Arizona fraternity faces investigation after student alleges sexual assault

A University of Arizona sorority member has told campus police that two men sexually assaulted her at a fraternity house during a night of drinking on Aug. 26, according to search warrant records posted by Tucson television station KOLD-TV. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

The student said she consensually kissed one of the men at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house but does not remember agreeing to sex. She told an investigator she had consumed tequila, including from a cup shared with friends, and recalled seeing two men sexually assault her and feeling one man’s breath on her face, according to the records. She said she woke the next morning without pants or underwear and had difficulty swallowing, which the records described as a possible sign of strangulation.

She reported the allegations to police later that day and underwent a forensic examination at a hospital.

In a recorded call with the student two days after the encounter, one of the men acknowledged having sex with her but said she had agreed to it. He denied that another man had sex with her. He said he had been drunk and was “fuzzy” on what happened, and said people had recorded video of them kissing in a bathroom, according to the search warrant records.

University police said the investigation remains open and declined to say whether anyone had been arrested. The Pima County Attorney’s Office said the case had not been referred to it for prosecution. The Associated Press left messages with the university seeking comment.

The allegations emerged two weeks after the university suspended activities at all 21 of its fraternities amid reports of misconduct involving assault, hazing, drugs and alcohol. The university later lifted the suspensions for all but five fraternities after mandatory meetings with the dean of students. Sigma Phi Epsilon is not among the five still listed as suspended, though the university placed its chapter on probation from July until May of the following year after a hazing complaint.

Sigma Phi Epsilon’s national organization said it had directed Arizona chapter members to cooperate with the investigation. “The Fraternity has suspended those involved while the investigation proceeds. Any member found responsible will be expelled from Sigma Phi Epsilon, and we will cooperate fully with law enforcement as it seeks accountability under the law,” chief executive Brian Warren said in a statement. He said retaliation against the student or witnesses would not be tolerated.

Other allegations involving fraternities have prompted investigations elsewhere. At Cornell University, a former student has alleged that multiple Chi Phi members sexually assaulted her in October 2024. The allegations have sparked protests, scrutiny of Cornell’s disciplinary system and a state investigation. Several of the men have denied engaging in nonconsensual sex or touching her. CBS News reported that the former student wrote to Cornell saying she “felt unsupported and disbelieved” by its president.

At the University of Chicago, a woman has sued Alpha Delta Phi and its Chicago chapter, alleging a member raped her at an on-campus party in February. She said she reported the assault to police the next day. Chicago police said they were investigating a sexual assault report from the same block early on Feb. 8, without naming a fraternity. The university and Alpha Delta Phi did not respond to requests for comment.

Chicago police are also investigating a separate report of sexual assault at an Alpha Epsilon Pi party earlier this month. The fraternity said none of its members took part in the alleged attack.