This article includes references to sexual assault. 

The University encourages anyone with information about the incident or the suspect to submit a tip through the Chicago Police Department’s online tip form or to contact the University of Chicago Police Department. Additional resources and reporting options for instances of sexual misconduct are available at cares.uchicago.edu.

UChicago’s chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity said in a statement this afternoon that no members of the fraternity were involved in the sexual assault reported at the fraternity’s house early Sunday morning.

According to a University alert released on Sunday afternoon, a woman not affiliated with UChicago was sexually assaulted during a party at the AEPi fraternity house before a bystander intervened. Eyewitnesses described the suspect as a “a 5’ 7” South Asian male with a dark complexion, short hair on the sides and longer curly hair on top, wearing a black T-shirt, black jogging pants, and white shoes.”

AEPi Lambda—the fraternity’s UChicago chapter—and the University both said that the suspect had been caught on camera fleeing the house. The Chicago Police Department is conducting the investigation with support from UCPD but had not released any additional information about the suspect at the time of publication.

In the statement posted on their Instagram account, AEPi Lambda said that one of the event’s “sober monitors” was initially alerted to the assault by one of the victim’s friends. 

“We immediately responded and multiple members of the fraternity, including our risk manager, arrived at the scene, providing assistance to the victim,” AEPi Lambda wrote. “A member stayed with the victim until the necessary authorities arrived, only leaving after the police had asked him to do so.” 

The statement also noted that the party was “shut down immediately” following the incident. AEPi’s national organization told the Maroon on Sunday that the chapter would not hold events until the investigation had concluded.

“We are deeply disturbed by the sexual assault that occurred on the night of Saturday October 10th,” AEPi Lambda wrote in the statement. “We condemn this violence unequivocally. Our concern is first and foremost for the person harmed, whose privacy and dignity we ask everyone to respect.” 

In response to reporting about the incident, members of the University community took to social media to criticize fraternities. On the anonymous platform Sidechat, one user wrote that AEPi should “just be done as a chapter…. [W]e cannot tolerate this stuff anymore.” AEPi had disabled comments on all of its Instagram posts as of Monday evening. 

A University spokesperson told the Maroon Monday afternoon that administrators are “committed to addressing sexual misconduct cases that occur, to imposing disciplinary consequences as warranted, and to continually improving efforts to prevent sexual misconduct.” The University reported the case to AEPi’s national organization for further action, the spokesperson added.

Between academic years 2020–21 and 2024–25, over two dozen undergraduate and graduate students were brought before the University-wide Disciplinary Committee over sexual harassment or assault allegations. No students have been expelled over such allegations since the 2021–22 academic year.

In academic year 2024–25, two students faced disciplinary consequences after being found responsible for actions including sexual assault, stalking, and sexual abuse. A third was found not responsible for allegations of sexual harassment and assault. 

One of the two students who faced consequences was suspended for four months and placed on disciplinary probation until their graduation, while the other student was suspended for eight months. Both were required to meet with a therapist or case manager.

The news comes amid renewed scrutiny of fraternity culture following allegations that seven students at Cornell University sexually assaulted a former student at a fraternity house in 2024.

Cornell took disciplinary action against the seven men accused of misconduct—all seven were issued temporary suspensions and two were later expelled—but none faced criminal charges, leading the victim to file a civil suit and students at Cornell to protest the administration’s handling of the case. 

“The defendants were offered the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to the University, according to the lawsuit,” the Cornell Daily Sun reported. 

This is a developing story.

We ask anyone who has knowledge of the incident at AEPi or ongoing investigations to please contact us at [email protected] or submit a tip through our tip form. The Maroon protects source information, and any identifying information you provide will only be seen by the paper’s executive editors.

Anika Krishnaswamy and Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon contributed reporting.