Hundreds protest outside University of Kansas frat house after alleged sexual assault
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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.
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Protesters gathered outside of a University of Kansas fraternity house in Lawrence on Monday night after one of its house members was accused of sexually assaulting another student there over the weekend.
Protesters began gathering outside the palatial Phi Kappa Psi house around 8:30 p.m. 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.
Few details about the assault were clear on Monday night. But the assault was reported by fraternity officials over the weekend. Students believe the victim may have been drugged and raped during a house party there.
University officials could not be immediately reached for comment late Monday. A spokesman for the fraternity said the organization has been made aware of the allegations involving one of its new undergraduate members and the university was immediately notified.
“Phi Kappa Psi takes these allegations very seriously and will fully cooperate with law enforcement,” the statement said. “Due to the recent nature of these allegations and the need for a full and complete investigation, Phi Kappa Psi cannot provide further comments at this time.”
One of those attending the demonstration was Ryan Reza, a senior from Topeka. He said the demonstration remained peaceful on Monday night. Police were there to block traffic, and he saw what appeared to be private security officers stationed outside of the large frat house.
Reza said the latest assault is part of a larger pattern at the university. He was glad to see a large response from the community to cast attention on the issue at KU, he said.
“This is the sort of environment KU brings, especially with Greek Life,” Reza said. “We see this stuff happen all of the time.”
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 11:10 PM.
