Sept. 14, 1964
Members of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity “”kidnapped”” sorority housemothers last Tuesday and held them until the sororities paid the “”ransom.””
The housemothers of every campus sorority were invited to a tea Tuesday for the ZBT’s new housemother, Mrs. Ray Fontaine.
The ZBT’s informed the housemothers that they would be prisoners of the fraternity until at least 50 members of each sorority ransomed them by serenading the ZBTs.
The ZBTs “”kidnapped”” a student representative of sororities who housemothers were not present at the tea.
No Dinner
As the sororities members were getting ready for dinner, they realized the absence of the housemothers. A phone call from the ZBT house told the girls “”to serenade the ZBT house or to miss dinner and lose their housemother.””
It was nearly sunset when the sorority girls arrived in front of the ZBT house, where their housemothers were seated on chairs out on the lawn and heavily guarded by the fraternity’s men.
After the sororities serenaded the men, the housemothers were released and peace reigned again in sororities.