Chicago frat assault echoes Cornell: Crowd cheered ‘when’s my turn’ as woman was raped

A 21-year-old woman reported that she was sexually assaulted during a fraternity house party near the University of Chicago. The incident comes as Greek life faces increased scrutiny over recent media reports about the 2024 gang rape that took place at Cornell University. 

The alleged assault took place during the early morning hours on Sunday at the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) residence. According to the Guardian, the woman approached the police, alleging that she was raped inside the bathroom during a frat party hosted by the AEPi. 

University officials said that neither the victim nor the accused was a student of the college. The victim reportedly attended the party with her 21-year-old friend Mia Lara and another woman after seeing it being advertised on the frat’s Instagram. 

In a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, the victim mentioned that she was dancing and drinking at the party before she felt unwell. 

According to the NY Post, the woman’s friend Lara found a small group of men who were cheering outside a locked bathroom door. 

The men “appeared to be encouraging the activity” inside and saying things like “When’s it my turn?” and “I want to go in there.” Despite the group blocking Lara from entering the bathroom, she forced her way in. 

Lara saw her partially-dressed friend sitting on the floor, slumped against the wall. A semi-nude man was also inside the bathroom, holding onto her wrists as she shouted “make it stop” and “get me out of here.”

The accused fled after he was confronted by Lara, who accused him of raping her friend, to which he allegedly responded with “she wanted to.”

Alpha Epsilon Pi said that no fraternity members took part in the alleged attack or encouraged their behaviour. The fraternity claimed its members rushed to help the woman after being alerted of the incident and immediately ended the party. 

"There is no evidence at all that any AEPi members participated in this assault or were aware of it while it was transpiring," Jonathan Pierce, a spokesperson for the fraternity's national organisation, said in a statement.

The fraternity said the perpetrator was chased out of the house and was caught on camera. The university said it has identified an individual in the incident and banned him from the campus. However, the Chicago police said no one has been charged in the case so far. 

The incident comes amid an uproar over Cornell University’s handling of a woman’s allegations that she was drugged and gang-raped at a fraternity house in October 2024. Though the woman filed a complaint with the campus police, they never pursued charges and took only disciplinary action against the accused.