A 20-year-old IU student reported Monday that he or she was raped during a party at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house.
On Friday, IU Police Department Lt. Craig Munroe confirmed the case had been closed and IUPD would not be pursuing an investigation because the complainant did not want to proceed with it.
"The complainant drives this investigation," he said. "So out of respect for the complainant, we'll stop."
Sigma Phi Epsilon's national organization released a statement Friday in response to the allegations.
"Sigma Phi Epsilon was saddened to learn of an allegation of sexual assault involving a member of the Indiana University chapter," the statement said. "In response, the chapter took action to contact the university and have been actively cooperating with law enforcement. The chapter’s standards board formally expelled the accused member and required him to move out of the chapter facility. The chapter will continue to cooperate with law enforcement while their investigation is ongoing. "
The alleged rape is said to have occurred between 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning, IU Police Department's Lt. Craig Munroe said.
The complainant told police that a 19-year-old student raped him or her inside the fraternity building.
Munroe said the suspect was identified and that IUPD did not send a campus-wide safety notification because officers knew who the suspect was. Because there is no ongoing search for a suspect, Munroe said the department decided not to send a notification.
“Since we did know the individual involved, we did not consider the individual a threat to the community right now,” he said.
IUPD often sends these notifications to comply with the Clery Act, which requires universities that receive any federal funding to report campus crime data, outline campus safety policies and support victims of violence.
Munroe said the question of consent often arises during parties on campus. He said he wants students to be aware of what consent is and to take time to ask one another ‘Yes?’ or ‘No?’ before continuing in sexual activity.
“There can’t be a question of consent,” he said about IU's policy of consent. “It has to be absolutely ‘yes.’ Without a ‘yes,’ there is no consent.”
Christine Fernando
This story has been updated with a statement from Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and to reflect that IUPD will no longer pursue the investigation.
