This article includes references to sexual assault.
Kevin Shim, who was identified in a lawsuit filed Monday as the perpetrator of a sexual assault reported at the Alpha Delta Phi (Alpha Delt) fraternity in February, appeared to have remained an active member of the fraternity until earlier this month, according to party invitations reviewed by the Maroon.
Shim appeared on the initial version of an invitation to a planned “Champagne and Shackles” social event co-hosted by Alpha Delt and the Delta Gamma (DG) sorority. He was removed from a subsequent version of the invitation sent to members on October 15 and did not attend, according to versions of the invitation reviewed by the Maroon and multiple individuals who attended. Those individuals described the event as having taken place earlier this week.
The event reportedly involved pairs of fraternity and sorority members handcuffed together and required to finish a bottle of champagne before being uncuffed.
In an October 25 statement to the Maroon, DG President Litzy Tafolla said the event took place before the lawsuit was made public on October 19, and that “no one in Delta Gamma knew about the assault” until after the lawsuit was reported. Tafolla did not specify the event’s date when asked.
Shim also appears in group photos posted by Alpha Delt members on Instagram as late as spring quarter of last year, months after the assault was reported.
In statements to the Maroon on Tuesday and Friday, Alpha Delt’s national organization said that Shim was suspended when the fraternity learned of the allegations against him, but declined to specify how soon after the reported assault occurred. Alpha Delt’s UChicago chapter directed the Maroon to its national organization when reached for comment.
The lawsuit, filed against the UChicago chapter of the Alpha Delt fraternity and its national organization, claimed that Shim sexually assaulted the 19-year-old victim—identified only as Jane Doe—at a party at the fraternity’s house on February 7. The complaint also alleged both organizations failed to take precautions despite multiple previous reported sexual assaults by members at the house.
Shim is a second-year student majoring in computational and applied mathematics and physics, according to his LinkedIn, which was visible Tuesday morning but has since been deactivated. Before UChicago, Shim attended Seoul Foreign School in South Korea, where he grew up. His name still appeared in the UChicago directory as of Saturday.
Shim moved out of University housing on Tuesday, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. The Maroon independently confirmed on Friday that Shim had moved out of his dorm room.
At the time of publication, the University had not responded to questions regarding Shim’s status as a student or the nature of his leave from University housing.
Shim did not respond to questions about his membership in Alpha Delt or his student status sent Tuesday.
Editor’s note, October 25, 4:01 p.m.: This article has been updated to include a statement from Delta Gamma saying that sorority members were unaware of the allegations against Kevin Shim when the “Champagne and Shackles” event took place. DG further said that the event took place before the lawsuit was filed.
