Northwestern University officials announced last week that they would not pursue disciplinary action against two fraternities accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women earlier this year. But officials with one of the fraternities said its own internal investigation is not over and every member of the Northwestern chapter will testify in front of an internal panel this weekend.
“We continue to work with the chapter to sanction any members who do not follow protocol or jeopardize health and safety,” said Brandon Weghorst, spokesman for the national chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, which is based in Evanston.
Part of that investigation will involve every member of Northwestern’s chapter testifying in front of a panel of older alumni and fraternity staff, Weghorst said. While SAE likely will not release findings from the internal investigation, those found in violation of fraternity rules could be sanctioned or expelled from the chapter, depending on the severity of their actions, he said.
The Northwestern SAE chapter also remains under a cease and desist order from its national headquarters, pending the results of the investigation, Weghorst said. That means the group is suspended from holding meetings or social events.
The fraternity’s investigation comes after Northwestern issued a campus-wide alert following anonymous reports in early February that as many as four female students may have been given a date rape drug at a Jan. 21 event at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house. The report said that two women believed they were sexually assaulted after receiving the drug, according to university officials, though the initial reports allegedly did not come from those women.
University officials emailed a campus security alert to students informing them of the reports.
The day after learning of those allegations, the university received another report of a woman allegedly being sexually assaulted and possibly drugged in connection with a different fraternity house. That fraternity has not been publicly identified.
Northwestern spokesman Bob Rowley said Monday that he could not comment on why the second fraternity under investigation has not been named.
According to last week’s statement from Northwestern, officials will continue to examine other “potential violations” of the student conduct code made by SAE members discovered during the investigation. The statement said those other matters were unrelated to the accusations of sexual assault.
University officials will “review any new information that is presented and respond accordingly,” according to the statement.
On campus, Christina Cilento, president of Northwestern University Association of Student Government, said many students were “really upset” by Northwestern officials’ decision last week not to seek disciplinary action for anyone suspected of being involved in the assaults.
“There’s also a sense of dread that this is what would happen all along,” Cilento said.
University officials did not explain why they decided against disciplining both students and the fraternities suspected of being involved, which Cilento said complicates the situation.
“It’s so difficult to know how to respond,” she said. “Maybe the women behind the scenes asked that no disciplinary action be taken.”
Amanda Odasz, a member of Northwestern’s Sexual Health and Peer Educators group, said many students have reacted to the university’s decision with “frustration and disappointment.”
“One of my biggest fears with this situation is that the brothers of SAE and the other unnamed fraternity will take the university’s decision not to take disciplinary action as a confirmation of their innocence,” Odasz said. “I worry that they will try to brush this incident under the rug and that instead of taking a critical look at the entrenched problems within their organization, they will maintain the status quo.”
gbookwalter@chicagotribune.com
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