An Emory student reported that she was the victim of a rape by two males at the Beta Theta Pi (Beta) fraternity house at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a University-wide email sent on Monday afternoon.
According to the email, sent by Interim Vice President for Communications and Marketing Nancy Seideman, the victim said she was acquainted with the alleged perpetrators prior to the reported incident at 15 Eagle Row.
Both of the alleged perpetrators were Emory students, according to the email. The email does not specify whether they were members of the fraternity.
Emory Police Department (EPD) Lt. Cheryl Elliott said she could not comment on the reported incident at this time. But the University said in a Nov. 4 statement to the Wheel that EPD and the Division of Campus Life have interviewed the student and are conducting an investigation, which is still active.
EPD also executed a search warrant Sunday for the fraternity house to gather evidence, according to the statement.
Staff members in the Division of Campus Life have “provided the student with ongoing support and advised her of available counseling resources,” the University said in the statement.
College senior and Beta President Niko Franchilli wrote in a statement to the Wheel on behalf of both himself and Beta fraternity, “The chapter leadership is aware of the allegations, and we take them very seriously. Our chapter will cooperate fully with local law enforcement and University officials throughout any investigation. At this time we must reserve further comment out of respect for the ongoing process.”
Megan Janasiewicz, the director of the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life, did not immediately respond to an email message and phone calls for comment Monday.
The alleged rape that occurred this past weekend comes amid more reports of sexual assaults on campus. The Wheel reported Oct. 3 that, based on data from Emory’s annual security report, 25 rapes were reported in 2012 – a rise from the 12 reported in 2011 and 10 in 2010. Lauren Bernstein, assistant director of the Respect Program, wrote in an email to the Wheel that she believes increased student reporting of sexual assault is “directly correlated to an increase in student engagement and outreach.”
“More students who have been affected by sexual violence are coming forward to get help and support,” Bernstein said, adding that the issue affects about one in four women and one in 33 men on college campuses across the nation.
College senior Emily Machesney, peer facilitator of Sexual Assault Peer Advocates, said more survivors feeling comfortable reporting assaults to police “suggests our campus is taking steps in the right direction.”
“Unfortunately, sexual assault is a reality on our campus,” she said. “However, we’ve made strides in the past few years.”
She pointed, for example, to the more than 1,000 students who have been SAPA-trained and the development of the Respect Program.
Bernstein added that she is not able to comment on a specific reported incident but noted that at Emory, “we believe [sexual violence] is not inevitable.”
College senior and Interfraternity Council (IFC) President Jason Stern wrote in an email to the Wheel that IFC takes the allegation “very seriously.”
“The Interfraternity Council is committed to ensuring the safety of students in our spaces,” Stern wrote. “IFC and ISC [Intersorority Council] admire the courage of the survivor for reporting the incident so that appropriate action can be taken, which will increase awareness about the issue of sexual assault on campus.”
Bernstein wrote that Health Promotion Specialist for the Respect Program Drew Rizzo is currently collaborating closely with the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life, the Greek councils and students on the Greek Sexual Assault Prevention Initiative.
The email sent to the Emory community offers general safety tips for students, including ensuring that any sexual act is okay with one’s partner and remembering that consent is “an active process, not the absence of ‘no.'”
The email also encourages students to stay alert, be aware of their surroundings, intervene on a situation that seems uncomfortable for another student and keep in mind that the majority of sexual assaults are “perpetrated by someone the survivor knows.”
Anyone with information, the email states, is encouraged to contact EPD at 404-727-6111.
News Co-Editors Dustin Slade and Karishma Mehrotra and Asst. News Editor Rupsha Basu contributed reporting.
– By Jordan Friedman
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, you have support at Emory. Please contact Lauren (LB) Bernstein, Assistant Director for the Respect Program at 404.727.1514 or respect@emory.edu for confidential support. You can also learn more about the Respect Program at respect.emory.edu.
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
This needs to be addressed by the Emory RHA. This occurred on EMORY housing and this needs to addressed, specifically by leadership. I’m looking to you, Bryce Robertson, make a statement. We want to hear your thoughts.
Yes, let’s have a statement by a uninvolved party about an ongoing issues with literally no facts known.
It’s a fair question. We don’t know yet if the alleged rapists were residents there or not. Frat houses have hundreds of people come in and out in a single night, not to mention that anyone who knows the door code can let themselves in. That’s a security issue that should be addressed by RHA at some point, though it might not be at the forefront of this case.
The Residence Hall Association (RHA) serves as a group to help foster community, advocate for residents, and provide fun, safe programming to on- and off-campus residential students. RHA does not serve as a judicial body, nor does it govern resident behavior. If any students have issues with the safety and/or security of their residence hall or Greek residence, they may contact the Office of Residence Life & Housing at housing@emory.edu. RHA continues to work to advocate for our residents and will properly address any issues raised by residents in the future.
Surprising that for once it wasn’t Sig Nu
Yeah seriously, sig nu had like 12 rapes last year yet none of them were publicized like this……I think the wheel is bias
Careful with those allegations. First of all, this is the first rape allegation that has been reported publicly by the University in more than just police statistics. Secondly, a rape can only be investigated if the victim comes forward and files a report. Many rapes here go unreported because the victim doesn’t wish to file a report. Hopefully, this case will be a sign to Emory women (or men, as the case may be) that there are plenty of resources here on campus for survivors of rape who can support you through an investigation. Change will not come until people are held accountable.
That being said, if you have information about a rape on campus, instead of posting comments on the Wheel’s website, you should be talking to Emory Police or emailing respect@emory.edu (which can be done anonymously) to speak to someone with the RESPECT Program.
The reason why there was an email blast was because the girl has decided to go forward with the full judicial process against her rapists, not because there is some sort of vendetta against Beta. Sexual assaults happen often and in almost every frat, but, from what I’ve heard, the Wheel only reports statistics when they see tangible proof in a police blotter. I was raped at Sig Chi, and, although I reported it to EPD, it was never mentioned in the Wheel. Anyway, this girl is EXTREMELY brave, and deserves praise and respect. I was way too afraid to take it to the next level. I hope the boys in Beta actually realize that, and don’t retaliate or insist that she’s lying.
Why does Emory still allow this ancient (“Greek”) form of gender apartheid on its campus? You have to wonder how many rapes on frat row go unreported each year. Time to help men grow in the real world. Abolish the Greek system now!
Why does Emory still allow this ancient (“Greek”) form of gender apartheid on its campus? You have to wonder how many rapes on frat row go unreported each year. Time to help men grow in the real world. Abolish the Greek system now!
It’s good to know we have some burgeoning public relations professionals in the form of these frat/greek leaders. A+ statement writing.
It’s good to know we have some burgeoning public relations professionals in the form of these frat/greek leaders. A+ statement writing.