'Woke Up With Strangling Signs': Student Alleges Rape At Arizona Frat House

A report of sexual violence at a fraternity house has shocked yet another elite university in the United States, even before the fallout from the "Cornell 7" gang rape allegations has settled. A sorority member at the University of Arizona has come forward alleging that she was sexually assaulted by two men at a fraternity house in late August.

The student approached the university's police department and reported that two men raped her at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house during a night of drinking on August 26. According to search warrant records posted by KOLD-TV in Tucson, the woman said she had consensually kissed one of the men at one point but doesn't remember agreeing to sex. 

The sorority member told police that she remembered consuming tequila, including sharing a cup of the beverage with friends, witnessing two men sexually assault her, and even feeling one man's breath on her face. She said she woke up the next morning without pants and underwear on and noticed a difficulty in swallowing, a possible sign of strangulation, the records showed.

Later that day, she reported the alleged assault 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 accused men acknowledged he had sex with the woman, but he said she had agreed to it and denied that another man had sex with her. He claimed he had been drunk and his memory of the night was "fuzzy". He said people took video of the sorority member and him kissing in a bathroom, according to the records.

The sexual assault allegations surfaced two weeks after the University of Arizona had suspended activities for its 21 fraternities amid reports of misconduct, including assault, hazing and drug- and alcohol-related misconduct. 

Suspensions were lifted for all but five fraternities after they had mandatory meetings with the dean of students. The university had put Sigma Phi Epsilon on probation from July until May of next year after a hazing complaint. But it isn't among the five fraternities that are currently listed as suspended.

Probe On

The university police department has told the Associated Press that their investigation is ongoing in the case 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.

The national fraternity organisation said they have ordered members of the Arizona chapter to comply with any 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," read a statement from Brian Warren, chief executive officer of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Retaliation against the alleged victim or any witnesses would also not be tolerated, Warren said.

Fraternity Assault Cases in the US

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.

This week, a woman sued Alpha Delta Phi and its Chicago chapter, alleging she was raped in February by a member of the fraternity at the University of Chicago. The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, claimed she was sexually assaulted during a party at an on-campus residence and that she reported the assault to city police the next day.

Chicago police are also investigating after a woman reported being sexually assaulted during a party at another fraternity earlier this month. The University of Chicago said in a statement last week that a woman reported being sexually assaulted at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house. The fraternity said none of its members took part in the alleged attack.