Northwestern's fraternity system faces crisis amid sexual assault reports

From its very first fraternity — which had to shut down during the Civil War — Northwestern University's Greek system has been a pillar of campus life for virtually all of the school's 166-year history.And its presence still looms large on the Evanston...

POLITICS
17 February 2017 Friday 12:52

Northwestern's fraternity system faces crisis amid sexual assault reports

From its very first fraternity — which had to shut down during the Civil War — Northwestern University's Greek system has been a pillar of campus life for virtually all of the school's 166-year history.

And its presence still looms large on the Evanston campus. Fraternity brothers regularly paint an iconic campus boulder in chapter colors, lamppost stickers encourage would-be pledges to "rush," and Greek letters stand out on stately houses along Sheridan Road.

But Northwestern's fraternity system finds itself in crisis mode following reports of possible drugging and sexual assault involving two Greek chapters. Now one chapter has been ordered to cease operations temporarily, and social activities at the campus' largest fraternal network have been suspended. A governing council has released a statement decrying fraternities' "toxic masculine culture" and has vowed a complete overhaul of the system. The student government also intends to address the issue.

Embattled NU fraternity suspended amid reports of drugging, sex assaults Genevieve Bookwalter and Robert McCoppin

The national headquarters for Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity has suspended the fraternity's chapter on the Northwestern University campus after allegations of sexual assault at the fraternity house were announced, officials confirmed.

"They have to cease and desist all operations," said Brandon...

(Genevieve Bookwalter and Robert McCoppin)

The situation at Northwestern comes at a time of heightened attention nationwide to how college campuses, their police departments and the Greek system address claims of sexual violence. The University of Illinois issued two safety alerts about possible sexual assaults at fraternities within days of Northwestern's. There's also uncertainty about whether the U.S. Department of Education under new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will continue to make the investigation and prevention of campus sexual assault a priority.

And the spate of new claims of sexual violence has led some at Northwestern and other college campuses to debate whether the Greek system is outdated and should be abolished altogether.

Michael Gross, a Northwestern art student, said the reaction on campus to the latest allegations "has been an overwhelming outcry against" the fraternity chapter that has been suspended.

"I haven't found many voices ... against (the suspension)," he said. "It's been overwhelmingly an environment that's been supportive of victims of sexual assault."

Despite growing pressure on fraternities over their members' conduct, many students still credit them with providing a social outlet for students and for doing charity work.

Northwestern fraternities Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune

An exterior view Feb. 15, 2017 shows a quadrangle bordered by fraternities on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, in the building at left, has had its chapter suspended by the fraternity's national headquarters after allegations of sexual assault.

(Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)

Ege Aykol, a sophomore engineering student, said fraternities and sororities are social hubs, especially for undergraduates who have few other options because they're underage.

Still, he said of the Greek system: "To a certain extent, it's divisive. It's separating students. I think it's a good way to socialize on campus, but I feel that it is segregating more than uniting."

Like at many other campuses, fraternities and sororities constitute a huge part of the social scene at Northwestern. The school reports that about 3,000 students, or 40 percent of the student body, participate in the Greek system.

The current ban on social activities at Northwestern applies to the 17 fraternities that are members of the Interfraternity Council, school spokesman Bob Rowley said. The school lists three other governing bodies for fraternities and sororities, overseeing some 28 other organizations that are not affected.

The latest allegations came to light Feb. 2, when the school received a report that on Jan. 21, four female students attending an event at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house were possibly given a date-rape drug. The report alleged that two of the students believed they were also sexually assaulted.

On Feb. 3, the university received a separate anonymous report alleging that the night before, a female student who had attended an event at another, unspecified fraternity house had been sexually assaulted, also possibly after being given a sedative.

Northwestern University students tell of sexual assault experiences during 'survivors' rally Genevieve Bookwalter

The hundreds of marchers from Northwestern University were loud and raucous Friday as they rounded Sheridan Road in Evanston, chanting for the removal of a NU fraternity where alleged sexual assaults occurred in January.

But the crowd soon stood silent, and listened with rapt attention as student...

(Genevieve Bookwalter)

The university's Sexual Harassment Prevention Office is investigating, and officials encouraged anyone with information to report it, but no complaining witnesses had filed a report with university police as of Wednesday.

So far, SAE has received no further information to substantiate the allegations involving its chapter, national headquarters spokesman Brandon Weghorst said.

Despite such criticisms, Weghorst said, fraternity life still offers a wide range of benefits.

"There's very much still a need for Greek life on campus," he said. "There are many benefits to the fraternity system that the average person may not realize. A lot of people just hear the negatives. Members of fraternities and sororities are, I don't want to say stereotyped, but they're put into a particular box."

