Authorities are looking into a report from a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity gathering close to the University of Chicago, an incident that arises during a period of increased scrutiny regarding sexual violence on college campuses.
According to Chicago police, no arrests had been made by Wednesday, following an alert issued by university officials the previous day indicating that a person of interest had been identified.
This case is being discussed amid outrage over Cornell University’s response to a woman’s claims of being drugged and gang-raped by fraternity members in 2024. An internal university investigation led to some disciplinary measures, but no criminal charges were filed.
The University of Chicago, a leading U.S. research institution with an enrollment of 18,000, stated that the woman reported being sexually assaulted early Sunday during a gathering at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house.
As per university reports, the assailant left the premises after being confronted by another individual.
The AEPi fraternity house near the University of Chicago campus, where an alleged sexual assault was reported at a weekend party. (Nam Y. Huh/The Associated Press)
The 21-year-old woman informed the police about the assault and sought medical attention at a hospital, as stated by Chicago police. The university clarified that she is not a student there.
When The Associated Press requested the incident report about the alleged assault on Wednesday, Chicago police did not provide it right away.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported, citing the police report, that the woman mentioned to police that she had been drinking and dancing at the gathering before she started to feel unwell. The report indicated that two of the woman’s friends discovered her “not fully conscious” in a bathroom with a man, and both were partially undressed.
According to the friends, they had to push through several men who were “cheering and seemingly encouraging the activity inside” to enter the bathroom, as reported by the Sun-Times.
Fraternity denies involvement of members in alleged assault
Alpha Epsilon Pi has stated that no members were involved in the alleged assault or encouraged it. The chapter at the University of Chicago released a statement mentioning that its members acted quickly to assist the woman after being alerted by a friend and immediately ended the party.
“There is absolutely no evidence that any AEPi members participated in this assault or were aware of it at the time,” Jonathan Pierce, a spokesperson for the fraternity’s national organization, stated in a Wednesday release.
The fraternity noted that the assailant was chased out of the house and recorded by security cameras during the escape.
University representatives confirmed that the identified person of interest is neither a student nor affiliated with the institution.
Students at Cornell are protesting their university’s handling of an alleged sexual assault case after an investigation revealed the accused faced a range of punishments from expulsion to writing papers.
The Cornell situation gained attention last month when a woman filed a lawsuit against the university and seven fraternity members, claiming she was repeatedly assaulted at a fraternity house in October 2024. She reported the incident to campus police three weeks later and provided a detailed account, but local prosecutors did not pursue charges. The accused have denied any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, Cornell announced a ban on parties at fraternity houses until next year. The university also stated it will involve New York State Police in investigations concerning campus sexual assault cases.
Fraternities have also been under examination at the University of Arizona, which suspended fraternity activities earlier this month following several reports of assault, hazing, and other forms of misconduct.