The University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) has temporarily shut down the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity after a recent sexual assault report sparked an ongoing investigation.
Campus crime logs revealed that the incident took place inside the off-campus fraternity house on Monday, sometime between 11:30 pm and 12 am. Police officers at the university also received reports of a raucous party taking place at the same time.
UNL Police Chief Hassan Ramzah told 3 News Now that campus police are determined to complete the investigation to determine what happened in the case.
University Chancellor Ronnie Green released a statement Wednesday announcing that the fraternity is on probation. He assured the community that the administration is not taking the issue lightly and that UNL is committed to ensuring a safe campus environment for all students. The statement was also in response to a large protest which took place outside the fraternity house the day before.
“We take any allegation of sexual assault very seriously, and the UNL Police Department began investigating this incident as soon as the report came in. That investigation remains open and is ongoing,” the statement read.
“The Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) fraternity at UNL is currently under probation for previous violations of university policy. We are closing the fraternity house and suspending operations of the Fiji chapter while this investigation is ongoing, due to potential violations of that probation,” Green added.
Community Protest
People started to gather around Phi Gamma Delta property Tuesday night, chanting for justice and condemning the alleged acts of fraternity members.
We go from that moment, this this one: moment of silence being held for victims of sexual assault ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/PrnJ4YBOEZ
— Ryan Swanigan🎙 (@TheRyanSwanigan) August 25, 2021
Apparently, this is not the first time that the fraternity has been accused of or involved in troublesome accusations. People reported that the fraternity was suspended in 2017 for “reckless alcohol use, hazing, and inappropriate sexually based behavior,” including a pattern of sexual harassment. Before this recent incident, the fraternity had just been reinstated from suspension.
Phi Gamma Delta Executive Director Rob Caudill issued a statement on Wednesday promising that the fraternity’s local chapter will fully cooperate with authorities.
“Phi Gamma Delta takes these allegations very seriously and does not tolerate sexual violence. Our chapter at the University of Nebraska is cooperating with local authorities as they investigate allegations of sexual assault by one of its members. The International Fraternity is working with the University and will take appropriate action pending the findings of the investigation,” his statement read.