University of Chicago Frat Party Group Cheered as Woman, 21, Was Sexually Assaulted, Police Report Says

A 21-year-old woman told police she was sexually assaulted during a party at an Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house near the University of Chicago, while a group of men allegedly cheered and appeared to encourage the activity. Two friends said they intervened after finding her partially undressed and 'not fully conscious' in a bathroom.

The university said on 13 October that a person of interest had been identified through witness statements and video evidence and barred from campus. Officials said the individual was not affiliated with the institution and had not been publicly named because no charges had been filed.

What the Police Report Says About the University of Chicago Fraternity Assault

The reported assault took place at an Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) party in Hyde Park during the early hours of Sunday, 11 October, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

The woman told police she had attended the gathering, danced and consumed alcohol before beginning to feel unwell.

Two of her friends became concerned about her whereabouts and tried to enter a bathroom. They told police that a group of up to five men had been 'cheering and appearing to encourage the activity inside' before trying to block their entry. The men initially claimed the woman was not inside, according to the report.

As the friends tried to get in, a man allegedly grabbed one by the hair while the other picked the lock. They found the woman and a man partially undressed, and one of the friends told him to get off her.

The woman was subsequently taken to hospital, and Chicago police launched an investigation. Her friends also provided accounts of what they had witnessed.

Person of Interest Identified as Investigation Continues

The University of Chicago said witness statements, university camera footage and licence-plate-reader evidence helped identify a person of interest. That information was shared with Chicago police.

The individual was not affiliated with the university and had been barred from campus, officials said. The university did not publicly identify the person because no charges had been filed.

Reports differed over whether anyone had been taken into custody, and that status has not been independently confirmed.

The university said it was gathering information alongside the criminal investigation and would initiate disciplinary proceedings where possible. It said it remained committed to imposing disciplinary consequences where warranted and improving efforts to prevent sexual misconduct.

Fraternity Denies Members Were Involved

The University of Chicago's AEPi chapter said no one affiliated with the fraternity was involved in or complicit in the alleged assault.

Separately, the fraternity's national headquarters instructed the chapter to suspend events and programmes while the investigation continues.

The chapter's denial and the suspension of activities are separate from the police investigation into the reported assault and the alleged conduct of those outside the bathroom. The sources do not establish that the men described in the police report were fraternity members.

Separate Cornell Case Draws Scrutiny

The Chicago allegation comes amid scrutiny of a separate case at Cornell University, where a former student alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members in October 2024.

The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, has filed a civil lawsuit against the university, the seven current or former fraternity members and other defendants. The seven men have denied wrongdoing.

ABC News reported that a university disciplinary panel expelled two students and suspended two others. Those disciplinary decisions are distinct from findings in a criminal court.

Cornell also commissioned an independent review led by former acting US attorney general Sally Yates. The case has prompted protests and criticism of the university's handling of the allegations.

The Cornell proceedings concern different people, allegations and institutional decisions. In Chicago, police are investigating the reported assault while the university gathers information and the AEPi chapter's events remain suspended.