2 Rallies Protest End of Fraternity Suspension : CSUN: Students criticize Blenda J. Wilson’s decision and voice anger at the group that distributed an offensive party flyer.

Cal State Northridge students held two demonstrations Monday to protest university President Blenda J. Wilson’s decision to cut short the suspension of a fraternity that was being punished for distributing an offensive party flyer.

A lunch-hour rally by about 200 ended in front of the school’s administration building, with the crowd shouting for Wilson to read aloud the lyrics of a sexually explicit song that prompted the suspension of fraternity Zeta Beta Tau.

“I will not read an obscene poem,” Wilson said to the group. She added that First Amendment protection is “sometimes used by evil and ignorant people” who under state and federal laws cannot be stripped of their right to free speech.

Some students shouted angry remarks at Wilson. She had agreed last week to reinstate the local chapter of ZBT on April 1, 10 months before its suspension was to end, rather than fight a lawsuit that some legal observers predicted the university would lose. Most, however, expressed anger at the fraternity’s members.

“If they were really sorry, they would have continued with their suspension and not asked to be brought back,” said Tina Martinez, a CSUN junior who is studying biology. “They didn’t even serve half their term and that is a great insult.”

About 200 students also took part in an evening rally, marching across the campus carrying lighted candles and signs with slogans criticizing the fraternity and Wilson. One sign, referring to the fact that Zeta Beta Tau is a predominantly Jewish fraternity, read: “Six Million Dead Jews Wasn’t Funny and Neither Is Lupe.”

The fraternity was suspended in November for 14 months after members admitted distributing a flyer for a Mexican-theme party that made a reference to “Lupe,” which critics said is the name of a fictional “Mexican whore” in a bawdy fraternity drinking song. The lyrics, which were not mentioned in the flyer but distributed widely on campus Friday by Chicano student activists, describes sex with “Lupe” as a child and as a corpse, in crude terms.

Wilson ended the fraternity’s suspension to settle a lawsuit filed by ZBT representatives. University and private civil rights attorneys had told Wilson that the campus would probably lose the suit, which contended that fraternity members were being wrongly punished for exercising their right to free speech, Wilson said.

Settlement of the lawsuit also required the fraternity to publish four full-page advertisements with an apology in the campus newspaper beginning today.

But the ads, which will run on consecutive days at a cost of $2,688, are being paid for by the tax-supported California State University system, a student newspaper employee said.

A portion of the ad, which includes an apology, says the flyer “does not represent the views or beliefs of members of our fraternity. . . . We look forward to working with the campus community to prevent incidents like this from happening again.”

Scott Krivis, a ZBT spokesman, confirmed that the fraternity was not required to pay for the ads under terms of the settlement.

He said fraternity members want to meet with students offended by their flyer and put the matter behind them but cannot as long as the protests continue.

“We’ve settled the lawsuit with the school, we took a punishment, we have apologized many times,” Krivis said. “And since then, we’ve been harassed, threatened and have had to hire security guards to protect the (fraternity) house” in Northridge.