UCF frat member who chants ‘rape’ in video is suspect in sex assault
August 25, 2015
UCF frat member who chants ‘rape’ in video is suspect in sex assault
ORLANDO, Fla. — A University of Central Florida fraternity brother identified as chanting “rape” in a video recorded in June is the same man accused of sexual assaulting a woman at the fraternity’s off-campus apartments last year, according to the victim’s complaint released by the university.
In a text message Monday, the woman who reported being assaulted confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that she recognized his voice in the video. Another woman who recorded the scene June 9 at the Sigma Nu apartment also identified the man, according to the university complaint.
On Monday, the University of Central Florida released the recording that appears to depict several Sigma Nu fraternity members laughing and talking in an expletive-laced conversation.
“Let’s rape some b … ,” a man’s voice can be heard saying before someone chanted “rape” several times in a row.
It was recorded by a woman who is not a UCF student. That woman, who was dating one of the fraternity members at the time, knew about the open sexual-assault case against the man and was friends with the victim. She gave the recording to the victim, who later filed the student-conduct incident report based on the contents.
The sexual assault happened in October, a UCF police report said. The victim said she woke up on a Saturday morning at the Sigma Nu apartments and felt pain. She noticed an unwrapped condom wrapper and a condom on the floor, according to the report.
The woman did not report the case until February to UCF police, who forwarded it to the state attorney’s office in April, according to UCF.
On Monday, the Orange-Osceola State attorney’s office would not confirm that the case had been received, said spokeswoman Angela Starke.
“We get 80,000 cases a year to review,” Starke said when asked why the state attorney’s office had taken no action.
The Sentinel is not identifying the man because he has not been charged with a crime. When called for comment Monday, he hung up on a reporter.
After the university was notified about the rape-chanting video, officials suspended Sigma Nu last month and said there will be a Title IX investigation. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sexual discrimination in public education.
On Thursday, a panel is expected to deliberate the case and could recommend a punishment, which might range from the less severe such as community service to a more serious consequence to expulsion for violating university policy.
University staff will review the panel’s decision before it can be made final, added UCF spokesman Chad Binette.
UCF declined to comment Monday because of the active student-conduct-review process. The national fraternity could not be reached for comment Monday but had said last week in a statement, “We are deeply troubled by the allegations and immediately suspended the accused student, pending further developments. … The words used by people in the recordings are disrespectful, despicable and vile.”
Sigma Nu started at UCF in 2005 and has 52 active members. It is connected to a national fraternity that began at Virginia Military Institute in 1869.
The Sigma Nu recording has received national media attention, with articles appearing online in The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.
It’s not the first time a fraternity has been in trouble with chants promoting sexual assaults, according to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
For instance, in 2010, there were media reports about new fraternity recruits chanting, “No means yes” as they marched at Yale University. The YouTube video went viral.
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