New Delhi, Oct 15, 2026 16:20 IST
Another elite American university has drawn intense scrutiny regarding sexual assault allegations, arriving just weeks after disturbing reports surrounding the alleged gang rape at Cornell University. In the latest incident, a 21-year-old woman reported being raped inside a bathroom at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house near the University of Chicago, as a crowd of men allegedly gathered outside the locked door, cheering and shouting phrases such as "When's my turn?" and "Let me in." The reported assault occurred during a gathering in the Hyde Park neighborhood in the early hours of a Sunday.
University of Chicago officials announced that they had identified a person of interest in connection with the case and barred the individual from campus, though no arrests have yet been made. Chicago police confirmed they are investigating the allegations, and the survivor received medical treatment at a hospital following the incident.
The victim, who is not a student at the University of Chicago, had attended the party alongside her friend Mia Lara and another companion after discovering the event advertised on the fraternity's Instagram account. Lara recounted that the three women were dancing in the basement when her friend began kissing a man and subsequently vanished. While searching the multi-story house, Lara encountered a small group of men cheering outside a locked basement bathroom door and making demands to enter.
Shortly before 2 a.m., Lara forced her way into the bathroom, where she discovered her friend undressed and slumped against a wall on the floor with her underwear pulled down. According to the report, a man who was also not a university student had his hands on the victim's wrists while she pleaded for the assault to stop. Lara subsequently chased the suspect outside the property and confronted him, to which he allegedly responded that the victim wanted it.
A representative for Alpha Epsilon Pi's national organization stated that the individual suspected of the assault was not affiliated with the university chapter. Fraternity spokesperson Jonathan Pierce noted they do not believe any chapter members were involved or complicit in the act. Although fraternities at the University of Chicago lack formal institutional affiliation, they remain bound by university policies and disciplinary protocols.
In a statement published on Instagram, the local fraternity chapter expressed deep disturbance over the sexual assault that took place on Saturday, October 10, and offered unequivocal condemnation of the violence. The chapter stated that sober monitors were alerted by the victim's friend, prompting multiple members—including the risk manager—to respond and offer assistance. A member reportedly stayed with the victim until police arrived and instructed him to leave, while the party was shut down immediately after members became aware of the situation.