The reported sexual assault at University of Arizona is the latest instance of alleged misconduct at the university’s frats

Madeleine Jettre/Alamy Stock Photo

Editor’s Note: Help is available : For help in the US, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or chat 24/7 on online.rainn.org .

The woman thought she had told the two men, “Please stop.” She thought she had shaken her head.

But she couldn’t be sure, she told a University of Arizona police officer hours later. When she woke up wearing only her shirt while two men took turns having sex with her in a fraternity house bedroom, she had felt like she was only capable of “just laying there.”

It was during the first week of classes when the woman went with friends to hang out at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house down the street from her sorority, according to a search warrant filed by campus police. She told police she had kissed one of the men willingly earlier in the night, getting interrupted when someone opened the door trying to film them.

But as the hours wore on, according to allegations outlined in the search warrant filed September 9 in Pima County, she woke up at the edge of a bed. One man was having sex with her, while another was at her side, the warrant said.

The student had been drinking tequila with her friends, and she couldn’t recall the order of what unfolded next, the officer wrote in the warrant. She said she remembered an unknown man’s breath on her face as he had sex with her; she also remembered trying to lift her head at various points during the encounter, only to fall back to the bed. But she could not recall, according to the warrant, “being asked or consenting to sexual activity.” CNN has not been able to reach out to the woman, whose identity was redacted from official documents.

When the woman awoke again before 6 a.m., she said she felt something on her throat. She later noticed a bruise and had difficulty swallowing — possible signs, the officer wrote in the warrant, of strangulation. One of the men walked her back to her sorority house, where she made a phone call to her mom that she would not remember hours later, and then fell back asleep.

The next time she woke up, she contacted the campus police department.

Her account, one of at least 15 reported instances of rape or sexual assault documented since August 26 in a University of Arizona crime log reviewed by CNN, is now being investigated by campus police and school administrators, according to a letter the university’s vice president of student affairs sent to the fraternity president.

Three reports, one of which listed the location as an “unknown fraternity,” took place as recently as October 18 and 20, according to the log.

How Title IX investigations work and why experts say the system failed Cornell’s Jane Doe

Administrators placed Sigma Phi Epsilon on an activities suspension on Wednesday, stating “All members of Sigma Phi Epsilon are prohibited from having any contact with any alleged victims of these events and/or the victims’ families.” The letter sent to the fraternity president did not specify whether the woman’s account was a factor in the suspension, although it cited the date of the reported assault. The memberships of the men that the woman says were involved in her assault have been suspended, according to a statement to CNN from Brian Warren, CEO of the organization’s national organization. “Any member found responsible will be expelled, and we will cooperate fully with law enforcement as it seeks accountability under the law,” Warren said in the statement. “Coming forward took courage,” he added, referring to the alleged victim, “and she deserves a complete and unobstructed investigation.”

CNN’s attempts to reach Sigma Phi Epsilon’s university recruitment chairs for comment were unsuccessful. The chapter president, meanwhile, declined to comment while the investigation is pending.

There are no reported indications of any arrests being made.

The allegations in the search warrant, which was obtained last week by CNN affiliate KOLD, come as universities across the nation are facing a renewed reckoning over the issue of rape on campus and in Greek life. There was widespread outcry starting in September, after a former Cornell University student and sorority member filed a lawsuit alleging she was sexually assaulted by multiple Chi Phi members at their chapter house in 2024. Since then, two women have come forward saying they were sexually assaulted at different fraternity houses near the University of Chicago.

aimintang/iStockphoto/Getty Images

At the University of Arizona, several of the school’s 21 Interfraternity Council fraternity chapters started the academic year either sanctioned or suspended over reported code of conduct violations. Sigma Phi Epsilon was on probation through May 2027 due to allegations of hazing new members in the fall 2025 semester through the use of sleep deprivation, calisthenics, forced alcohol consumption and kidnapping, according to a letter associate dean and student accountability coordinator Whitney Mohr sent to its fraternity chapter president ahead of the new school year. Any further code of conduct violations would result in further disciplinary action, the letter said.

