A 21-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted last weekend at a fraternity house near the University of Chicago, as Greek life nationwide faces renewed scrutiny for recurrent misconduct. The incident allegedly took place on Sunday at about 1.50am at the off-campus Alpha Epsilon Pi residence, according to a university daily crime log. In a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, the woman said she was “not fully conscious” when she was found partially undressed inside a bathroom with a man, who was also semi-nude.
She told police, according to the report, that a group had blocked her friends, at first, from entering the bathroom. A person of interest has been identified, according to university officials. The individual is not a student and has been banned from campus, they announced on Wednesday.
No one is in custody, Chicago police said on Wednesday afternoon, adding that an investigation remains ongoing. Jonathan Pierce, a spokesperson for the fraternity, said on Wednesday there was no evidence its members had participated in the assault or were aware of it. Recent news of the purported attack ignited national uproar and criticism of the Ivy League school’s perceived leniency toward the alleged offenders.
New York state prosecutors have reopened an investigation into the report. Under mounting backlash, Cornell has also suspended all fraternity parties for the remainder of the academic year, as it assesses the safety of its Greek societies. Last week, the University of Arizona took a similar move, halting all fraternity activity in the wake of several hazing and physical assault allegations, including accusations of a Greek organization coercing recruits into binge drinking and swallowing live goldfish.
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