A Cornell University fraternity has been placed on probation after the school discovered they held a "pig roast" contest that involved new members competing to have sex with the heaviest woman.
According to an investigation by the school's Fraternity and Sorority Review Board, Cornell's Zeta Beta Tau chapter held the contest in 2017.
New members acquired "points" by having sex with women, and "in the event of a tie, additional points were awarded to the new member who had had sex with a woman who had weighed the most."
The new members were told not to tell the women about the contest.
After an investigation that concluded in January, the ZBT chapter was placed on two years of probation.
Members will be required to attend education programs about sexual assault prevention and bystander intervention, and the chapter and national organization will conduct a membership review.
In a statement on the chapter's Facebook page Saturday, members said they are "horrified at the notion of the degradation and/or objectification of women" and claimed the contest was "neither chapter sanctioned activities, nor ones that brothers were aware of."
"We, too, are in disbelief and even more so that these alleged actions may have been taken by those whom we called brothers," the statement said. "As a result, we are looking inward to ensure this type of behavior never occurs by anyone connected with ZBT, or the campus community as a whole, on our watch."
The chapter said that, following a membership review, they plan to expel any members that "we find not to be committed to these said ideals and values" of "social responsibility and integrity."
"We are committed to demonstrating through our actions that this inexcusable behavior will not be tolerated," they said.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, the school's vice president for Student and Campus Life, Ryan Lombardi, called the chapter's behavior "abhorrent to me and antithetical to our values as a community."
"Behavior that degrades and dehumanizes women contributes to a climate and culture of tolerance for sexual violence," Lombardi said.
Lombardi added that the campus community will be watching to see whether the chapter will "live up to their public pledge to demonstrate ‘through our actions that this inexcusable behavior will not be tolerated.’"
“It is incumbent that all members of the Greek system and the campus as a whole challenge any form of sexual misconduct and the behaviors that foster it," Lombardi said.
Cornell Interfraternity Council President Paul Russell told BuzzFeed News that "the IFC, along with the campus community, is disgusted by ZBT's behavior as described in the reports."
Russell acknowledged that "issues of sexism and misogyny are deeply rooted in American cultural institutions, particularly Greek life" and said ZBT's "sickening actions are further evidence of the necessity and urgency of cultural change."
The school's Interfraternity Council is now exploring new ways to educate fraternity members about "the ways they contribute to systemic sexism, and work with them to implement positive change in any way possible."
"It is our responsibility to act, not just as elected IFC representatives, but as men who often, consciously and unconsciously, facilitate this problematic culture," said Russell. "There is much work still to be done. We feel deeply for the women impacted by this incident and the culture that normalized it."