In a move that drew national headlines , university administrators on October 5 placed all 21 fraternities on an activities suspension, with Dean of Students Chrissy Lieberman writing in a letter to the school’s Greek community that the measure would be lifted for chapters that were in good standing once fraternity representatives attended at least one meeting with her. Lieberman’s letter said nearly half of the school’s 21 fraternities were under investigation over misconduct allegations ranging from physical assault to hazing, calling the number of cases and the severity of the concerns “egregious.” CNN has not been able to confirm which fraternities were in good standing and which were under investigation.

The step was being taken after problems persisted, despite University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella telling fraternity leaders August 27 that no more violations “that put our students in harm’s way” would be tolerated, according to the letter.

After a week of suspension, all but five chapters were allowed to resume activities.

University spokesperson Nick Prevenas did not respond to CNN’s questions about why Sigma Phi Epsilon was among those cleared at the time, when the alleged sexual assault was reported to university police more than a month earlier. The interim suspension currently in place for Sigma Phi Epsilon was issued on October 21, after news outlets revealed the allegations made by the sorority member nearly two months earlier. It was unclear whether the reported assault was among the reasons for the suspension. A letter announcing the penalty cited reports that the fraternity allegedly provided alcohol to minors and created a dangerous environment on or about August 26 and September 29.

In a statement Prevenas provided to CNN, Vice President for Student Affairs Amanda Kraus called reports of sexual assault “deeply concerning to our campus.” She said the university could not comment on individual student investigations but noted that the school provides sexual assault prevention education and supports survivors through counseling and academic assistance.

“We recognize the impact these reports can have on our students, their families and our broader campus community,” said the statement from Kraus, who did not respond to an email seeking comment. “The safety and well-being of our students are our top priority, and every student deserves to feel safe and supported at the University of Arizona.”

The status of the investigation into the Sigma Phi Epsilon allegations is not clear. The Pima County Attorney’s Office, which did not respond to CNN’s email seeking comment, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the case had not been referred to it for prosecution. The university police department refused to provide a copy of the incident report to CNN and said it could not answer questions about the incident, because the department “will not comment on active investigations.”

According to the search warrant, the woman was taken to a university hospital for a sexual assault examination the day she made her report. An examination found bloody discharge; she also had spots inside her mouth from broken blood vessels, according to a nurse’s documentation described in the warrant. Two days later, police listened in as she called one of the men. With police recording, he said that he had been drunk and his memory was “fuzzy” on what happened, but he admitted they had had sex.

He told her that they “killed a handle of tequila” and were video-recorded wrestling and kissing, according to the warrant. He added that only the two of them had sex and she had agreed to it.

The fraternity “does not tolerate sexual assault or sexual misconduct,” Warren, the CEO of Sigma Phi Epsilon’s national organization, said in his statement. He said they have told the University of Arizona chapter members to give police any videos, messages or other information from that night.

The president of the university’s student government organization did not respond to CNN’s request for comment, while the executive vice president declined an additional request.

Alyssa Norris, a senior at the university and co-director of the campus organization Feminists Organized to Resist, Create and Empower (FORCE), in an interview with CNN said she was hoping the university would send out communications directing students toward support resources in light of the situation on campus.

The incident appeared in the university’s crime log with sparse details, but officials did not respond to CNN’s inquiry about whether students were broadly notified of the allegations.

CNN could not confirm whether the incident listed in the crime log was the same incident as the one detailed in the search warrant, but the date and address matched, and no other assaults were listed in the crime log for the date in the search warrant.

“There’s been no sort of mass email, no sort of communication, even acknowledging this, let alone directing resources towards it, making sure that students are aware that their administration cares about them,” Norris said.

The allegations didn’t come as a surprise, she said: “Since my freshman year at U of A, we’ve been really bombarded with these headlines about like the latest atrocity committed by fraternities at the U of A.” From her perspective, that perceived drumbeat has made allegations of misconduct in fraternities feel “really, really common here.”

Another student, senior Allison Parker, told CNN it was “definitely disheartening knowing that something this serious is happening.” Like Norris, she said she wasn’t necessarily surprised. As a woman on campus, she said she’s accustomed to covering her drink, bringing friends with her to the bathroom and butting in when she spots a friend talking to an unknown man.

