TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A sorority member at the University of Arizona has alleged she was sexually assaulted by two men at a fraternity house during a night of drinking in late August.
The student told the university’s police department that she consensually kissed one of the men at one point while at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house on Aug. 26 but doesn’t remember agreeing to sex, according to search warrant records posted Monday night by KOLD-TV in Tucson.
The sexual assault allegations surfaced two weeks after the university had suspended activities for its 21 fraternities amid reports of misconduct, including assault, hazing and drug- and alcohol-related behavior. Suspensions on all but five fraternities have since been lifted after they had mandatory meetings with the dean of students.
In speaking with an investigator, the sorority member recalled consuming tequila, including sharing a cup of the beverage with friends; witnessing two men sexually assaulting her, even feeling one man’s breath on her face; awakening the next morning without pants and underwear on; and noticing a difficulty in swallowing, a possible sign of strangulation, according to the records.
Later that day, she reported the allegations to police and underwent a forensic exam at a hospital.
In a recorded call with the sorority member two days after the encounter, one of the men acknowledged he had sex with her, but he said she had agreed to it and denied that another man had sex with her. He said he had been drunk and “fuzzy” on what happened. He said people took video of the sorority member and him kissing in a bathroom, according to the records.
The Associated Press left email and phone messages with the university Tuesday seeking comment. Its police department said the investigation is ongoing and declined to say if any arrests had been made. The Pima County Attorney’s Office said the case hasn’t been referred to it for prosecution.
Sigma Phi Epsilon at the University of Arizona didn’t respond to requests for comment from the AP, nor did the national fraternity organization.
The university had put Sigma Phi Epsilon on probation from July until May of next year after a hazing complaint. Sigma Phi Epsilon isn’t among the five fraternities that are currently listed as suspended.
Meanwhile, at Cornell University, a former student alleged that multiple Chi Phi fraternity members sexually assaulted her in October 2024. The allegations have sparked campus protests, renewed scrutiny of the Ivy League school's disciplinary system and a state investigation into the alleged assault. Several of the men have denied that they engaged in any nonconsensual sex or denied they touched the woman at all.
