SALT LAKE CITY — Police are investigating after the University of Utah sent an alert Wednesday to report an alleged sexual assault that happened at a fraternity house in September of 2021.
The alert stated that on Wednesday, January 26, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action was notified of a reported sexual assault that happened on September 22, 2021 at around 1 a.m.
The location of the assault was at the Kappa Sigma Fraternity House, which is located at 41 University Street East in Salt Lake City.
It was reported that a student was attending a "Wine Wednesday" party at the frat house with friends and wine was provided by the chapter. The victim said they were sexually assaulted while in the dance floor room and did not know the assaulter before the party.
“The courage of someone to come forward with this is remarkable and we always want to make sure our victims and anyone on campus feels supported in doing that," said Chris Nelson with the University of Utah. "So that’s our first message, is we want these reports to come in, because we know this stuff is happening and we can only address it if we get these reports.”
University officials visited the Kappa Sigma chapter Wednesday night to ensure no "Wine Wednesday" event occurred.
Although the fraternity house falls within the legally required reporting area, the location was off-campus and therefore the Salt Lake City Police department will handle the investigation and not campus police.
"Ensuring survivors of sexual assault receive a well-coordinated, victim-centered and trauma-informed law enforcement response that includes advocacy and medical and mental health care is the unwavering commitment and focus of the Salt Lake City Police Department," a statement from SLCPD reads.
The statement goes on to ask that anybody who has information about this incident contact police.
"The Salt Lake City Police Department encourages all survivors of sexual assault to contact law enforcement to ensure the incident can be investigated and to ensure the victim receives immediate medical and mental health care and advocacy," the statement reads.
Nelson says the hope is this winds up being a formal, police investigation because the frat house in question falls under the jurisdiction of Salt Lake PD. But as of this morning the woman has not yet reported the incident to police.
To report information, call SLCPD at 801-799-3000.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual abuse, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or the online chat hotline at rainn.org/resources. Call 911 in an emergency situation. You can also reach out to the University of Utah's victim survivor advocates at 801-581-7776 or email advocate@sa.utah.edu.