Another woman alleges sexual assault at fraternity near University of Chicago

“As women, it’s built into us from a young age that we have to be fight or flight, rather than being able to really enjoy the moment,” said Parker, a financial aid peer adviser at the university’s Women & Gender Student Space .

On campus this semester, Norris and Parker said they had noticed renewed discussion of sexual assault – along with some uneasiness – as the Cornell case continues drawing headlines. Hearing about the allegations at their school only added to that feeling of discomfort, Parker said.

“It’s discouraging,” she said, “knowing it’s right in our backyard.”

Mary Koss, a professor of public health and human sexualities at the university who researches the sexual exploitation of women, declined to comment specifically about sexual assault at the University of Arizona, saying she believes this alleged incident falls within general trends at campuses nationwide. But she noted that sororities for the most part do not allow liquor in their houses, making sorority members dependent on fraternities for parties. That leaves them more vulnerable, she said.

“You’re always at a disadvantage when you’re on somebody else’s territory compared to your own,” she said. “The environment gets set up for women’s socialization opportunities: if they want to socialize within the Greek system, they are confined to environments that are controlled by men.”

CNN’s Isa Mudannayake contributed to this report.

马德琳·杰特/Alamy Stock Photo

编者注：可获得帮助：在美国，如需帮助，请拨打全国性侵犯热线 1-800-656-4673 或访问 online.rainn.org 进行 24/7 全天候聊天。

那名女子以为自己对那两名男子说了“请住手”。她以为自己摇了摇头。

但几个小时后，她告诉亚利桑那大学的一名警官，她当时并不确定。当她醒来发现自己只穿着一件衬衫，两个男人轮流在兄弟会宿舍的卧室里与她发生性关系时，她感觉自己当时只能“躺在那里”。

根据校园警方提交的搜查令，开学第一周，这名女子和朋友们去了离她所在的姐妹会不远的Sigma Phi Epsilon兄弟会会所。她告诉警方，当晚早些时候，她自愿亲吻了其中一名男子，但有人开门试图拍摄他们时，两人被打断了。

但根据9月9日在皮马县提交的搜查令中所述的指控，随着时间推移，她醒来时发现自己躺在床边。搜查令称，一名男子正在与她发生性关系，而另一名男子则在她身边。

据警方在搜查令中写道，这名女学生当时正和朋友们喝龙舌兰酒，她记不清接下来发生的事情。她说，她记得一个陌生男子在她脸上呼出的气息，当时他正在和她发生性关系；她还记得在过程中，她曾多次试图抬起头，但都又跌回了床上。但根据搜查令，她记不清“是否被要求或同意发生性行为”。CNN目前无法联系到这名女子，她的身份信息已从官方文件中隐去。

凌晨六点前，这名女子再次醒来，她说感觉喉咙上有东西。后来她发现喉咙上有瘀伤，而且吞咽困难——警官在搜查令中写道，这些可能是被勒颈的迹象。其中一名男子送她回到了她的大学宿舍，她在那里给妈妈打了个电话，但几个小时后她就记不起来了，然后又睡着了。

她下次醒来时，就联系了校园警察部门。

据 CNN 查阅的亚利桑那大学犯罪记录显示，自 8 月 26 日以来，至少有 15 起强奸或性侵犯案件被记录在案，而她的遭遇就是其中之一。根据该大学学生事务副校长写给兄弟会主席的一封信，目前校园警察和学校管理人员正在对此事进行调查。

根据记录，最近一次事件发生在 10 月 18 日和 20 日，共发生三起，其中一起将地点列为“未知兄弟会”。

第九条修正案调查是如何进行的？专家为何认为该系统未能保护康奈尔大学的简·多伊？

周三，Sigma Phi Epsilon兄弟会的管理人员宣布暂停其所有活动，并声明“Sigma Phi Epsilon所有成员均被禁止与任何涉嫌参与此次事件的受害者及其家属有任何接触”。发给兄弟会主席的信函并未明确指出该女子的证词是否是暂停其活动的原因，但提到了据称的袭击事件发生日期。据该组织全国首席执行官布莱恩·沃伦向CNN发表的声明，涉嫌参与袭击该女子的几名男子的会员资格已被暂停。沃伦在声明中表示：“任何被认定负有责任的成员都将被开除，我们将全力配合执法部门依法追究责任。”他补充道，这位涉嫌受害者“挺身而出需要勇气，她理应得到全面公正的调查”。

