A 21-year-old woman reported being raped in a bathroom at a University of Chicago fraternity house while men outside allegedly shouted, “When’s my turn?” and “Let me in.”
The disturbing report is the latest allegation involving an elite university fraternity house, coming weeks after claims surrounding the so-called “Cornell 7” gang rape.
The alleged sexual 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 New York Times reported.
The woman was not a University of Chicago student. She had attended the party with her friend Mia Lara, also 21, and another acquaintance after seeing the event promoted on the fraternity’s Instagram account.
Lara told the Times that the group had been dancing in the basement when her friend began kissing a man and then disappeared.
After looking through the house, Lara said she found several men gathered outside a locked basement bathroom. They were allegedly cheering and making comments 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 sitting on the floor, slumped against the wall. The woman was undressed, with her underwear pulled down, according to the outlet.
The man, who also was not a University of Chicago student, allegedly had his hands on the woman’s wrists while she cried out, “Make it stop” and “Get me out of here,” Lara told the publication.
Lara said she followed the man outside the fraternity house and accused him of assaulting her friend. He allegedly replied, “She wanted to.”
The university said Tuesday that it had identified a “person of interest” in the reported assault. He has since been barred from campus.
Chicago police are investigating the sexual assault allegations and confirmed that the woman was taken to a hospital for treatment. No arrests had been reported as of Wednesday evening.
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A representative of Alpha Epsilon Pi’s national organization said the suspect was not a member of the fraternity’s University of Chicago 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 Times.
Although University of Chicago fraternities are not formally affiliated with the school, the university says they remain “subject to university policies and disciplinary procedures.”
In a statement posted to 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.”
“We became aware of the situation through one of our sober monitors being called over by the victim’s friend,” the Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter at the University of Chicago said.
“We immediately responded and multiple members of the fraternity, including our risk manager, arrived at the scene, providing assistance to the victim.
“A member stayed with the victim until the necessary authorities arrived, only leaving after the police had asked him to do so. The party was shut down immediately following our notice of the events.”
The chapter said it would “continue to support the investigation to the fullest extent and offer our support in any way possible.” It added that its “concern is first and foremost for the person harmed,” urging the public to respect her privacy and dignity.
The fraternity’s national headquarters said it was cooperating with university administrators and local law enforcement. It also directed the University of Chicago 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.
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