SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 1, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — The University of Utah has announced it will suspend social activities at fraternities and sororities associated with its campus after a second sexual assault at a fraternity was reported.
“Last week, a campus safety notification was emailed to all students, faculty, and staff regarding a sexual assault at one of the University of Utah’s fraternity houses,” a U of U statement says. “The university issued a warning based on the university’s interpretation of the Clery Act.”
The first was reported late last month, several months after the incident.
“Since that time, we have received an additional report, this one anonymous, of a previous sexual assault in early December at another fraternity house,” the University of Utah statement says. “This anonymous report, submitted to our OEO office, has also been shared with Salt Lake City Police.”
Clery safety notifications are intended to alert the campus community of imminent threats to safety so people can make the best safety decisions for themselves.
“Sometimes, they can prompt other potential victim-survivors or witnesses to come forward to report additional incidents of sexual violence, but the details in these alerts also can re-traumatize survivors of sexual assault,” the U statement says.
“It takes great courage to report these crimes, and we encourage survivors to reach out in the wake of these notifications for support from friends, victim advocates, counselors, and/or law enforcement.
“We stand with these survivors. If you are a survivor of sexual assault, please know that it is not your fault and there are resources to support you.”
- Students, faculty, and staff can contact the university’s confidential victim-survivor advocates. Call 801-581-7776 or email [email protected].
- For immediate support, call 801-585-2677 and ask to speak to an on-call crisis support specialist.
Action taken
After officials were notified of the second sexual assault, they made the following changes, the U statement says.
- All social activity at the University of Utah’s fraternity and sorority chapters has been suspended for two weeks. Philanthropic and business operations may continue in the chapter houses, but social gatherings are not allowed.
- Meetings with the leaders of the fraternity and sorority community have been initiated to discuss these incidents, the culture in their organizations, and the next steps for improving safety, accountability, and transparency within the community.
Fraternities and sororities have operated adjacent to our campus for more than 100 years, the University of Utah statement says.
“These independent organizations have been allowed to affiliate with the university with the understanding that they will serve the greater good of the campus community — building leadership, service, and community engagement skills among their members.
“We appreciate their continued partnership and collaboration as we work together to improve the safety of our University of Utah community.”