CNN试图联系Sigma Phi Epsilon兄弟会的大学招生负责人置评，但未果。与此同时，该兄弟会主席在调查期间拒绝置评。

目前尚无任何逮捕行动的报道。

上周，CNN附属电视台KOLD获得了搜查令，其中的指控正值全美各大学校园和兄弟会/姐妹会内部的强奸问题再次引发广泛关注之际。今年9月，一名康奈尔大学前学生兼姐妹会成员提起诉讼，指控她在2024年于Chi Phi兄弟会的会所遭到多名成员性侵，此案引发了广泛的抗议。此后，又有两名女性站出来，称她们在芝加哥大学附近的不同兄弟会会所遭到性侵。

aimintang/iStockphoto/Getty Images

在亚利桑那大学，该校21个兄弟会理事会（Interfraternity Council）下属的几个兄弟会分会因违反行为准则而受到处罚或停权。据学生责任协调员兼副院长惠特尼·莫尔（Whitney Mohr）在开学前致西格玛·菲·埃普西隆兄弟会（Sigma Phi Epsilon）分会主席的一封信函显示，该兄弟会因被指控在2025年秋季学期对新成员进行欺凌，包括剥夺睡眠、强迫体操、强迫饮酒和绑架，而被处以缓刑至2027年5月。信中还指出，任何进一步违反行为准则的行为都将导致更严厉的纪律处分。

10月5日，校方宣布暂停所有21个兄弟会的活动，此举引发全国关注。学生事务主任克里西·利伯曼在致全校兄弟会和姐妹会的信中表示，对于信誉良好的兄弟会，只要其代表至少与她会面一次，暂停活动的限制措施就会解除。利伯曼在信中指出，该校21个兄弟会中近一半正因涉嫌不当行为（包括人身攻击和欺凌）接受调查，并称案件数量之多、性质之严重“令人震惊”。CNN目前尚无法确认哪些兄弟会信誉良好，哪些兄弟会正在接受调查。

据信中称，尽管亚利桑那大学校长苏雷什·加里梅拉 (Suresh Garimella) 于 8 月 27 日告诉兄弟会领导人，不会再容忍任何“危及学生安全”的违规行为，但由于问题持续存在，因此采取了这一措施。

停办一周后，除五个分会外，其余分会均获准恢复活动。

大学发言人尼克·普雷维纳斯没有回应CNN关于为何西格玛·菲·埃普西隆兄弟会当时被排除嫌疑的质询。此前，这起性侵案已于一个多月前向大学警方报案。西格玛·菲·埃普西隆兄弟会目前受到的临时停权处分是在10月21日发布的，此前新闻媒体披露了该姐妹会成员近两个月前提出的指控。目前尚不清楚这起性侵案是否是停权的原因之一。一份宣布处罚的信函援引报道称，该兄弟会涉嫌在8月26日和9月29日左右向未成年人提供酒精，并营造了危险的环境。

在普雷维纳斯提供给CNN的一份声明中，学生事务副校长阿曼达·克劳斯称，有关性侵的报道“令我们校园深感担忧”。她表示，学校无法对个别学生的调查发表评论，但指出学校提供性侵预防教育，并通过咨询和学业辅导为幸存者提供支持。

克劳斯在声明中表示：“我们意识到这些报道会对我们的学生、他们的家人以及整个校园社区造成影响。”克劳斯本人没有回复记者的置评请求邮件。“学生的安全和福祉是我们的首要任务，每一位学生都应该在亚利桑那大学感受到安全和支持。”