Each chapter typically performs community service. Weghorst cited the case of the SAE chapter at the University of California in Los Angeles that gained national attention when it provided assistance to a girl with cancer, and an SAE house in Pittsburgh that started a "Donut Dash" race that reportedly raised more than $200,000 for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Last year, SAE's 330 member houses performed 16,000 hours of service connected with Global Youth Service Day, Weghorst said, doing things like painting playgrounds, visiting nursing homes and volunteering in soup kitchens and shelters.

Northwestern's student government calls for fraternity suspensions after sex assaults Genevieve Bookwalter

Northwestern University's student government organization on Wednesday called for the immediate suspension of multiple campus fraternities after multiple women were allegedly sexually assaulted in the fraternity houses earlier this year.

Northwestern's Associated Student Government in a statement...

(Genevieve Bookwalter)

And problems like sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse are broader issues that go far beyond the Greek system, Weghorst said. Organized houses offer help to fight those problems, such as ongoing education and training that students otherwise might not get, and can face university sanctions that other students do not.

In 2014, following deaths, lawsuits and bad publicity, SAE ended the practice of pledging, the traditional probationary period for new recruits, a time when hazing can occur. The fraternity touted instead an educational program called the "True Gentleman Experience," aimed at helping its members develop personally and professionally.

Still, at Northwestern, a renewed push is on toward even greater accountability.

Christina Cilento, president of Northwestern's Associated Student Government, said the group's executive board met Wednesday to consider proposals to immediately and permanently expel students and fraternities found culpable in sexual assault, and to provide more funding for prevention and education about the issue.

The group's leaders also met Wednesday with university officials regarding additional steps to take to prevent sexual misconduct. Student government representatives also met informally with Greek leaders, protesters and others to discuss what steps to take next.

"We have a lot of work on our hands," Cilento said.

The university's Political Union, which holds regular debates about timely topics, held a meeting Monday to discuss whether to abolish the Greek system at the school.

Northwestern University investigates date-rape drug, assault reports

Northwestern University is investigating reports that at least three students were sexually assaulted and may also have been drugged at fraternity houses in recent weeks. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)

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Participants voted 15-14 to end the system, though Co-President David Gernon said there was no way to tell if the vote gauged overall student sentiment. He doubted the vote would have any effect, and said the event was planned long before the latest controversy.

Critics argued that the costs of Greek life outweigh the benefits, and that its attributes could be made up by students in other settings. Defenders of the system emphasized that members not only make friends and network, but also support many worthy causes.

They also warned that abolishing the houses would not end drinking and sexual misconduct, but rather move it to places that are not under university oversight and sanctions.

"It turned out to be very timely," Gernon said. "There was a wide range of opinions, and everyone was civil."

The debate followed a demonstration days before in which hundreds of protesters marched from the SAE chapter house in Evanston to the SAE national headquarters, about a mile away, calling for the removal of the fraternity.

Northwestern's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life promotes the benefits of Greek life as a "home away from home" for emotional and scholastic support, where new friends can last a lifetime. Greek members get better grades, the office reports, and develop networking and leadership skills that prove invaluable in the working world.

Like many fraternity members, Northwestern's Cameron MacPherson cited the camaraderie the organizations provide.

Northwestern University investigates reports of sex assaults, drugging at frats Stacy St. Clair and Gregory Pratt

Northwestern University is investigating anonymous reports that allege at least three students were sexually assaulted and may also have been drugged at fraternity houses in recent weeks, school officials said.

Administrators at the Evanston campus issued a security alert to students Monday after...

(Stacy St. Clair and Gregory Pratt)

"A lot of my friends and I joined the same place because we felt a sense of brotherhood and a place where we could all thrive and grow together," said MacPherson, 19 and a member of Sigma Chi.

He was surprised by the allegations of sex assaults and said he wanted to hear more facts before forming an opinion.

"I think most houses on campus are very safe havens, at least Sigma Chi is," he said.

A 20-year-old Northwestern fraternity member who declined to give his name said he's made good friends through his house, but called alleged assaults "clearly unacceptable."

"It shouldn't be tolerated," he said. "It gives a bad reputation to all Greek life. It's not only SAE. It's every chapter that is affected by this."

The Interfraternity Council announced that it will form a task force to look into topics including sexual assault, hazing, drugging, risk management and "toxic masculine culture," according to an online statement. The task force will also explore fraternity recruitment and values, and will include members from outside the IFC.

"Echoes of the toxic ideology on which social fraternities were founded still ring today," the statement read. "We are acutely aware of the exclusivity, financial elitism, sexism, heterocentrism, and discrimination that have and still continue to exist in our community."

The group plans to hold open forums in the upcoming weeks, and to "completely" revise its constitution, which it called "an antiquated document" that fosters ambivalence toward sexual assault, hazing and drugging.

"We have to start from the ground and work our way up if we are truly going to change the culture of IFC," the group stated.

Freelance reporter Brian L. Cox contributed.

rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertMcCoppin

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