Northwestern University officials say the school is investigating a report that four female students attending an event at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house in Evanston last month may have been given a date-rape drug.
The school’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Office says the report, received by the school on Feb. 2, also alleges that two of the students believe they were also sexually assaulted at the Jan. 21 event.
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In addition, on Feb. 3, the university received an anonymous report alleging that on Feb. 2, a female student was sexually assaulted, possibly involving use of a date-rape drug, after attending an event at another fraternity house. The report is unclear as to where the assault may have occurred.
The University’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Office is conducting an inquiry into these reports, and anyone with knowledge of these alleged incidents is urged to contact the Title IX Coordinator at TitleIXCoordinator@northwestern.edu or University Police.
This is serious
I am glad the university is investigating but these are serious crimes, if true. I believe that Evanston’s Police Department should be leading the investigation with the assistance of Northwestern. Based on the information available, this is not a sexual harassment case. It is a rape investigation case.
Agree that NU should not investigate itself
I, too, believe that rape allegations should be investigated by local authorities and not the University. NU is following a common practice among universities when these type of allegations occur. Someone explained to me that the victims must file charges before the local police investigate; absent charges universities investigate because the complaint was to their administration. Still, investigating a crime in your institution seems ripe for conflicts of interest.
NU Police
Note that the NU police department is a fully state certified police organization. They are capable of investigating crimes on their property. I can see where the question of who pays the the NU police (the university of course) might cause some to question their judgement. I think they will ask for assistance if needed; the NU PD and Evanston PD work well together.