University Memorial Center t 303 492 8832

UMC Director’s Office f 303 735 1404

UMC Room 305
204 UCB
Boulder, Colorado 80309-0204

TO:
Zeta Beta Tau

FROM: Jimmie Baker

Senior Associate UMC Director/SAFE Committee Chair

SUBJECT: Buff Bowl Event

DATE: January 14, 2019

Via Email:

Dear

Thank you for meeting with the SAFE Committee on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 to discuss
concerns brought to the attention of the committee regarding incidents that occurred during the
Zeta Beta Tau Buff Bowl event (“Buff Bowl” or “Buff Bowl event”) held on the South Kittredge
Field on Saturday, November 3, 2018. At this meeting, we discussed each of the incidents that
were reported at the Buff Bowl, and you were given an opportunity to provide any additional
information with respect to these incidents. To follow up on our meeting, I am providing this
letter to document the relevant facts of the matter and the resultant actions taken by the SAFE
Committee.

Incidents at the Event: As we discussed, the incidents reported to the SAFE Committee include
the following:

1. Several fights broke out related to both participants and spectators.

2. Several injuries to multiple participants, including:
a. one serious head injury
b. two possible broken arms
c. one possible broken nose
d. one possible separated shoulder and
e. three overall transports to Boulder Community Hospital due to injuries sustained
during the games.
3. Use of racially charged expletives by members of the Theta Xi team.
4. Workplace safety concerns brought forward by referees who worked the event including
the following:
a. Referees reporting that they were concerned about being physically attacked
during the games due to participants’ threats and demeanor.
b. A referee reporting that members of Theta Xi called him a racial slur (N****r)
and yelled death threats at him.
c. Referees being called other derogatory and abusive insults.
d. One referee quit and refused to continue to work the event.
5. Consumption of alcohol at the event in violation of campus policy.
 6. A motorcycle driving onto the Kitt West Field at a high rate of speed through a crowd of
about 200 spectators and players, which is a violation of campus policy and extremely
dangerous.
7. Rec Center staff threatened and called derogatory names by participants and spectators.
8. The final game cancelled due to disqualification of both teams for fighting during the
semi-final games.
9. Overall concerns by CU Police regarding the number of people in attendance and lack of
crowd control, in violation of previous advisements given to you.
10. Calls to Mark Stein, IFC on the Hill Greek Advocate, by Mike Marquez, Boulder Police
Department Hill Team, and Karly Steffens, American Medical Response (AMR)
Supervisor, to share concerns regarding the event, which did not result in any action
taken to ensure the safety of all who were involved.

Pre-event SAFE Meeting and Site Survey: Prior to the November 27 SAFE meeting, you met
with University representatives for a pre-event site survey on Thursday, October 18 and attended
a SAFE Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 30 to discuss the Buff Bowl event. At both the
site survey and the SAFE meeting, you were reminded that the Interfraternity Council on the Hill
(“IFC” or “IFC on the Hill”) was placed on probation for the Fall 2018 semester for incidents
that occurred at the Spring flag football event held on April 24, 2018 in the Lower Recreation
Field Dome. The Spring Flag Football event is similar in nature to the Buff Bowl event. You
were instructed, therefore, to remind the leadership of the IFC on the Hill and its member
organizations of the probation status and to take the necessary steps to ensure similar incidents
did not occur at the Buff Bowl flag football event. You were notified at both the pre-event
SAFE Committee meeting and the site survey that if there were any incidents of misconduct on
the part of the IFC on the Hill chapter members, further sanctions could be issued against the IFC
on the Hill and its member organizations, and you acknowledged this.

The November 27 SAFE Meeting: When presented with detailed information regarding the
above incidents at the November 27 SAFE meeting following the event, you acknowledged the
incidents at the event had occurred as reported. You responded that this was a tough event to
work but that the event raised $4,000 for your chapter’s philanthropy. When presented with the
list of incidents reported to have taken place at the Buff Bowl event as described above, you
provided the following responses:

1. Cited a lack of adequate referees officiating the games as contributing to the incidents
that occurred during the games.
a. Each game was officiated by one referee.
b. You believed last year’s event was officiated by three referees per game.
2. Last year’s flag football event was held without incident.
3. You met with the IFC on the Hill chairs prior to the event to explain the event had to go
well as IFC on the Hill was on probation.
4. This was a Zeta Beta Tau event and not an IFC on the Hill event.
5. Sigma Nu was the fraternity using N****r during games.
a. engaged in the use of the
word N****r.