对Sigma Phi Epsilon兄弟会指控的调查进展尚不明朗。皮马县检察官办公室周二告诉美联社，此案尚未移交其进行起诉，但该办公室未回复CNN的置评请求邮件。大学警察局拒绝向CNN提供事件报告副本，并表示无法回答有关此事件的问题，因为该部门“不会对正在进行的调查发表评论”。

根据搜查令，该女子报案当天就被送往大学医院接受性侵犯检查。检查发现她有血性分泌物；搜查令中描述的护士记录显示，她的口腔内还有因血管破裂而产生的血迹。两天后，警方监听了她与其中一名男子的通话。在警方录音的情况下，该男子称自己当时喝醉了，对发生的事情记忆“模糊”，但他承认两人发生了性关系。

据搜查令显示，他告诉她，他们“喝光了一瓶龙舌兰酒”，并且有人拍下了他们扭打和接吻的视频。他还补充说，只有他们两个人发生了性关系，而且是她同意的。

西格玛·菲·埃普西隆兄弟会全国组织首席执行官沃伦在声明中表示，该兄弟会“绝不容忍性侵犯或性骚扰”。他还表示，他们已告知亚利桑那大学分会的成员，将当晚的任何视频、信息或其他资料提供给警方。

该大学学生会主席没有回应 CNN 的置评请求，而执行副主席则拒绝了 CNN 的进一步置评请求。

该校大四学生、校园组织“女权主义者组织起来反抗、创造和赋权”（FORCE）的联合主任艾丽莎·诺里斯在接受 CNN 采访时表示，她希望学校能够发布通知，引导学生了解校园内的支持资源。

该事件出现在大学的犯罪记录中，但细节很少。对于 CNN 询问校方是否已广泛通知学生有关指控，校方没有回应。

CNN 无法确认犯罪记录中列出的事件是否与搜查令中详述的事件是同一事件，但日期和地址相符，而且在搜查令规定的日期，犯罪记录中没有列出其他袭击事件。

诺里斯说：“学校既没有群发邮件，也没有进行任何形式的沟通，甚至连承认此事都没有，更不用说投入资源来解决这个问题，确保学生们知道校方关心他们了。”

她说，这些指控并不出乎她的意料：“自从我进入亚利桑那大学一年级以来，我们就一直被各种关于该校兄弟会最新丑闻的新闻轰炸。”在她看来，这种铺天盖地的报道让兄弟会的不当行为指控“在这里真的非常非常普遍”。

另一名学生，大四学生艾莉森·帕克告诉CNN，“得知如此严重的事情发生，确实令人沮丧。” 和诺里斯一样，她说自己并不感到意外。作为一名校园女生，她说自己早已习惯了遮住自己的饮料，带朋友一起去洗手间，以及在看到朋友和陌生男子交谈时插手。

另一名女子声称在芝加哥大学附近的一个兄弟会遭到性侵犯。

“作为女性，我们从小就被灌输一种观念，那就是我们必须学会战斗或逃跑，而不是真正享受当下，”帕克说道。她是该大学女性与性别学生空间的一名助学金同伴顾问。

诺里斯和帕克表示，本学期在校园里，随着康奈尔大学性侵案持续占据新闻头条，他们注意到校园里对性侵问题的讨论再次升温，同时也弥漫着不安的气氛。帕克说，听到自己学校发生的类似指控，更加剧了这种不安感。

“这真令人沮丧，”她说，“因为这件事就发生在我们家门口。”

玛丽·科斯是亚利桑那大学公共卫生和人类性学教授，专门研究女性性剥削问题。她拒绝就亚利桑那大学的性侵事件发表具体评论，称她认为这起事件符合全国校园普遍存在的趋势。但她指出，大多数姐妹会不允许在会所内饮酒，这使得姐妹会成员在聚会时不得不依赖兄弟会。她说，这让她们更容易受到伤害。

“与在自己的地盘上相比，在别人的地盘上你总是处于劣势，”她说。“女性的社交机会受到环境的限制：如果她们想在兄弟会/姐妹会体系内进行社交，她们就只能待在由男性掌控的环境中。”

CNN的伊萨·穆丹纳亚克对本报道亦有贡献。