Justice

Suspended Fraternity Allegedly Drugs and Sexually Assaults Five Students

October 27th 2014

A University of California, Berkeley, fraternity is under fire after yet another incident of sexual assault on a college campus. The incidents happened over the weekend of October 11-13.

As The Daily Californian reports: 

Five individuals reported that they were given “roofies” and were sexually assaulted at the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, according to a report received by UCPD.

"We were shocked and saddened to hear of this report and campus administrators are looking into the matter," Janet Gilmore, university spokeswoman, said in a written statement.

Gilmore said the university has notified the fraternity's national headquarters of the incident and that administrators were grateful that individuals are coming forward and making the reports.

This is far from the first time that the fraternity in question has been in trouble, as it was suspended all the way back in 2009 and not even recognized by the University after previous disciplinary incidents that included hazing, underage drinking, and violation of school social codes. However, the chapter still has the support of its national headquarters and is allowed to continue operations.

The timing of this incident intersects with the White House's launch of It's on Us, a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness about campus sexual assault, placing a greater emphasis on the notion of consent.

This video describes how many colleges (67) are currently under investigation for their lackluster response in handing campus assault cases:

 

There is also legislation in the U.S. Senate to help increase transparency about the epidemic of assault: the bipartisan Campus Safety and Accountability Act, sponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Marco Rubio, would require colleges to publish their sexual assault statistics online so that parents and students can make an informed choice when comparing universities.

To add your name in support of the legislation, click here.