A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee fraternity has been suspended and is pending an investigation in a date rape conspiracy. Authorities launched the investigation after three women and one man were taken to the hospital following a Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity party on September 12th.
One of the attendees told CNN that she experienced "a weird feeling and sensation" prior to blacking out. Another woman reported that the fraternity sold all-you-can-drink index cards for $8 that night, but were "only for sale to females and 'you [had] to be hot' to get one." She told police that she woke up at the hospital after blacking out.
In a search warrant obtained by authorities, the third hospitalized woman said a fraternity member made her a drink at the party then hid "the cup under the bar out of sight." Then he reportedly placed the drink above the bar and gave it to her. The woman said she passed out about 30 to 45 minutes after she finished said drink. Other attendees told authorities that the vodka drinks fraternity members were mixing under the bar appeared "cloudy."
Authorities suspect that the fraternity used the date rape drug Rohypnol. Better known by its nickname "roofie," the drug is a tasteless and odorless sedative that causes disorientation and memory loss.
The Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity has been suspended as the investigation is ongoing. Last year, the fraternity had been investigated following three reports of sexual assault. No charges were filed then.
Police arrived and broke up the party around 1:20 a.m. They found 42 people -- all under the legal drinking age -- in the basement with black or red "X" marks on their hands. Fraternity brothers reportedly drew the symbols on partygoers' hands but wouldn't comment on what the different colored marks meant.
A search warrant affidavit revealed that the "severely intoxicated" women taken to the hospital all bore the red "X" marks on their hands. The other partygoer who was hospitalized, a man, had a black "X" on his hands, but drank from the same cup as a female friend who had the red marks on her hands. Many women who attended the party had the red X's on their hands, leading authorities to believe that they were part of a color-coded and premeditated plan to target certain individuals for possible date rape.
"We are deeply concerned about these allegations because the safety of our students is our number one priority," said Vice Chancellor of University Relations and Communications Tom Luljak in an interview with The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel. The paper reports that one student has been arrested thus far and may be charged by the district attorney's office.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Paula Mejia is a reporter and culture writer. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club, Pitchfork, ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
