This is where we are. Hate is running rampant and the university system in America is no stranger to bigotry. Authorities say two Syracuse University freshmen are facing hate crime charges after a disturbing act targeted a Jewish fraternity during its Rosh Hashanah dinner.
Eighteen year old Samuel Patten is accused of throwing a bag filled with pork into the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house on Tuesday evening. Fellow freshman Kyle Anderson, also 18, allegedly waited outside in a Jeep Wrangler with Connecticut plates. Both were arrested later that night by the university’s Department of Public Safety and turned over to Syracuse police.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick confirmed the students have been charged with burglary as a hate crime and criminal nuisance. They appeared in Syracuse City Court on Wednesday, where Judge Derrek Thomas set bail at $1,500 each. Jail records show both remain held at the Onondaga County Justice Center.
Fitzpatrick stressed the weight of the offense, pointing to the timing of the act during Rosh Hashanah, one of the most sacred holidays in Judaism. He explained that pork, which is prohibited under Jewish dietary law, was chosen deliberately to insult and provoke. “This is not a foolish college prank,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was a deliberate crime aimed at Jewish students gathered for a holiday meal in their own residence.”
The case has sparked outrage on campus and beyond, with many calling for accountability and stronger measures to ensure safety for marginalized groups in university communities.