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 6. There was only one 12-pack of beer on site but you acknowledged that some participants
and spectators may have been under the influence of alcohol while at the event.
7. Acknowledged there were fights among the spectators and participants and that the
games were intense. You pointed out that not all of the teams engaged in fighting during
the event.
8. Acknowledged the final game was cancelled due to several fights breaking out during the
semi-final games.
When asked what you would do differently in the future to improve the behavior of the
participants and spectators, you responded you would:

1. Hire private referees to officiate the game.

2. In order to control the sideline behaviors you would hire private security or assign more
ZBT members to assist with the event.
Additional Information from PD and AMR: To gather complete information regarding the
Buff Bowl event, I reached out to representatives from CU Police, Boulder Police, and American
Medical Response (“AMR”) who were at the event. They relayed multiple concerns regarding
the event, which create a consistent picture of what happened and the seriousness of the conduct,
including:

1. An overall concern with the number of fights between the participants and spectators.
2. CU and Boulder police officers’ concerned the fights could lead to a “full out brawl”
affecting the safety of the officers, participants, and spectators if this occurred.
3. Concerns for retaliatory behaviors spilling out into the city after the tournament
concluded.
4. AMR was required to increase their EMT presence from one EMT with a medical kit to
four fully staffed ambulances to support the event.
a. This resulted in pulling resources that would typically be available to respond to
city needs.
5. Concerns with the number and severity of the injuries that occurred at the event.
a. AMR reported four transports and five individuals refusing transportation to a
medical facility.
6. Zeta Beta Tau and the IFC on the Hill’s inability to control the behaviors of the
participants and spectators invited to their event.
a. Zeta Beta Tau’s crowd control was not consistent and sustained, even after
receiving a warning from CU Police, which resulted in several dangerous
outcomes, including physical violence and a motorcyclist gaining access to the
field.
7. Spectators bringing dogs to events on campus when pets are not allowed in/on
Recreation Center controlled spaces (note: a spectator was injured from a dog bite to
the lower calf at the event).
8. Zeta Beta Tau leadership’s deflecting of responsibility for the actions and behaviors of
participants and spectators to those who are hired to assist with events including
Recreation Center, CU Police, and AMR staff.

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 9. Given similar incidents occurred at the Fall 2017 Buff Bowl and at the Spring 2018 IFC
on the Hill flag football events, a pattern of unacceptable conduct has been established.
Campus partners conveyed an overall concern for future safety of participants and
spectators at IFC on the Hill flag football events and at other IFC on the Hill events.
The SAFE Committee Decision:

Due to the seriousness of the incidents, and multiple consistent reports regarding the incidents
that occurred, the SAFE Committee has decided to revoke the IFC on the Hill and its member
organizations’ campus scheduling privileges for a minimum of 365 calendar days from the date
of this letter. Scheduling privileges will not be re-issued until the SAFE Committee issues a
letter of reinstatement. This revocation includes all facilities and spaces owned and/or
operated by the University of Colorado Boulder and its representatives. Representatives from
the IFC on the Hill and its member organizations may request a meeting with the SAFE
Committee one year from the date of this letter to request a reinstatement of full or partial
scheduling privileges—at this time, such representatives will be required to provide information
demonstrating that IFC on the Hill, ZBT and other member organizations will comply with all
University rules and policies and assure that the types of incidents described above will not occur
again. In making this decision, the SAFE Committee took into consideration all available
information, including all information you provided when we met on November 27. At that
meeting, you acknowledged some responsibility for the events that occurred, and the SAFE
Committee took this into account. You admitted the event was very difficult to control as there
were multiple fights throughout the event, injuries to participants, the presence and use of
alcohol, and the use of inappropriate language and threats by guests and participants at the event.
You contest this was a ZBT event and sanctions should only apply to ZBT.

Nonetheless, the SAFE Committee finds that these behaviors do not align with the standards and
expectations of those granted permission to use University facilities for their events and
activities. The SAFE Committee expects the event host/sponsor to manage their events and to
hold guests and participants accountable for unacceptable behaviors and conduct. This includes
the types of incidents that occurred at the Buff Bowl and use of language (such as the threats and
racial slurs described above) that could violate the University of Colorado Boulder
Discrimination and Harassment policy, 1 being verbally aggressive and threating towards
university staff, fighting, having unauthorized alcohol at the event, and engaging in activities that
risk the safety and health of participants. The SAFE Committee’s decision is based on the events
that occurred at the November 3, 2018 Buff Bowl, information presented at the November 27
SAFE Committee, and conversations with representatives of CU Police, Boulder Police and
AMR. The SAFE Committee also took into account that it had previously placed the IFC on the
Hill on probation regarding the 2018 IFC spring flag football event—this event was similar in
nature to the Buff Bowl and shows a pattern of dangerous and unacceptable conduct at these
events.

If you have any questions, you may contact me at 303-492-8832 or Jimmie.Baker@colorado.edu

1
This matter has been reported to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance.

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If you wish to appeal this action, you may contact Lisa Severy, Chair Campus Use of University
Facilities Committee (CUUF), at Lisa.Severy@colorado.edu

CC: Lisa Severy, Chair CUUF Committee

JB