The University of Chicago has identified a person of interest in connection with an alleged sexual assault at a rowdy fraternity party near campus, where witnesses said a crowd urged the man on.
“A person of interest has been identified in connection with the reported sexual assault that occurred at a fraternity house near campus on the morning of October 11,” the university said in a notification sent to students Tuesday. “The individual is not a University of Chicago student or affiliated with the University. The University banned him from campus.”
Because the Chicago Police Department is continuing to investigate and no charges have been filed, the university said it “is not at liberty to disclose the name of the person.”
The alleged assault took place inside a bathroom at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house near the Hyde Park portion of the university’s campus during the early hours of Sunday, according to The New York Times, which cited the victim’s friend, 21-year-old Mia Lara.
Lara said she lost sight of the woman after the two had been dancing in the basement and her friend began kissing a man.
After searching for her friend, Lara said she found a group of men gathered outside a bathroom. She claimed they were cheering and making remarks including, “When’s my turn,” “Let me in,” and “I want to go in there.”
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Lara said she entered the bathroom and found her friend with her clothes pulled down and her wrists being held by the man she had been kissing. The woman was saying, “Make it stop” and “Get me out of here,” according to Lara.
Lara said she later chased the man outside the house and confronted him about the alleged attack. He allegedly replied, “She wanted to.”
The university said it has no official affiliation with Greek-letter organizations, although fraternities and other groups are required to follow the school’s rules.
A spokesperson for Alpha Epsilon Pi’s national organization said the person identified in the case was not a member of the fraternity’s 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.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.