BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University fraternity parties and paired events are canceled indefinitely. Students involved in Greek life confirmed the decision to 13News.
The most recently reported rape was at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house on Halloween. The report was made shortly before 1 a.m. on Oct. 31, according to police records obtained by 13News.
A rape was reported at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house shortly before 1 a.m. on Oct. 31, according to police records obtained by 13News.
Phi Kappa Psi's national office released the following statement to 13News:
Our members were horrified to learn of an alleged act of sexual misconduct between two visitors at the chapter facility on October 31. Sexual violence will not be tolerated.
The alleged assailant was removed from the property. We are cooperating with IUPD and university officials as they investigate this matter.
Phi Kappa Psi stands with survivors and encourages reporting and seeking support.
IU campus resources include:
- Office of Student Welfare and Title IX: ethics@indiana.edu
- Confidential Victim Advocates: readvo@indiana.edu
- IU Health Center: 812-855-4011
- Sexual Assault Crisis Services: 812-855-8900
Several fraternity and sorority members confirmed to 13News they had received notice that the school’s Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association, which represents fraternities and sororities on campus, made the decision this week to cancel all activities in the wake of the reports of alleged sexual assaults.
“I’m really glad that the fraternities are choosing to take a stand by pausing and everything and they’re recognizing that it’s an issue and they’re really trying to take an initiative to try and make a change,” said a sorority member who spoke with 13News Thursday evening.
More than a dozen sexual assaults have been reported at the Bloomington campus since the start of this school year. In September, all IU sororities canceled a Saturday of joint events with fraternities over the concern about increased sexual assaults on campus.
IU police list on their daily crime log when the incidents occur. The department lists a fairly specific location for most crimes on the daily log, like a campus building or an intersection. But for sexual assaults, the location had been left vague.
For example, reports were listed as locations on campus - residential, or fraternity/sorority, or campus building - with no specific address or building. IU Bloomington Police Chief Jill Lees told 13News in October, that's intentional and a longstanding policy.
"This is not a new change,” Lees said. “This is our best practice. We typically leave out the exact locations where sexual reports occur to help protect the reporting person. I think giving a general location and the knowledge and awareness of such events occurring is important to our campus community. To give the exact location would then put the reporting party's information at risk, and we want people to come forward and report these instances."
13News found that policy must have changed in the past month as the Oct. 31 reported rape lists Phi Kappa Psi as the location.
That transparency is something some students had been calling for. IU junior journalism student Mary Claire Molloy from Indianapolis has reported on the increased reports of sexual assaults on campus and how they are reported to the public.
"Just having conversations with friends, classmates, peers - I think that there's a lot of fear for women on campus right now,” Molloy said in an October interview. “That's what I'm getting at, and that has kind of propelled me to write and to try to uncover this information.”
On IU's fraternity row Thursday, members of the school’s fraternities and sororities were reluctant to go on camera to talk about the allegations. Some agreed to talk to 13 News on the condition we didn’t show their face or say their fraternity or sorority.
“Personally, I’ve never experienced anything like that, but seeing the reports that are coming out, I think, numerically, we know that there is a problem,” said one sorority member.
“I think it’s important for the school to look into these things to prevent them from happening again,” said one fraternity member.
Some worried the allegations would affect how people viewed Greek life and its members.
“I don’t want it to be something that deters kids from rushing as they go off to school and stuff like that. It’s a great way to meet friends,” said a fraternity member.
Students have been protesting on the Bloomington campus, demanding calls to action, but IU isn't alone in the fight against sexual abuse on campus.
13News went to Purdue University last month after several sexual assault and battery cases canceled fraternity activities there.
It is unclear how long activities will stay paused at IU.