentality that they abuse to actually do those things.”

In 2018, Cornell University’s chapter of ZBT was put on probation for two years after the university determined its members conducted a “pig roast” competition to decide which students to admit to the fraternity. In the game, students were challenged to have sex with the most number of women, with extra points awarded to the member who slept with the heaviest woman in the event of a tie. The fraternity investigated Cornell’s claims against the chapter — concluding that administrators lacked evidence that the contest occurred — after which Cornell administrators admitted to misconstruing its findings.  

The president of NYU’s ZBT chapter at the time, Max Kaplan, had called for the Cornell chapter to be completely removed from its campus. In an interview with WSN, Kaplan said that for his chapter, “respecting women is probably our number one priority.” 

NYU’s chapter of ZBT did not respond to WSN’s request for comment.

Contact Natalie Deoragh at [email protected].