The University of Arizona has barred Sigma Phi Epsilon from hosting, attending or participating in parties and other activities after a student reported she was sexually assaulted by two fraternity members — the latest action following a misconduct probe involving nearly half the Greek chapters on the Tucson campus.
The suspension issued to Sigma Phi Epsilon, also known as SigEp, on Wednesday, October 21, arrives just days after the student’s sexual assault report to police became public and only weeks after the university placed all 21 fraternities on an interim activities suspension amid allegations of assault, hazing, drug and alcohol misuse.
What the University of Arizona Suspension Letter Outlines
Associate Dean of Students Whitney Mohr notified Sigma Phi Epsilon that the chapter was being placed on immediate “activities suspension” pending an investigation into allegations against the organization. “It has been determined that your organization presents a substantial risk to members of the university community,” Mohr wrote in the letter, which was published by CBS affiliate KOLD-TV.
The letter alleges the fraternity held unregistered social events since the start of the fall 2026 semester and gave alcohol to minors on August 26 and September 29. It also prohibits fraternity members from contacting “any alleged victims” and their families during the investigation. The activities ban means the chapter cannot host, attend, sponsor or participate in organizational events while the review continues.
Sexual Assault Allegations Against Sigma Phi Epsilon Members Revealed
A female student who belongs to a campus sorority reported to the University of Arizona Police Department that two Sigma Phi Epsilon members sexually assaulted her at a party on August 26 after she had been drinking with friends, according to a search warrant dated September 9 and published Monday, October 19, by KOLD-TV.
The student told investigators she was hanging out in a fraternity member’s room before going into an adjoining bathroom and “consensually made out” with someone, the warrant states.
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. The document continues that “she did not recall touching either male at any point” and “does not remember being asked or consenting to sexual activity.”
After leaving the fraternity house the next morning, she noticed a bruise on her throat and described difficulty swallowing due to possible strangulation, according to the warrant. A day later, she reported the alleged assault to police and underwent a forensic exam at a hospital.
Inside the University of Arizona’s Fraternity Investigation
Before the sexual assault report became public, the University of Arizona had already suspended all of its fraternities earlier in October amid a sweeping misconduct probe into alleged physical assault, hazing, alcohol and drug use, according to AZ Family. Suspensions were later lifted for most of the 21 fraternities, except for five, per CBS News.
Chrissy Lieberman, the university’s dean of students, said in an internal memo obtained by Arizona’s Family on Tuesday, October 6, that her office was investigating multiple reports of misconduct involving nearly half of the campus’s fraternities. The alleged violations ranged from creating unsafe environments for students to physical assault, drug and alcohol use and hazing. Chapters were told they could resume activities only after their advisors attended one of three mandatory meetings with the dean.
University President’s Message to Chapters
The suspensions came more than a month after University President Suresh Garimella met with all fraternity presidents on August 27 and told them the university would not “tolerate further violations that put our students in harm’s way.” Chapter leadership was instructed to “step up and be accountable for the men in their chapters” and stop behaviors that violated the school’s code of conduct.
“It was made clear that if the chapters did not meet this expectation, the university would be forced to act,” Lieberman wrote in the memo sent on Monday, October 5. She noted that the Dean of Students Office is at capacity for the cases its staff can investigate at once, and that every one of those cases involves a fraternity chapter. “As you know, the value of the Greek experience is under scrutiny nationwide. It is time for the University of Arizona Greek community to step up and set an example for good. It is time to have difficult conversations with each other and the members of the community,” Lieberman said.
Sigma Phi Epsilon and Prior Probation
The national fraternity responded to the Arizona allegations through its top executive.
“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 on Tuesday, October 20, according to The Associated Press.
Prior to the October 21 suspension, Sigma Phi Epsilon had been put on probation in connection with alleged hazing in July, the outlet reported. The chapter now joins a short list of Arizona fraternities still sidelined — including Sigma Tau Gamma, which was placed on activities suspension in September after members were accused of forcing members to drink alcohol and swallow live goldfish.
The Dean of Students Office and the University of Arizona Police Department are both investigating the allegations against the fraternities.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
