Jewish Students Join In Protest of Fraternity’s Reinstatement : CSUN:The groups back Chicano activists in denouncing the decision on Zeta Beta Tau. The controversy stems from a flyer.

Members of campus Jewish groups joined Chicano activists Friday at Cal State Northridge in denouncing school officials for reinstating a historically Jewish fraternity that had been suspended for publishing a flyer many on campus considered offensive.

“We are here as a minority group,” said Motti Taylor, a junior and president of the campus Israel Awareness Committee. “This is not a Jewish issue--it is a sexist and racist issue.”

Meanwhile, the activist Chicano students group MEChA, which organized Friday’s meeting, published the full text of the sexually explicit fraternity song that prompted suspension of the CSUN chapter of Zeta Beta Tau, and distributed about 2,000 copies of the lyrics inside the campus newspaper, the Sundial.

The song, “Lupe,” is a graphic description of various sex acts with a “Mexican whore.” Chicana student activist Teresa Bautista said MEChA decided to publish the song “so people can know what all the fuss is about.”

The lyric sheets were inserted in copies of the newspaper without permission.

The fraternity sued CSUN over the suspension, which was to have lasted until January, 1994. But under an agreement announced Wednesday by CSUN President Blenda Wilson, the fraternity will be back on campus April 1. Wilson has said the school does not have the money to fight the suit, which university lawyers advised would be difficult to win because it involves the free-speech rights of ZBT members.

Although ZBT made reference to the song in its flyer-- an invitation to a Mexican-themed party to be held in honor of “Lupe”--the fraternity did not quote the song.

At the noon demonstration held Friday, members of the Anti-Defamation League--an anti-racism group founded by Jews--CSUN Hillel, a Jewish studies professor and members of other Jewish student groups said they joined with the Chicano students in their anger against the fraternity.

About 100 joined the demonstration, including students from at least one Chicano studies class who were required by their professor to attend.

Together, the organizations called for ZBT to be suspended the full 14 months of its original punishment and for members to perform community service for a Chicana women’s organization. They said ZBT members should also be required to hold a press conference at which each member of the fraternity would state his name and publicly apologize.

“As a professor of Jewish studies, the terrible irony of this situation does not escape me,” said Jody Myers, who coordinates the CSUN Jewish studies program.

In her classes, Myers said, she teaches students that ZBT was founded as a fraternity for Jewish youths who were kept out of the exclusive white fraternities that dominated campuses at the turn of the century.

And far from being simply a social organization for young men, Myers said, the fraternity was founded to perform social services and promote fairness. The letters that form its name, she said, are not really Greek, but are an acronym for the three Hebrew words that make up a call for social justice found in the biblical book of Isaiah.

“I am sure the founding members of the fraternity are turning in their graves,” Myers said.

For many of the Chicano students who attended Friday’s event, the presence of the Jewish students laid to rest fears that the religious minority was standing behind ZBT simply because the fraternity is predominantly Jewish.

“We feel very good that we got such good support from the Jewish community,” said Jose Luis Vela, president of the CSUN chapter of MEChA, who had earlier criticized Jewish groups for not coming forward. “Things are looking much better. The fact that they were here makes it much easier.”

Jeff Berns, attorney for ZBT, said the fraternity was being unfairly vilified.

“I’m sorry that people aren’t willing to allow for mistakes when you’re dealing with young men, because that’s all this was--a mistake,” Berns said.

He accused MEChA of inflaming racial tensions and said the fraternity had no intention of acceding to the demands of MEChA and the other groups.

For its part, MEChA--led by students and activist professors--is redoubling its efforts to move the campus community to take action against ZBT. The flyer distributed in the Sundial also called for students and community members to protest at demonstrations scheduled for Monday.

Cynthia Rawitch, the CSUN journalism professor who is publisher of the Sundial and acts as adviser to the student writers and editors, said she does not anticipate taking action against the students for inserting the words to “Lupe” in the paper without permission.

“There’s enough retribution and punishment going on at the campus right now without my adding to it,” Rawitch said.