After a woman reported being sexually assaulted at a University of Chicago fraternity house, some students are calling for accountability and questioning the effectiveness of the university’s sexual assault prevention and training efforts.
The 21-year-old woman told police she was sexually assaulted early Sunday at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, according to Chicago police and a university community alert. The woman told officers the assault occurred around 1:50 a.m. at the fraternity house, 5625 S. University Ave., and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.
According to The Chicago Maroon, the student newspaper, the assault occurred during a party.
Area 1 detectives are investigating.
The report comes amid renewed national attention on sexual violence in Greek life following a case at Cornell University. In September, a former Cornell student filed a lawsuit alleging that seven men raped her at a Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. The case has prompted student protests and walkouts across the country in solidarity — including a walkout at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago last week.
Zuzanna Wolodko, a fourth-year University of Chicago doctoral student from Poland, said she was struck by how soon the reported assault occurred after the Cornell case.
“It kind of surprised me that literally within two weeks someone would do the same thing,” Wolodko said. It was the first time in her four years on campus that she recalled receiving a university email about a sexual assault, she added.
Wolodko said graduate students complete annual online training that covers sexual assault and how to help someone who’s been assaulted. But she questioned whether the format was effective and said, as a teaching assistant, she wanted more concrete guidance on supporting undergraduate students.
In addition to the Chicago Police Department’s criminal investigation, the university is gathering information and would initiate disciplinary proceedings when possible, a UChicago spokesperson said.
The university “remains 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 wrote in a statement to the Sun-Times.
Andrew Zheng, 19, (left) a UChicago sophomore, was disappointed by news of the assault; Zuzanna Wolodko, 29, (center) a fourth-year PHD student, questioned the effectiveness of grad student training covering sexual assault; graduate student Lola Flores, 21, said stories of sexual violence sometimes circulate among students, even if they aren’t officially reported.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Lola Flores, 21, graduated from UChicago and now is pursuing a master’s degree. She said she wasn’t surprised that an assault occurred.
“I think it’s just kind of par for the course, unfortunately, on any college campus,” she said, describing how stories of sexual violence sometimes circulate among students, even if they aren’t officially reported.
Flores says Greek life can be patriarchal and reinforce traditional gender roles, often doing more harm than good. She said she hopes the student responsible would be expelled and not offered any alternative — and less harsh — punishment.
Yuliia Ihnatesku, a 2026 UChicago graduate visiting campus on Monday, said students often drive campus conversations about sexual violence. Both Flores and Ihnatesku said they had not noticed any additional university communication or programming following the Cornell case.
In a statement to the Sun-Times, AEPi’s national headquarters said it learned of the UChicago incident Sunday afternoon and had been working with Lambda Chapter leadership since then. The chapter was told not to hold events or programs while the investigation is pending.
The organization said all AEPi members receive mandatory training on its standards against sexual harassment and assault, and that violations may lead to expulsion.
“While this inquiry is at its outset, we will refrain from jumping to any conclusion until the investigation is complete,” the statement said.
Sophomore Andrew Zheng, a transfer student who started at UChicago three weeks ago, said he was disappointed to hear about the reported assault. He called for an investigation involving AEPi and said people should recognize that “one little event in their night can ruin someone else’s life.”
“I thought UChicago, being such an upstanding institution about a lot of things, I’d expect a lot better,” Zheng said.