University of Arizona Police Investigate Alleged Assault at Fraternity House
A University of Arizona sorority member has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by two men at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on August 26, according to search warrant records. The records were posted on Monday night by KOLD-TV in Tucson. They cite a University of Arizona Police Department warrant that places the alleged assault at the fraternity house.
According to the Guardian, the student told university police that she consensually kissed one of the men but does not remember agreeing to have sex. In a recorded call made two days after the encounter, one of the accused men acknowledged having sex with her, but said she had agreed. He denied that the other man had sex with her.
Sigma Phi Epsilon's chief executive, Brian Warren, said the fraternity had suspended those involved, would expel any member found responsible, and would cooperate fully with law enforcement.
The university police department said its investigation is ongoing. It declined to say whether any arrests had been made. The Pima County attorney's office, which handles prosecutions in the Tucson area, said the case had not been referred to it.
The allegations come against a backdrop of recent discipline across the university's Greek system, the network of social fraternities and sororities. The university suspended activities for its 21 fraternities about two weeks before the sexual assault allegations surfaced. Those suspensions followed reports of misconduct including assault, hazing and drug- and alcohol-related behavior. Suspensions on all but five fraternities have since been lifted, and Sigma Phi Epsilon is not among the five still suspended.
The university had already placed Sigma Phi Epsilon on probation, a period of set conditions following a complaint, after a hazing complaint earlier in the year. In May, KOLD-TV reported that the chapter had been accused of sleep deprivation, forced alcohol consumption, kidnapping and calisthenics, which are allegations the chapter's members had not been shown to have faced in a finding. The Arizona Daily Wildcat first reported that the university police were investigating the chapter after a student's report.
