A 21-year-old woman has reported an alleged sexual assault inside a University of Chicago fraternity bathroom, saying men outside the locked door shouted comments including, “When’s my turn?” and “Let me in.”
The accusation is the latest involving a fraternity at a prestigious US university, coming just weeks after allegations surrounding the so-called “Cornell 7” gang rape case.
According to The New York Times, the reported assault occurred in the early hours of Sunday during a crowded party at the Alpha Epsilon Pi house in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood.
The woman is not enrolled at the University of Chicago. She had attended the event with her friend Mia Lara, also 21, and another companion after seeing the party promoted on the fraternity’s Instagram account.
Lara said the group spent time dancing in the basement before her friend began kissing a man and then vanished from view.
While searching the house, Lara said she discovered several men gathered outside a locked basement bathroom. She told the Times they were shouting remarks such as, “When’s it my turn?” and “I want to go in there.”
Lara said she forced her way into the bathroom and found her friend on the floor, leaning against a wall. The woman was undressed, with her underwear pulled down, according to the report.
A man who also was not a University of Chicago student allegedly had hold of the woman’s wrists as she cried out, “Make it stop” and “Get me out of here,” Lara told the publication.
Lara said she later confronted the man outside the fraternity house and accused him of assaulting her friend. He allegedly replied, “She wanted to.”
The university said Tuesday that investigators had identified a “person of interest” in the case. That individual has since been barred from campus.
Chicago police confirmed that they are investigating the sexual assault report and said the alleged victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. No arrest had been announced by Wednesday evening.
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A representative of Alpha Epsilon Pi’s national organization said the man identified in the report was not a member of the local chapter.
“We do not believe that any AEPi members were involved in this horrible act, nor were they complicit with it,” Jonathan Pierce said in an email to The New York Times.
Although University of Chicago fraternities do not have formal affiliations with the school, the university said they remain “subject to university policies and disciplinary procedures.”
In a statement posted on Instagram, the fraternity said it was “deeply disturbed by the sexual assault that occurred on the night of Saturday, October 10th” and “condemn[ed] this violence unequivocally.”
The Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter said it learned about the incident after the victim’s friend summoned one of its sober monitors.
“We immediately responded and multiple members of the fraternity, including our risk manager, arrived at the scene, providing assistance to the victim,” the chapter said.
One fraternity member remained with the woman until authorities arrived and left only after police instructed him to do so, according to the statement. The party was shut down as soon as fraternity officials were informed of what had happened.
The chapter said it would cooperate fully with the investigation and provide support wherever possible. It added that its priority was the person who was harmed and asked the public to respect her privacy and dignity.
Alpha Epsilon Pi’s national headquarters said it is working with university officials and local police. It has also directed the UChicago chapter to suspend all events while the investigation continues.
“Most importantly, all of AEPi hurts for the person who was the victim in this incident,” the national headquarters said in a statement. “No one should attend an event on any campus – fraternity-based or otherwise – and have to fear for their safety and wellbeing.”
The University of Chicago didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
