University of Kansas officials investigate alleged sexual assault at fraternity house
READ MORE
Sexual assault at University of Kansas
Coverage of events surrounding sexual assault accusations and protests at the University of Kansas. In September, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Phi Kappa Psi frat house after one of its house members was accused of sexually assaulting another student.
Expand All
University of Kansas officials are investigating an alleged sexual assault at an off campus fraternity house.
KU Chancellor Douglas Girod, Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer and Vice Provost Tammara Durham announced the investigation in a letter to students Tuesday afternoon.
The letter came a day after hundreds of students gathered outside the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house and called for the university to act after one of the fraternity’s members was accused of sexually assaulting another student at a party there over the weekend.
A petition calling on the fraternity to be banned garnered more than 13,500 signatures as of 5 p.m. Tuesday after word of the sexual assault circulated.
“This is only one of many reports. We are trying to make our greek system and University of Kansas a safer place. Please sign this petition to remove Phi Kappa Psi from our campus to stand in solidarity with those effected,” reads the petition, which was created anonymously Monday afternoon.
Protesters gathered at about 8:30 p.m. outside the Phi Kappa Psi house where the alleged assault happened. Over a few hours, the crowd swelled into the hundreds as people chanted and waved signs, calling for the organization and students to be held accountable.
The message from KU administrators said both law enforcement and KU administrators are aware of the allegations and that fraternity leaders have been cooperative but notes that sexual assault reports “require extreme care to ensure the health, welfare and rights of all individuals involved.”
“We want to express our appreciation for all of you who are helping to address sexual assault in the community. This topic is deeply important to us, as it clearly is to so many of you,” administrators said in a statement.
Few details were immediately available about the alleged assault. Lawrence Police said in a statement that they were aware of “an incident involving a possible sexual assault” but said they would not provide details to protect the privacy of the victim.
University of Kansas officials launched the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center in 2015 after pressure from students to reform the university’s handling of sexual assault allegations.
Sexual assault remains a pervasive problem at KU and college campuses across the U.S. In a 2019 survey 24% of undergraduate women at KU said they had been sexually assaulted during their time in college.
Read the full statement from the university below:
Jayhawks,
Last night, many of you gathered in response to a reported instance of sexual assault within our community.
First, we want to say we appreciate that so many members of our community were moved to gather in support of combatting sexual assault. Sadly, sexual assault continues to be pervasive in our society, and we are heartened to know that so many of you feel compelled to engage on this topic. Additionally, we want to express our support for survivors of sexual violence and acknowledge the trauma they have endured.
Reports of sexual assault require extreme care to ensure the health, welfare and rights of all individuals involved. In this particular instance, we can confirm that the university and local law enforcement are aware of a reported sexual assault at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house off campus, and we have initiated our investigatory process. Fraternity leaders have been cooperative.
The university takes seriously all reports of sexual assault and is unwaveringly committed to the health and safety of our students. In accordance with federal law, KU has robust processes to investigate reported instances of sexual assault and to hold accountable those individuals and organizations that are in violation of KU policies. We encourage anyone with information about such instances to contact our Office of Civil Rights & Title IX, or local law enforcement.
Our university has a number of resources to assist survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence. Individuals are encouraged to contact our CARE Coordinator, or to access other campus resources, depending on their specific needs.
Additionally, KU continues its commitment to programming that seeks to educate students and change the culture around sexual assault prevention and bystander intervention. Much of that programming is coordinated through our Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center, which has been lauded nationally within the higher education community.
Finally, we want to express our appreciation for all of you who are helping to address sexual assault in the community. This topic is deeply important to us, as it clearly is to so many of you.
Respectfully,
Douglas A. GirodChancellor
Barbara A. BichelmeyerProvost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Tammara DurhamVice Provost for Student Affairs
The Star’s Bill Lukitsch and Aaron Torres contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 14, 2021 at 5:02 PM.
