The University of Arizona has banned Sigma Phi Epsilon from hosting, attending and participating in parties and other activities after a student reported she was sexually assaulted by two fraternity members.
The university sent a letter on Wednesday, October 21, notifying Sigma Phi Epsilon that the fraternity has immediately been placed on “activities suspension” pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations the organization is facing.
“It has been determined that your organization presents a substantial risk to members of the university community,” Associate Dean of Students Whitney Mohr wrote in the letter published by CBS affiliate KOLD-TV.
Sigma Phi Epsilon’s suspension at the Tuscon-based campus comes two days sexual assault allegations involving the fraternity house were made public.
A female student, who’s a member of a campus sorority, reported to the University of Arizona Police Department that two Sigma Phi Epsilon members sexually assaulted her during a party on August 26 when she had been drinking with friends, according to a search warrant published Monday, October 19, by KOLD-TV.
The woman told investigators she was hanging out in a fraternity member’s room with friends before she went into an adjoining bathroom and “consensually made out” with someone, according to the search warrant dated September 9.
She later awoke in a dark room while lying on a bed and discovered two men sexually assaulting her, the woman reported.
At one point, “she thought she said, ‘Please stop,’ and shook her head but was later unsure,” the search warrant states.
“She did not recall touching either male at any point” and “does not remember being asked or consenting to sexual activity,” the document continues.
The woman told investigators that after she left the fraternity house in the morning, she noticed a bruise on her throat and described difficulty swallowing due to possible strangulation, according to the search warrant.
A day later, she reported the alleged sexual assault to police and underwent a forensic exam at a hospital, the document states.
Before the news of woman’s sexual assault report, the University of Arizona suspended all fraternities earlier in October amid a misconduct probe into alleged physical assault, hazing, alcohol and drug use, according to AZ Family.
Suspensions were lifted for most of the 21 fraternities, except for five, per CBS News.
The letter sent to Sigma Phi Epsilon on Wednesday states that the university held unregistered social events since the beginning of the fall 2026 semester, and that the fraternity allegedly gave alcohol to minors on August 26 and September 29.
The letter also prohibits fraternity members from contacting “any alleged victims” and their families.
“Sigma Phi Epsilon does not tolerate sexual assault or sexual misconduct. The Fraternity has suspended those involved while the investigation proceeds,” Brian Warren, the fraternity’s chief executive officer, said in a statement Tuesday, October 20, according to The Associated Press.
Prior to the suspension, the fraternity had been put on probation in connection with alleged hazing in July, the outlet reported.
